--- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> --- In [email protected], "sparaig" <sparaig@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote:
> > >
> > > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <jstein@>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > --- In [email protected], "sparaig" <sparaig@>
> wrote:
> <snip>
>
> > > > Nectar is NOT "sweet
> > > > > poison." In fact, it is worse than normal poison.
> > > >
> > > > Huh?? MMY said ayurveda turns normal poison
> > > > into worse than normal poison?
> > >
> > > Nevermind, I got it. "It" in the last sentence
> > > refers to "sweet poison," not nectar, right?
> >
> > Yeah. An interesting problem with the English language.
> > Does "it" in the second senttence refer to the most recent
> > subject, or to the most recent noun?
>
> I don't know whether there's an actual rule,
> but the problem here is that you have three
> nouns all referring to similar substances,
> and you're attempting to elucidate the
> relationships between them. There aren't
> any clues as to the antecedent of the
> pronoun, as there would be if you were to
> say, for example, "The bee stung the dog.
> It howled and ran away."
>
> I think that's what caused my confusion.
>
I learned pronouns always refer to the LAST reference. Has that changed?
