OG12-98 请版主帮忙分析正确选项

jaffa23

原题：

98. Even though Clovis points, spear points with longitudinal grooves chipped onto their faces, have been found all over North America, they are named for the New Mexico site where they were first discovered in 1932。

答案就是原题，

这里their和they指代是同一个么？我觉得这个地方很细微，their指代"Clovis points" specifically还是"spear points"in general挺让我头疼的。当然这题在口语里是肯定没问题了，但是我不知道严格按语法来这里代词指代有问题没有。

请帮忙分析。

logowuyi

我也是在看这个题，我的问题是 incompatible的考点。。。
their and they should indicate the same one: Clovis points.
spear points 应该是修饰Clovis points的词，their再指代它没有意义了。
For example: Yao Ming, a man with beard on his face, is over 6 feets high.
你认为his 是指代Yao , or a man?

yidiyuehans

问个问题，spear points 不是clovis points的同位语吗？their指代哪个有区别吗？

momohe

"spear points with longitudinal grooves chipped onto their faces" is a parenthesis modifier, an independent modifier which you can totally ignore when you read the sentence.
And because it is an independent modifier, "their" is only be able to refer to something in the modifier--spear points. "their" can not refer to "Clovis points" because ""Clovis points" is out of the parenthesis modifier.

"they" refers to "Clovis points", subject of the sentence.

logowuyi

so their and they 在这个句子里不会confuse people,对吗？ 谢谢

Fuckitup

LZ说得很对，但是我要补充一些：
不要从单个词来理解语法，语法没有那么复杂。只要你理解起来没有问题，逻辑上指代清晰了就没有问题。
否则:
1.会来不及做
2.养成脱离逻辑意思看句子的习惯
--------
而语法恰恰最关键的是1.迅速判断 2.逻辑意思
their和they理解起来都没有问题，不会mix up.
也并没有必要去区分they和their各自指代什么.永远不要把代词指代看成太复杂的东西，不要想是'就近指代请"还是"从句主语对应主句主语"。