Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement A grammar lesson by Elizabeth Becker What are pronouns and antecedents? A pronoun works to take the place of a noun or noun phrase. For example: The girl loves her doll. An antecedent of a pronoun is the word the pronoun refers to. For example: Bob is going to his house. (Bob is the antecedent and his is the pronoun) *Notice that the antecedent comes before the pronoun. (ante means before) What is the common mistake involving p-a agreement? Often writers will pair a singular pronoun with a plural antecedent or vice versa. They MUST be either both singular or both plural. Ex: The boy finished his dinner. (boy and his are both singular) Ex: The boys finished their dinner. (boys and their are both plural) What are some other rules involving p-a agreement? A pronoun must also agree in person and gender with its antecedent. Ex: Amy brought her homework to school. (Amy is the antecedent and her is the pronoun to which Amy refers. The pronoun and antecedent are both third person and feminine.) How should you approach indefinite pronouns? Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific persons or things. Though some of the following indefinite pronouns seem to have plural meanings, treat them as singular: Anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, no one, someone, something Ex: Everyone should respect his or her teacher. (Instead of using the plural their, use the singular option, his or her, when you do not know the gender of the person.) How can you avoid the he or she in dealing with indefinite pronouns? Because using he or she can be wordy, you can make the singular antecedent plural. Ex: When someone has not studied, they are more likely to fail. (incorrect) Replace someone with a plural construction: When students have not studied, they are more likely to fail. (now both the pronoun and antecedent are plural) How can you avoid the he or she in dealing with indefinite pronouns? (2) You can also rewrite the sentence. Ex: When someone has not studied, they are more likely to fail. (incorrect) Rewrite the sentence: Someone who has not studied is more likely to fail. (now both the pronoun and antecedent are singular) To recap... -An antecedent is the word the pronoun refers to. -Pronouns and antecedents must agree in number, person, and gender -When dealing with indefinite pronouns, there are three options: 1. Replace they with he or she 2. Make the singular antecedent plural 3. Rewrite the sentence Resources For more practice with pronoun-antecedent agreement, take a practice quiz at: http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/ebecker/grammarquiz/ To go to the quiz click here: I used the following sources in preparing this lesson: Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual, 2nd. ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1997. Sebranek, Patrick, Verne Meyer, and Dave Kemper. Writers Inc. Lexington: D.C. Heath and Company, 1992.