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Indefinite reference is a writing problem concerning pronouns．A pronoun is identified because it refers to a noun or a pronoun in the sentence．If the antecedent is not clear，or there is no antecedent in a sentence，indefinite reference occurs．For example:“Jane asked Laurie to find her notebook．”In this case，we'd better rewrite the sentence as“Jane could not find her notebook so she asked Laurie to find it．”

指代不明是最常见的写作错误，先行词不明确或先行词的缺失都会导致代词的指代不明。

Mr．Roberts asked Tom to find the report that he had misplaced．

Because Mr．Roberts had misplaced the report，he asked Tom to find it．

Compare:She did not know how to operate the new automatic computer，which caused many problems．

Linda did not know how to operate the new automatic computer．Her lack of skill caused many problems．

A writing error is also produced when a shift from one person to another is made within a sentence．For example:“All stuff should review the new salary schedule;you can get a copy from the personnel office．”There is a shift in person from all stuff，the third person，to you，the second person．The sentence should be“All stuff should review the new salary schedule;they can get copies from the personnel office．”

句中人称的切换也会导致理解障碍，如“全体员工必须浏览最新的工资计划表；你们可从人事办公室复印一份。”这句话中从第三人称的“全体员工”突然切换到第二人称“你们”，便会导致理解错误，可将you改为they。

Compare:I am considering buying a new car at the end of the year，as one can get lower prices at that time．

I am considering buying a new car at the end of the year，as I think that I can get a lower price at that time．

1．letterhead，or letterheading：the heading printed at the top of the notepaper on which letters are written or typed，giving all the useful information such as the full name and address of the person or organization信笺抬头

2．subject line：with which one may have a very brief description of the topic or the main purpose of the letter．Thus all letters of the same subject can be filed and kept together主题行

3．reference initials：a note which consists of the initials of the persons signing and typing the letter，usually separated by a slash or colon，so that the letter may be easily found in the files参考姓名缩写

4．enclosure，or inclosure：a thing put inside（enclosed in）a letter，usually shortened as encl．or enclo附件

When the letter arrived，I found the enclosure as he stated．

I enclosed a cheque for $ 5，000 with this letter．

5．carbon copy：a copy of a typewritten or handwritten document made by using carbon paper，sometimes shortened as carbon or cc复写副本，抄件，复印件

6．blocked：one of the format of business letters in which all letter parts start at the very left margin，with slight variations such as full-blocked，semi-blocked，simplified，modified，etc．平齐式（另有全平齐、半平齐、简化式、改进式等）

7．turn over to：to give the control of something to somebody将控制权交给

We turn over to the board of directors the decision of a salary raise．

8．NORP：a shortened form of“National Organization of Retired Persons”全美退休人员协会

9．attorney-at-law：a lawyer who acts for a person or an organization in a court of law，also called public attorney in the U．S．A律师，法律顾问

10．medicare：（often captalized）a system of government medical care in America，especially for the old（美国）国家医疗照顾制度

Ⅰ．Choose the correct pronoun in the following sentences．

1．Ms．Gwyn asked Carl and(I，me)to assist her．

2．Was Mrs．Daley or(he，him)among the final candidates?

3．Are you sure that it was(he，him)who ordered this material?

4．Agnes asked，“If you were(I，me)，would you sue for damages?”

5．The board members voted(they，them，themselves)a 10 percent salary increase．

6．We hope that all library books(that，which)are overdue will be returned by Friday．

7．(These，Those)persons(that，who)do not file applications by June 30 will not be considered．

8．The company offered(its，their)employees a 5 percent pay increase．

9．The extra work was divided among Tracy，Frances，and(me，myself)．

10．Many part-time jobs，(that，which)are usually held by students，will be available in September．

Ⅱ．Correct mistakes in the following sentences．

1．Can you and him help me with the proofreading?

2．If you were her，would you accept the assignment?

3．The manager said that all of us，including you and I，would have time off to visit the equipment show．

4．Did you say it was them who signed the contract?

5．Between ourselves，we can finish the sorting of the mail．

6．Because my brother studies more than me，he earns higher grades．

7．It is not me who have the file．

8．The sign on the restaurant read，“Mexican food at it's finest．”

9．Is that company file her's?

10．Your not going to be able to use the copier before three o'clock．

Ⅲ．Correct any errors in reference or shift in person in the following sentences．

1．Sam did not know how to use the Airlines Guide，which caused many problems．

2．After listening to Mr．Benson's proposal and to Jack's arguments against it，I agreed with him．

3．The television repair shop is not open on Saturdays or Sundays．This makes it difficult to get my set repaired．

4．The problem for many people who have dogs is that they have to be walked．

5．One should handle confidential files carefully;you should not leave them on your desk．

6．I am considering a job change as one does not seem to have opportunities for advancementwhere I now work．

7．Many persons will be affected by the passing of the bill;you should check carefully to see if it will affect your status．

8．All accounting clerks should check the new regulations;you can get a copy from your supervisor．

Ⅳ．Proofread the following letter for errors in pronoun cases．Then revise the letter，making all necessary corrections．

Both the staff and me would like to congratulate you on your recent promotion to regional sales manager．No one could be happier than us that your years of hard work have been recognized．

At the same time，we will truly miss your cheerful presence．How could we not regret losing a colleague whom has been as helpful and friendly as you?

Please accept our sincere good wishes for you continued success．We hope you will visit us whenever you can．

Ⅴ．The following letter contains a number of errors in pronoun use．Find the errors and then rewrite the letter，making all necessary corrections．

Only an idiot would leave their car unlocked in New York City，yet thousands of cars are stolen every year because drivers not only fail to lock their cars—they even leave the keys in the ignition!

We know，Mr．Taft，that you would not ignore such a simple precaution．That is why we'd like to take this opportunity to advise you of another simple means of protecting you car—the Crookproof Cutoff Switch．

For only $ 19．95 you can now guarantee the safety of your automobile．By installing a Crookproof Cutoff Switch on your car，it will make theft virtually impossible．Because only you know where the switch is installed，you and only you can start your engine．Even a thief with a key will be stopped dead in their tracks．

So don't delay，Mr．Taft．Lock your car，take your keys，and install a Crookproof Cutoff Switch today．For only $ 19．95，you will protect it for a long，long time．

Ⅰ．The following addresses are mixed up．Write them out correctly．

a．Mr—Millco Ltd—Halifax

Fraram—The Mills—C—England

HX5 7PT—River Street

b．Ms—6355—Vice President—USA

Virginia 22031—Beacon Street

A Egler—Computerco Inc．—Fairfax

c．Manchester—74—Transworld Freight

Senior Accounts—Elizabeth—PLC

M15 7BJ—Dockside—Clerk—Ms—Shepherd

d．Dumiticz—Pittsburgh—22—G—Sampson Silks

Mr．—15217—Street—Pennsylvania—Main

Ⅱ．Type this letter in each of the arrangement styles:A．Full-blocked，B．Blocked，C．Semiblocked，D．Simplified．

Inside Address:The Middle East Institute of Technology，149 Guanghui Road，Nanjing，Jiangsu 21000

Attention Line:Attention Dean Claude Monet

Salutation:Ladies and Gentlemen

Subject Line:Educational Exchange

The Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and China has advised me to contact you in order to obtain employment assistance．

I received my Doctor's Degree with“grand distinction”from the University of New York and would like to teach English，French，or German．

My special field is English literature;I wrote my dissertation on James Joyce，but I am also qualified to teach languages to business students．I have been active in the field of applied linguistics for the past two years at the University of New York．