Take these sentences: I left the bread toasting in the house. Now it’s burned to nothing.
The sentences’ seriousness could be more clearly gauged by readers if they knew what it referred to. If the speaker meant that the house burned, this is a much more pressing issue than if only the toast was charred.
The word or words that pronouns refer back to need to be clear. Often, the farther a pronoun is from the word it describes, the easier it is for the reader to lose track of that word. Pronouns that suffer from this problem are it, this, which, and that.
Here are some tips for keeping them clear:
It
Be careful when it comes at the head of a sentence. Instead, use a specific noun that provides a better cue to the reader.
- Unclear: The cheese and cashews gave off a favorable aroma. It made me salivate.
- Clear: The cheese and cashews gave off a favorable aroma. The mixture made me salivate.
This
To keep this clear, add a specific noun to this pronoun:
- Unclear: My cat will destroy the house unless I set out a cardboard box. She’ll then stop her rampage and immediately sit inside it. This makes my life peaceful.
- Clear: My cat will destroy the house unless I set out a cardboard box. She’ll then stop her rampage and immediately sit inside it. This cat-trap makes my life peaceful.
Which
Like it and this, which can create unclear meanings.
- Unclear: The other day I was attacked by a koala and knocked onto the subway tracks, which really stressed me out!
- Clear: The other day I was attacked by a koala and knocked onto the subway tracks. This sequence of bizarre events really stressed me out!
- Clear: The other day I was attacked by a koala and knocked onto the subway tracks. Coming that close to the third rail really stressed me out!
That
For that, unless you’re trying to build suspense, just tell your reader what that is instead. Anyone who enjoys movies will want to know what that means:
- Unclear: I've used every conceivable means to stop the alien invasion, but I haven’t tried that.
- Clear: I've used every conceivable means to stop the alien invasion, but I haven't tried just buying them coffee and befriending them.