Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 Person, number, and gender in pronoun-antecedent
agreement.
 Person
Singular
Plural
First
Second
Third
I
you
he, she, it
we
you
they
 Gender: 1) Masculine: he, him, himself; 2) Feminine: she,
her, herself; 3) Neuter: it, itself
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 1) Antecedents joined by and usually take plural pronouns.


Ex: Anne and Jane sold their textbooks.
Ex: Mr. Mister and I cannot settle our dispute.
 Exception:

When the compound antecedent refers to single person, idea, or
thing, then the pronoun is singular.

Ex: My brother and friend offered his help.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 2) When parts of an antecedent are joined by or or nor, the
pronoun agrees with the nearer part.

Ex: Either Anne or Jane left her umbrella.
 When one antecedent is plural and the other singular, the
sentence will be awkward unless you put the plural antecedent
second.

Ex: Neither the principal nor the parents have made their choice.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 3) With an indefinite word as antecedent, use a singular or
plural pronoun as appropriate.




Ex: Neither of the Girl Scouts paid her fee. (Neither is singular.)
Ex: Each of the men succeeded in his chosen career. (Each is singular.)
Ex: Everyone took his or her seat. (Everyone is singular.)
Ex: All the students took their seats. (All is plural.)
 Avoid using the pronouns he, him, and his to refer to
antecedents of unspecified gender.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 4) Reflexive pronouns must agree with an antecedent that is
clearly stated.
 Correct

Skippy gave himself a break after studying for two hours.
 Incorrect

The trouble between Sue and myself arose over jealousy.
 Should be: The trouble between Sue and me arose over jealousy.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 5) Collective noun antecedents take singular or plural
pronouns depending on meaning.
 When the group acts as one unit, the pronoun is singular.

Ex: The herd of cows is too cramped in its small pasture.
 When the members of a group act separately, the pronoun is
plural.

Ex: The couple divided their belongings.
Special Problems with PronounAntecedent Agreement
 A personal pronoun should have a clear, single, close, and
logical antecedent, stated or understood.
 Problem:
 They make a lot of mistakes in the paper.
 Correct:
 Newspaper stories are not always accurate. That paper has
many typographical errors.
Special Problems with PronounAntecedent Agreement
 A personal pronoun should have a clear, single, close, and
logical antecedent, stated or understood.
 Problem:
 Bruce told Danny his mother was sick.
 Correct:
 Bruce told Danny that Danny’s mother was sick.
 Bruce told Danny that Bruce’s mother was sick.
Special Problems with PronounAntecedent Agreement
 A personal pronoun should have a clear, single, close, and
logical antecedent, stated or understood.
 Problem:
 When Joyce invited Anna and her family to come for the
weekend, she forgot to check the date.
 Correct:
 Joyce forgot to check the date when she invited Anna and her
family to come for the weekend.
Special Problems with PronounAntecedent Agreement
 A personal pronoun should have a clear, single, close, and
logical antecedent, stated or understood.
 Problem:
 In English literature you will read Shakespeare and Milton.
 Correct:
 A student of English literature will read Shakespeare and
Milton.