Pronoun - Antecedent

Agreement
“I don’t like to read about myself, but
it’s not like I’m some superstar who has stuff written about
them
all the time.” -- Mandy Moore, on her status as a celebrity

“Mandy, you’ve got bigger problems than the tabloids.” –

Mrs. Manny Brown
Pronoun – Antecedent
Agreement
 A pronoun is a word that takes the place
of a noun.
 An antecedent is the noun to which the
pronoun refers.
 Pronouns must agree with their
antecedents in number and gender.
Troubleshooting:
Indefinite Pronouns
 Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific
persons or things.
 Even though many indefinite pronouns seem
plural, they are treated as singular in
standard written English.
 Indefinite Pronouns: anybody, anyone,
anything, each, either, everybody, everyone,
everything, neither, nobody, no one,
somebody, someone, something
Troubleshooting:
Indefinite Pronouns
 Incorrect: Everyone is responsible for their learning.
 Here, the indefinite pronoun everyone is paired with
the plural pronoun their.
 Correct: Everyone is responsible for his/her
learning.
 Correct: All students are responsible for their
learning.
 Correct: One is responsible for one’s own learning.
 Correct: The responsibility for learning falls squarely
on the shoulders of the student.
Troubleshooting: Generic
Nouns
 Generic nouns represent a typical
member of a group.
 Treat generic nouns as singular, and use
singular pronouns in reference to generic
nouns.
Troubleshooting: Generic
Nouns
 Incorrect: A circus clown must be both frightening and
funny if they are to be successful on the carnival circuit.
 Here, the generic noun a circus clown is incorrectly
referred to with a plural pronoun.
 Correct: Circus clowns must be both frightening and
funny if they are to be successful on the carnival circuit.
 Correct: A circus clown must be both frightening and
funny if he/she is to be successful on the carnival
circuit.
 Correct: A circus clown must be both frightening and
funny to succeed on the carnival circuit.
Troubleshooting:
Collective Nouns
 Collective nouns name a class or group.
 Most of the time, the group functions as a unit,
and so should be treated as singular.
 If, however, the members of the group are
acting as individuals, treat the collective noun
as plural.
 Please don’t ever correct a citizen of the UK.
You will sound like a bonehead. They have a
different rule on this one than we do.
Collective Nouns as a Unit

 Incorrect: The jury gave their verdict to

the judge.
 Here, the jury is acting as a unit;
therefore, the plural pronoun their is not
appropriate.
 Correct: The jury gave its verdict to the
judge.
Collective Nouns as
Individuals
 Incorrect: The jury groaned when it was
told it would be sequestered.
 It’s not probable that the jury groaned in
unison; rather, each member probably
groaned individually. So, the singular
pronoun it isn’t correct.
 Correct: The jury groaned when they
were told they would be sequestered.
Troubleshooting:
Compound Antecedents
 Treat compound antecedents joined with
and as plural
 Example: When Kim and Tim get phone
calls, they sometimes have a difficult time
discerning for whom the caller is asking.
 Kim and Tim is a compound antecedent
joined with and, so the plural pronoun
they is appropriate.
Troubleshooting:
Compound Antecedents
 Compound antecedents joined with or or
nor should use a pronoun that agrees
with the nearer antecedent.
 Example: Either Amy or Julie will loan
her purse to Cassi.
 Example: Neither the President nor the
advisors could make their speeches
coherent.
Troubleshooting:
Compound Antecedents
 When one antecedent is male and the other
female, do not use a gender-specific pronoun.
It won’t make sense.
 Incorrect: Either Kim or Tim should receive a
prize for his hard work on the project.
 The best solution is to recast the sentence to
avoid the problem.
 Correct: A prize for hard work on the project
should go to either Kim or Tim.
Practice

 If a driver refuses to take a blood test, he

or she will have their license suspended
for six months.

 The National Rifle Association argues

that current gun laws should be enforced.
In the past, however, they have opposed
nearly all legislation affecting guns.
Practice

 Eight highly qualified firefighters applied

for the forestry position in Durango, each
hoping for a career move that would
allow them to hone their skills in battling
and preventing forest fires.
Practice

 If anyone notices any suspicious activity,

they should report it to the police.

 Why should we care about the timber

wolf? One answer is that they have
proven beneficial to humans by killing off
weakened prey.
Grammar Girl to the
Rescue!
 Grammar Girl on Pronouns