Pronoun Antecedent Agreement
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun. The pronoun usually references something that has already
been mentioned (antecedent)
Antecedent: the word a pronoun replaces
**Pronouns and antecedents need to agree in gender and in number.**
Follow the steps to making pronouns agree using these two sample sentences:
Sample 1: The students will be here after school. ________need extra help.
Sample 2: The student needs to try ________ best.
What is the pronoun replacing? What is the antecedent?
Sample1: the antecedent is students.
Sample2: the antecedent is student.
Is the antecedent singular or plural?
Sample 1: Students refer to more than one student, therefore the antecedent is plural
Sample 2: Student refers to one student, therefore the antecedent is singular
Is the antecedent masculine or feminine?
Sample 1: Students can be both masculine and feminine
Sample 2: Student could be masculine or feminine
Is the pronoun a subject, object or possessive form?
Plug in the antecedent and see what form you need to use:
Sample 1: The students need extra help. Students is the subject of the
sentence.
Sample 2: The Student needs to try the student’s best. Student’s is possessive.
Choose the correct pronoun
:
Subject
Form
Possessive
Form
Object
Form
Singular
I, he, she, you, it,
who
My, your, his, her
its, whose
me, you, him, her,
whom
Plural
They, we
who
their
whose
them
whom
Sample 1: They—They Need extra help.
Sample 2: his or her—The student needs to try _his or her_ best.
REMEMBER:

The indefinite pronouns anyone, anybody, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, no
one, and nobody are always singular. The same is true of either and neither, which are
always singular even though they seem to be referring to two things.

The need for pronoun-antecedent agreement can create gender problems. If one were to
write, for instance, "A student must see his counselor before the end of the semester,"
when there are female students about, you will be incorrect. Use “his or her”

When the antecedent is a thing, the prom noun it must be used to replace it.
INCORRECT: The company wants their employees to give up a week of their
vacation this year.
CORRECT: The company wants its employees to give up a week of their vacation
this year.
Pronoun Reference
Pronouns, such as he, she, they, this, that, those, or which, should clearly refer to specific nouns. Otherwise,
you have a faulty pronoun reference that makes a sentence vague, confusing, and grammatically incorrect.
In business writing, clear pronoun references are critical.
A pronoun can fall either before or after the noun it refers to. The antecedent of a sentence must be clear for
readers to easily comprehend a sentence.
This strategy should work. [The pronoun this
refers to the noun strategy. If you omit the noun—“This should work”—you have a “naked this,” a syntax you should avoid.]
Example of a pronoun coming before the noun:
Example of a pronoun coming after the noun: Jane championed the new strategy. It was bold, innovative,
and comprehensive. [The noun strategy is the antecedent to the pronoun it.]
Common pronoun errors and their solutions:
Ambiguous Pronouns:
Example:
Better:
One error is using a pronoun when antecedent is unclear.
Jane discussed the new strategy with Jill. She decided to proceed as planned.
After discussing the new strategy with Jill, Jane decided to proceed as planned.
After Jane discussed the new strategy with her, Jill decided to proceed as planned.
Absent Antecedents: Another pronoun reference error is omitting the antecedent noun.
Example: Jane says the course is fun to teach because it’s small, and they’re motivated.
Better: Jane says the course is fun to teach, because it's small and the students are motivated.
Loose Antecedents: Finally, a common pronoun reference error is having a pronoun, such as this, that, it,
or
which, refer loosely to the idea(s) just expressed, rather than to a specific noun.
Examples:
The company was criticized for concealing financial losses. This caused investors to
dump the stock.
The company was criticized for concealing financial losses. That caused investors to
dump the stock.
The company was criticized for concealing financial losses. It caused investors to
dump the stock.
The company was criticized for concealing financial losses, which caused investors to
dump the stock.
Better:
The company was criticized for concealing financial losses. This accounting fraud
caused investors to dump the stock.
The company’s accounting fraud, which temporarily buoyed the stock price,
ultimately caused the stock to crash.
Because the company concealed financial losses, investors dumped the stock.