The Super-Mega-Pronoun-Agreement
Lesson of Awesomeness
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Nobody knows that eating
chocolate-broccoli
muffins is a good way to
provide their bodies
with vitamin C.
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
Can you spot the pronouns?
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
Here is a hint.
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
Ok, that was more than a hint. Both of
these are pronouns:
(nobody=indefinite, their=possessive).
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
Now. We must decide whether
the pronouns agree.
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
What do you think?
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
If you said “no,” then you are
absolutely correct.
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
Nobody means “not one person”
and is a singular pronoun.
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
Their is a possessive pronoun
associated with a plural
antecedent.
Nobody knows that eating
dirt muffins is a good
way to provide their
bodies with vitamins and
minerals.
The correct way (even though it sounds weird):
Nobody knows that eating dirt muffins is a
good way to provide his or her body with
vitamins and minerals.
Let’s try another.
The catering committee
received compliments for
their squid-eye stew.
Any pronouns?
The catering committee
received compliments for
their squid-eye stew.
You’re right. The possessive
pronoun “their” makes another
appearance.
The catering committee
received compliments for
their squid-eye stew.
But, does it work here?
The catering committee
received compliments for
their squid-eye stew.
Right again! The possessive
pronoun “their” is only for a
plural antecedent. The catering
committee is a singular noun.
The catering committee
received compliments for
their squid-eye stew.
The sentence should read: The
catering committee received
compliments for its squid-eye
stew.
One last example.
The cricket and the frog
outside the boy’s window
chirped so loud they kept
him awake all night.
Let’s cut to the chase. The
pronoun here is “they.”
The cricket and the frog
outside the boy’s window
chirped so loud they kept
him awake all night.
Does it work? What is the
antecedent?
The cricket and the frog
outside the boy’s window
chirped so loud they kept
him awake all night.
Yup. It’s “the cricket and the
frog,” which, together make a
compound subject (by default
plural). So, “they” is correct.
The end