Pronouns

Anonymouswhat's wrong with this sentence? Tanya told Mary she had to study hard

It needs a period.
It's ambiguous. The antecedent of "she" could be either girl. (Which girl has to study hard?)

Hi guys,

I wouldn't say it's ambiguous in terms of strict grammar, under which Mary is the one who has to study hard.


But I'd ask the writer which meaning he or she actually intended.
Often, the context will make t

Hi, Clive.
I was thinking about that rule, and gave up on trying to offer an option that would make Tanya the laboring student.
Do you have a comparably short way to put it?

If I say, "Mary was told by Tanya she had to study hard," it's still a tossup to my ear.

Best regards, - A.

Hi,
I think we usually rely on the context to make it clear.

eg Mary is a very lazy student. Tanya told Mary she had to study harder.
eg Tanya is a very lazy student, so she told Mary she had to study harder.

Thanks, Clive.

Clive in terms of strict grammar, under which Mary is the one who has to study hard.

I'm not familiar with strict grammar, I guess. Anyone care to elaborate?

CJ

Hi,

I was taught endless years ago that with a pronoun, you went looking for the most recently mentioned noun (or noun-like expression) of that type.
Tanya told Mary she had to study hard
ie Who is the female last me

Clivemost recently mentioned noun

I thought that's what you meant, but I just wanted to confirm it in case I had missed something else.