One of my past editing instructors loved giving us grammar lessons about pronoun usage and why placement matters, so this issue has been drilled into my brain! I saw this on Facebook today and thought it was a great example.
Technically, Amanda has the problem because pronouns refer to the closest preceding noun, no matter what type of noun it is. But, I would bet most people would answer the question in this meme as Elizabeth having the problem. I guess we’ll never know. This is why being clear and using proper grammar is so important!
Oh, and the best snarky answer from the Facebook comments? “The reader.” 🙂
P.S., Grammerly is one of my favorite go-to sites for all things grammar. See their updated website at https://www.grammarly.com/.
(Photo taken from the Grammarly Facebook Page)
Clean Composition by Rachel Elrom 