Preventing Pronoun-Antecedent Errors
What is a pronoun?
A pronoun is a substitute for a noun in a given sentence.
Person + Number
1st person singular
2nd person singular
3rd person singular
1st person plural
3rd person plural
Subject Pronouns
I
You
He, she, it
We
They
Who
Whoever
Object Pronouns
Me
You
Him, her, it
Us
Them
Whom
Whomever
Possessive Pronouns
Mine
Yours
His, hers, its
Ours
Theirs
Whose
What is pronoun-antecedent?
The antecedent is the noun that comes before the pronoun. The pronoun should always agree with its antecedent
in person, number, (see table above) and gender (feminine, masculine, neuter). If not, it is called a pronounantecedent error.
Prevent pronoun-antecedent errors by following these steps:
1. Locate the pronoun and determine its person, number, and gender.
2. Locate the antecedent and determine its person, number, and gender.
3. Revise the sentence if the pronoun and antecedent do not match in person, number, and gender.
Incorrect:
The school board finally announced their decision on Friday.
antecedent = 3rd person singular neuter
Correct:
pronoun = 3rd person plural neuter
The school board finally announced its decision on Friday.
antecedent = 3rd person singular neuter pronoun = 3rd person singular neuter
Correct:
The school board members finally announced their decision on Friday.
antecedent = 3rd person plural neuter
pronoun = 3rd person plural neuter
Remember these pronoun-antecedent agreement tips:
When using “or” or “nor”, the pronoun agrees with the nearest antecedent.
 Either the school board members or the teachers will have their salaries cut.
When using two nouns, make sure the pronoun is connected to the correct antecedent.
Incorrect: The school board president is a friend of the superintendent, but he doesn’t always
agree with his policies.
Correct:
The school board president is a friend of the superintendent, but he doesn’t always
agree with the superintendent’s policies.
When using “all, any, more, most, some”, the correct pronoun (singular/plural) will depend on context.
 Most of the teachers did not want their salaries cut. (Plural pronoun needed)
 Most of the school board made its final decision based on the state budget. (Singular pronoun needed)