Pronoun - Antecedent Agreement

• What is a pronoun?

  A word that takes the place of a noun
• What is an antecedent?

  The original noun a pronoun refers to
• What must a singular antecedent agree with?

  It must agree with a singular pronoun
• What must a plural antecedent agree with?

  It must agree with a plural pronoun
• In the sentence "David likes his new shoes," what is the antecedent?

  David
• In the sentence "The children washed their hands," what is the pronoun?

  Their
• What should you avoid when using the pronouns it, you, and they?

  Avoid indefinite references
• What is a better version of "Without a campfire, it is difficult to stay warm"?

  Without a campfire, staying warm is difficult
• What is the correct pronoun in "No one should spoil their children"?

  No one should spoil his or her children
• What is the correct pronoun in "Neither of the men survived their journey"?

  Neither of the men survived his journey
• What is the correct pronoun in "Each of the women ordered their supplies"?

  Each of the women ordered her supplies
• When antecedents are joined by or or nor, what must the pronoun agree with?

  The one nearer to it
• What is the correct pronoun in "Neither Brent nor Sandy remembered their appointment"?

  Neither Brent nor Sandy remembered her appointment
• What is the correct pronoun in "Either Lance or the Wilsons will bring his skiing equipment"?

  Either Lance or the Wilsons will bring their skiing equipment
• What are the indefinite pronouns that are plural?

  Both, many, several, few
• What is the correct pronoun in "Many people marry his or her high school sweetheart"?

  Many people marry their high school sweetheart
• What is the correct pronoun in "Few children do his or her chores"?

  Few children do their chores
• How do indefinite pronouns like most, some, all, any, none, and more behave?

  They can be singular or plural
• What is the correct pronoun in "Some brides like her dresses to be off-white"?

  Some brides like their dresses to be off-white
• What is the correct pronoun in "None of the workers took his or her lunch breaks"?

  None of the workers took their lunch breaks
• How do collective nouns like team and family behave with pronouns?

  They can be singular or plural
• What is the correct pronoun in "The group has given their final decision"?

  The group has given its final decision
• What is the correct pronoun in "The family went their own separate ways"?

  The family went his or her own separate ways
• What should you avoid when pronouns refer to more than one antecedent?

  Avoid ambiguous or unclear references
• What is the clearer version of "The girl brought her sister to the restaurant because she was hungry"?

  The girl brought her sister to the restaurant because her sister was hungry
• What is the clearer version of "We unloaded the old clothes from the boxes and then threw them away"?

  We unloaded the old clothes from the boxes and then threw the boxes away
• What should you avoid when using the pronouns which, this, that, and it?

  Avoid making references to general ideas
• What is the clearer version of "The hurricane destroyed our new garden, two of our pear trees, and even our lawn furniture. This caused us much distress"?

  The storm caused us much distress
• What is the clearer version of "I enjoyed the roller coasters and the water park. They made me want to return again"?

  The rides made me want to return again
• What should you avoid when making weak references?

  Avoid references that have not been expressed
• What is the clearer version of "When you butter the pancakes, use a knife to spread it"?

  Use a knife to spread the butter
• What is the clearer version of "She likes to go ghost-hunting, although she has never seen one"?

  She has never seen a ghost
• What are the key types of pronoun-antecedent agreement?

  1. Number Agreement: Singular antecedents take singular pronouns; plural antecedents take plural pronouns.
  2. Gender Agreement: Pronouns must match the gender of their antecedents.
  3. Person Agreement: Pronouns must match the person of their antecedents.
  4. Indefinite Pronouns: Some are singular, some are plural, and some can be both.
  5. Clarity: Ensure antecedents are clear to avoid ambiguity.
• What are the examples of indefinite pronouns?

  • Singular: each, everybody, anyone, someone, no one
  • Plural: both, few, many, several
  • Can be both: all, any, more, most, none, some
• What are the common mistakes in pronoun-antecedent agreement?

  • Using plural pronouns for singular antecedents
  • Using singular pronouns for plural antecedents
  • Ambiguous references leading to confusion