Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
p. 188 - 190
Agreement in Number
A plural antecedent takes a plural pronoun.
Marla and Denise played their instruments.
Our teachers completed their grades.
A singular antecedent takes a singular
pronoun.
Jaden will bring his books.
Abigail dislikes her math class.
Collective Nouns
Use a singular pronoun to refer to a collective
noun whose parts act as a single unit.
The orchestra will give its final show.
Use a plural pronoun to refer to a collective
noun whose parts act individually.
The orchestra have tuned up their
instruments.
Pronouns Joined by Or or Nor
A plural pronoun is used to refer to nouns and
pronouns joined by and.
James and Denise went to their houses.
A pronoun that refers to nouns or pronouns
joined by or or nor should agree with the
noun or pronoun nearest to it.
Neither the conductor nor the musicians
have taken their places on stage.
Agreement in Gender
The gender of a pronoun must be the same as
the gender of its antecedent
Feminine
she, her, hers
Masculine
he, him, his
Neuter
it, its
Agreement in Gender Cont’d
When the antecedent of a singular pronoun could
be either feminine or masculine, use the phrase
his or her.
Each musician played his or her solo.
If using his or her sounds awkward, try making
both the pronoun and its antecedent plural.
All the musicians played their solos.
Agreement in Person
The person of a pronoun must match the
person of its antecedent.
All students should bring their books.
The pronouns one, everyone, and everybody
are third person and singular.
Everyone has his or her favorite song.
Practice & Apply p. 190 Ex. A
For # 1-5, write the antecedent and correct
pronoun from parentheses.