Dear expert,
Thank you for a great post. I have one concern the rule #3, in which you said the pronoun "it" refer to the same noun in its own meaning.
Today’s technology allows manufacturers to make
small cars that are more fuel-efficient than
they were at any time in production history.
In this example, although there is no other modifier attached to "small cars", we understand that here is "today's small cars". Hence, "they" incorrectly refers to "today's small cars".
But I see the same usage in the
OG, which I think is totally fine. And these usages definitely follow rule #1 and rule #2. Experts, please shed light on this matter regarding the validity of rule #3.
Ex:
A1- the number of children injured while sledding was much higher last winter than it was 10 years ago
A2- The average age of automobiles registered in the country is lower now than it was 20 years ago
A3- Motorists in a certain country frequently complain that traffic congestion is much worse now than it was 20 years ago
But I then come up with another question.
- if we put A2 this way, is it correct: The average age of automobiles registered in the country now is lower than it was 20 years ago. This new structure has the same meaning but does not follow rule #2?