ESL2O

Lesson 1.3 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Overall Expectations

C1 Demonstrate understanding of the importance of communication skills in their everyday

lives – at school, at work, and at home;
Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Specific Expectations

C1.2 Explain how the ability to read, write, listen, and speak effectively can help them to succeed at school, at
work, and in their personal lives.

C1.3 Demonstrate understanding of the role of reading and writing in the learning process.
 ● Students will learn
about the
pronoun-antecedent

Learning ●
agreement and its
rules.
Students will apply

Goals pronoun-antecedent
agreement in their
writing.
 You know you are
successful in the lesson if
you can:

Success ● Learn about the

pronoun-antecedent
agreement and its

Criteria ●
rules.
Apply the
pronoun-antecedent
agreement in their
writing.
PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT
AGREEMENT
What is a pronoun, and what is
antecedent?
PROnOUN:
(For example, he, she,
A term substituted it, etc.)
for a noun is
known as a For instance, "he"
might be used in
pronoun. place of the term
"man."
What are pronouns that
you know? What nouns do
they replace?
❖ A pronoun must agree with
its antecedent when used in
writing, which is important to
remember.
Antecedent
Example:
The antecedent is “Mr. Mayer plays his
frequently used in guitar every day.
place of the ➢ The pronoun "his" in
pronoun. this instance refers
to "Mr. Mayer”
In the sentence: "Mr. Miyagi instructed
his students on how to wash vehicles.”

Which is the antecedent and which is the

pronoun?
But first, it’s important to know that there are different types of personal
pronouns, and there are different ways you can use them depending on
what or who you are describing.
Person Subject Pronouns Objective Pronouns Possessive Pronouns

First-person singular I (me) me my, mine

Second-person you you your, yours

singular

Third-person singular he, she, it him, her, it his, her, hers, its

First-person plural we us our, ours

Second-person plural you you your, yours

Third-person plural they them their, theirs

TRY IT YOURSELF!
What instruction did your
teacher provide you in the
most recent lesson?

You must use both a subject

pronoun and an object
pronoun correctly in your
response.
 ● Only a singular noun

Formula in should be changed

with a singular
pronoun.
using ● Only a plural noun
should be used in
pronouns place of a plural
pronoun.
 Drag your dot to how you are feeling:

Keep going, I understand I’m a little confused Stop, I need help!

There are also
basic rules to
be followed.

A phrase or clause
between the subject
and verb does not change
the number of the antecedent.
For example,
The can of sardines sits
on its shelf.
In this example, a
singular antecedent uses
a singular pronoun.

INDEFINITE PRONOUN
ANTECEDENTS are pronouns
that do not refer to any person,
amount, or thing. It can be
singular, plural, or both,
depending on the context.
Singular indefinite pronoun
antecedents take singular
pronoun referents. (e.g.
each, either, neither, one, no
one, nobody, nothing, anyone,
etc.)
For example,
Each of the clerks does a
good deal of work around his
or her office.

INDEFINITE PRONOUN
ANTECEDENTS are pronouns
that do not refer to any person,
amount, or thing. It can be
singular, plural, or both,
depending on the context.
Plural indefinite pronoun
antecedents require plural
referents. (e.g. several, few,
both, many)
For example,
Both do a good job in their
office.
 Some indefinite pronouns
that are modified by a
INDEFINITE PRONOUN prepositional phrase may be
either singular or plural. (e.g.

ANTECEDENTS are pronouns some, any, none, all, most)

that do not refer to any person, When object is uncountable

use a singular pronoun
amount, or thing. It can be
singular, plural, or both, For example,
depending on the context.
Some of the sugar fell out of
its bag.
 Some indefinite pronouns
that are modified by a
INDEFINITE PRONOUN prepositional phrase may be
either singular or plural. (e.g.

ANTECEDENTS are pronouns some, any, none, all, most)

that do not refer to any person, When object is countable use

a plural pronoun
amount, or thing. It can be
singular, plural, or both, For example,
depending on the context.
Some of my friends drove their
cars to the beach.
 For example,

Jones and Smith made

COMPOUND SUBJECTS their presentation.

joined by “and” always take a

plural referent.

COMPOUND SUBJECTS
joined by “or/nor”, the pronoun
agrees with the antecedent
closer to the pronoun.
For example,
- Plural antecedent closer
to pronoun
1. Neither the director nor
the actors did their jobs.
- Singular antecedent
closer to pronoun
2. Neither of the actors
nor the director did his
or her job.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS
(group, jury, crowd,
team, etc.)
- may be singular or plural,
depending on meaning.
For example,
The jury read its verdict.
- In this example, the jury
is acting as one unit;
therefore, the pronoun is
singular.

COLLECTIVE NOUNS
(group, jury, crowd,
team, etc.)
- may be singular or plural,
depending on meaning.
For example,
The jury members gave
their individual opinion.
- In this example, the the
jury members are active
as twelve individuals;
therefore, the pronoun is
plural.
 For example,

TITLES OF SINGLE 1. The United States

cherishes its
ENTITIES democracy.
(books, organizations,
countries, etc.) take a
singular referent.
 For example,

Plural form subjects The news has lost much

with singular meaning of its sting two days
later
(news, measles, mumps,
physics, etc) take a singular
referent.

Every or Many a before a
noun or a series of nouns
requires a singular referent.
For example,
1. Every cow, pig, and
horse had lost its life
in the fire.
2. Many a girl wishes
she could sing like
Tina Turner.
 For example,

- The number of is
singular
The number of vs 1. The number of
volunteers increases its
A number of before a rank daily.
subject.
- A number of is plural
2. A number of
volunteers are offering
their help
TRY changing the
sentences you read!
If a sentence has a
subject and a verb,
transform that sentence
by using a pronoun for
the subject!
How well did you like this lesson?