He
1. The policeman chased the thief but he wasn't able to catch him. (The policeman = he.)
2. The policeman chased the thief but he was able to escape. (the thief = he.)
I've identified antecedents of "he" (a subject in 1. and an object in 2.) from the context.
Or, is it that the pronoun, here "he", has to refer to the nearest syntax element in the sentence (clause), here "the thief" (an object)?
Top answer
You have to consider the nearest suitable syntactical element, but you also have to use common sense. It seems silly to say The policeman chased the thief but he (ie the thief) wasn't able to catch him.
- You have to consider the nearest suitable syntactical element, but you also have to use common sense.
- It seems silly to say The policeman chased the thief but he (ie the thief) wasn't able to catch him.
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You have to consider the nearest suitable syntactical element, but you also have to use common sense.
It seems silly to say The policeman chased the thief but he (ie the thief) wasn't able to catch him.
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