Pronouns can sometimes be misleading

Watch carefully and hit accurately




Pronouns are used for clarity, but if inappropriately used, they can cause confusion.

Look at the following example, which is a highlighted section of an article appearing in a newspaper:-

Fathers who spend time playing with their children can increase their intellectual and physical competency.

What is the second 'their' (which is highlighted in bold) referring to - fathers' or children's?

Obviously, the sentence can be rewritten to reflect the intended meaning unambiguously as follows:-

Fathers who spend time playing with their children can increase the latter's intellectual and physical competency.

Further explanations can be found in my earlier post :

Dr Mahathir or Pak Lah?