What are vague pronouns and why to I need to avoid them?

When composing a piece of writing intended for an audience --even if that audience is only your teacher --one of the most difficult skills to master is the ability to write clearly for someone who cannot read your thoughts.  As a reader, I am often confused by what budding authors are trying to communicate.  One important skill that I learned from my (surprise!) tenth grade English teacher is to seriously consider the state of your pronouns.  That is not to say that all pronouns are evil and should be summarily avoided.  That is to say that, if you are not attentive, pronouns can be vague, thereby making your reader pause and reread to find the clarity that is required for comprehension.  A vague pronoun lacks a clear antecedent, in essence leaving your reader wondering who or what you are talking about, or worse yet incorrectly assuming and , as a result, misinterpreting your message.

Beware of the lonely this. One nastiest of offenders is the demonstrative pronoun this as in "this only compounds the problem".  It is  more helpful to use this as an adjective as in "this focus only compounds the problem."  It is even more helpful to declare that "this focus on high-stakes testing only compounds the problem of a narrowing curriculum."

Who are they?  Be especially vigilant with regard to the pronoun they.  If you try to use "they say that more people are relying on the internet for their news" as evidence in an argument about the importance of purchasing more technology for schools, you should expect a challenge from your reader.  Instead, if you have a source, quote it; otherwise, go do some more research to back up your claim.  A better piece of evidence would be to say that "A Gallop poll conducted at the beginning of this year showed that a majority of former newspaper subscribers are relying on free online news services for their daily news."

What is an author's style?

An author's style is the author's unique combination of the components of language and writing.  Much the way great chefs create a meal using specialized ingredients, equipment, and techniques, authors draw on a wealth of knowledge about language to create effects and meaning on the written page.  

For example, read this excerpt from the first chapter of Jane Austin's novel Emma:

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

She was the youngest of the two daughters of a most affectionate, indulgent father; and had, in consequence of her sister's marriage, been mistress of his house from a very early period. Her mother had died too long ago for her to have more than an indistinct remembrance of her caresses; and her place had been supplied by an excellent woman as governess, who had fallen little short of a mother in affection.

Now, read this excerpt from Jane Austin's novel Sense and Sensibility:

The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex. Their estate was large, and their residence was at Norland Park, in the centre of their property, where, for many generations, they had lived in so respectable a manner as to engage the general good opinion of their surrounding acquaintance. The late owner of this estate was a single man, who lived to a very advanced age, and who for many years of his life, had a constant companion and housekeeper in his sister. But her death, which happened ten years before his own, produced a great alteration in his home; for to supply her loss, he invited and received into his house the family of his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood, the legal inheritor of the Norland estate, and the person to whom he intended to bequeath it. In the society of his nephew and niece, and their children, the old Gentleman's days were comfortably spent. His attachment to them all increased. The constant attention of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood to his wishes, which proceeded not merely from interest, but from goodness of heart, gave him every degree of solid comfort which his age could receive; and the cheerfulness of the children added a relish to his existence.

In both pieces, Austin's writing has the same general style.  She uses lengthy sentences with many dependent clauses, and she includes intricate details of her character's social lives and accounts of their relationships with the other characters.  Her diction (word choice) reveals that her stories concern people of status and wealth - inheritor, estate, wealth, bequeath, generations, gentleman, comfortable.

When considering an author's style, you can think about any of these components of composition.

Subject Matter

Selection of Detail

Point of View

Diction

Figurative Language /Imagery

Attitude

Tone

Pacing / syntax

Organization

What is tone, and how do I write about it?

When teachers, or other people who think about these things, talk about tone, they are talking about the ways that the author or narrator feels about the particular subject being discussed in the writing.  While tone and mood are similar, 'tone' refers to the author, or in the case of fiction, the narrator, and 'mood' refers to the emotional response of the reader.

How do authors create tone?  By using the elements of literature and language that we are ponder in English class.  One helpful tool for considering tone is the DIDLS acronym.  DIDLS stands for diction, images, details, language, and sentence structure.  

There are many sources on the internet available to help understand the DIDLS method for analyzing tone.