Grammar Lesson #2
Pronoun and Antecedent
Agreement
Journal #7
Agreement of Pronoun
and Antecedent
What is an antecedent?
An antecedent is the word or words that a pronoun stands for.
Example:
Alfred sent Julie and Dave the money he owed them.
(Alfred is the antecedent of he. Julie and Dave are the
antecedents of them.)
Singular Pronouns
A Pronoun should agree in number and gender with its
antecedent.
A pronoun that refers to a singular antecedent is
singular in number.
Example:
Romeo professes his love for Juliet.
Plural Pronouns
A pronoun that refers to a plural antecedent is
plural in number.
Example:
We will complete our second timed write on
Wednesday.
Pronoun Genders
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
he
she
is
him
her
it
his
hers
its
himself
herself
itself
Masculine and Feminine
Pronouns
When a singular antecedent may be either
masculine or feminine, use both the masculine
and the feminine forms, connected by or.
Example:
A student should choose his or her college carefully.
Indefinite Pronouns
Some indefinite pronouns are singular, and some are plural. Other
indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural, depending on their
meaning in a sentence.
Singular indefinite pronouns:
One
Everybody
Nothing
Everyone
Somebody
Everything
Anyone
Nobody
Anything
Someone
Anybody
Something
No one
Each
Singular Indefinite
Pronouns
Use singular pronouns to refer to singular indefinite
pronouns
Examples:
Either of the girls can bring her CD player.
Neither of the workmen forgot his tool belt.
Someone left his or her hat on the field.
Informal vs. Formal
In informal conversation, plural pronouns are often used to
refer to singular antecedents that can be either masculine
or feminine, (such as everybody). While this is common in
writing it should be avoided in favor of more formal
language.
Examples:
Informal
Everybody has packed their lunch in an insulated cooler
Formal
Everybody has packed his or her lunch in an insulated cooler.
both, few, many and
several
Use a plural pronoun to refer to both, few, many,
and several.
Example:
Many of the students had problems with pronoun
and antecedent agreement in their essays.
Or or Nor
Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more
singular antecedents joined by or or nor.
Example:
Neither Mercutio nor Benvolio pained himself
searching for Romeo after the Capulet party.
and
Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more
antecedents joined by and.
Example:
Friar Lawrence and Romeo may be seen as
foils for each other because they have opposite
character traits.
who, which or that
The number of a relative pronoun (such as who,
which, or that) is determined by its antecedent.
Examples:
Benvolio is a character who is honest and
benevolent towards his friends.
Many who run too fast end up falling flat on their
face.
Pronoun/Antecedent Practice
Directions: Each of the following sentences contains a blank where a pronouns should be. Complete
each sentence by inserting at least one pronoun that agrees with its antecedent. Identify the
antecedent.
1.
2.
Please give me Ronald’s address so that I can send _______ a letter.
The uniform company finally sent Jerome and Ken the shirts that
________ had ordered.
3. Clair or Ida will go to the nursing home early so that ________ can
help the residents into the lounge.
4. Several of the volunteers contributed ________ own money to buy
the shelter a new van.
5. Did each of the contestants answer ________ questions correctly?
6. Both of the girls packed _________ suitcases carefully for the trip
to Canada and Alaska.
7. Every car at the service center had __________ oil changed.
8. Neither of the women withdrew __________ job application.
9. Anyone can belong to the International Students Association if
_________ is interested.
10. Neither the coaches nor the players blamed ________ for the loss.
Review E
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
him, Ronald’s
they, Jerome and Ken
she, Claire or Ida
their, Several
his or her, each
their, Both
its, car
her, Neither
he or she, Anyone
themselves, coaches and players
Pronoun/Antecedent Quiz
Directions: Many of the following sentences contain errors in agreement between pronouns and
their antecedents. After identifying each of these errors, re-write the sentences and give the form of
the pronoun that agrees with its antecedent. If a sentence is already correct, write C.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
George has chosen Walt Disney as the subject of his report.
Several others in our class have also submitted his or her topics.
Dominic, one of the Perrone twins, has chosen Alfred Hitchcock as their
subject.
Neither George nor Dominic will have difficulty finding material for their
report.
Each of these moviemakers has left their mark on the world.
Either Minnie or Sue offered their help with proofreading.
Each of the boys refused politely, saying that they would proofread the
report on their own.
Does everyone, including George and Dominic, know that they must
assemble facts, not opinions?
Neither George nor Dominic Should forget to include amusing anecdotes
about their subject.
Nobody likes to discover that they just read a dull report about an
interesting subject.
Pronoun/Antecedent Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
George has chosen Walt Disney as the subject of his report. C
Several others in our class have also submitted their topics.
Dominic, one of the Perrone twins, has chosen Alfred Hitchcock as his
subject.
Neither George nor Dominic will have difficulty finding material for his
report.
Each of these moviemakers has left his mark on the world.
Either Minnie or Sue offered her help with proofreading.
Each of the boys refused politely, saying that he would proofread the
report on his own.
Does everyone, including George and Dominic, know that he or she
must assemble facts, not opinions?
Neither George nor Dominic Should forget to include amusing
anecdotes about his subject.
Nobody likes to discover that he or she just read a dull report about
an interesting subject.
Review F
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
correct
their
his
his
his
her
he/his
he or she
his
he or she