Pronouns and Antecedents

Review
Pronoun
A word that substitutes for a noun
Types:
Personal Pronouns (specific persons/things): I, me, you, she, her,
he, him, it, we, us, you, them, they
Possessive Pronouns (show ownership): my, mine, your, yours,
her, hers, his, its, our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs
Intensive/Reflexive (emphasize a particular noun): myself, yourself,
himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves
Relative/Interrogative (used in subordinate clauses): who,
whom,whose, which, that
Demonstrative (identify and point to nouns): this, that, these, those
Indefinite (do not refer to specific person/thing): anything,
everyone, everything, nobody, anyone, all, any, anybody, anything,
both, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many,
neither, none, no one, nothing, one, several, some, somebody,
someone, something
Review
Antecedent
Noun that the pronoun is replacing
Examples
Wanda (noun)= She (pronoun)
The students (noun)=They (pronoun)
Driver (noun)=He/She (pronoun)
Elephant (noun)=It (pronoun)
General Rule for Pronoun-
Antecedent Agreement
Antecedent and pronoun must match in
number, person (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and gender.
Singular antecedent (noun)=singular
pronoun
Plural antecedent (noun)=plural pronoun
Examples
Alex (singular 3rd person)= he (singular 3rd person)
Marbles (plural 3rd person)=those (plural 3rd person)
Gender
Male or female
Note about Gender
If you arent sure of the gender of the
antecedent, use she or he,
his/her, him/her as the pronoun
Example: The police officer always carries
his/her badge when on duty.
Things and animals dont have
genderuse it, its to refer to
non-human objects/groups.
Example: The team won its game.
Person
What is it? Singular Plural
1st
Person
Refers to self I, me We
2nd
Person
Person/thing
speaking to
You You
3rd
Person
Someone/
Thing
separate
from you
He, She, It
(or nouns
referring to
he, she, it)
They (or
nouns
referring to
they)
Steps for Determining if Pronouns
and Antecedents Agree
Find the pronouns in the sentence.
Example: Sally went to her boyfriends house, but he
wasnt home.
Decide what nouns the pronouns are referring
to (ie. find the antecedents)
Example: Sally went to her boyfriends house, but he
wasnt home.
Ask yourself What person/number/gender is the
antecedent? Does the pronoun match the
antecedent in number and person?
Example:
Sally (3rd person, singular)=her (3rd person, singular)
Boyfriend (3rd person, singular)=he (3rd person, singular)


Special Cases
Tricky Pronoun-Antecedent
Situations
1) Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronoun=pronoun that does not
refer to specific people or things

For the most part indefinite pronouns are
SINGULAR
EXCEPT

Both, few, some, several (PLURAL)


Ways to Deal with Indefinite
Pronouns
To make an indefinite pronoun and a pronoun
agree (in the same sentence):
Use she/he or his/her with the SINGULAR indefinite
pronoun
Example: In class everyone performs at his or her own fitness
level.
Use they or their with the PLURAL indefinite pronoun
Example: Both of the boys perform at their own fitness level.
Ways to Deal with Indefinite
Pronouns
OR
Make the antecedent a plural noun.
When someone has been drinking, they
are likely to speed. WRONG
When drivers have been drinking, they
are likely to speed. RIGHT

2) Collective Nouns
Collective noun=noun names a class
or group (made up of several
individuals)
They should be considered singular
unless individuals are emphasized
(then plural).
Examples of Collective Nouns:
committee, class, crowd, family
Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement w/ Collective Nouns
As a unit: (singular)
The committee granted its permission to
build.
Individuals emphasized: (plural)
The committee put their signatures on
the document.
3) EVERY, EACH, ONE
When every, each, or one is
the antecedent, the pronoun should
be singular.
Every student should complete his/her
teachers survey by the end of the week.
Each piece of silverware is in its place in
the drawer.
One of the girls snuck out of her house on
Friday night.
4) Antecedents Joined by
AND
Treat as plural--Make pronoun plural
Jill and John moved to Luray, where they
built a cabin.
Mickey and Minnie live in Disneyland in
their special mouse castle.
5) Antecedents Joined by NOR
or OR or beginning with
NEITHER, EITHER
Make the pronoun agree with the
antecedent nearest to the pronoun
Either Bruce or Tom should receive first
prize for his poem.
Neither the mouse nor the rats could find
their way through the maze.
5) Antecedents Ending in -s
Some antecedents ending in s are
not plural because they focus on just
one itemMake the pronoun
singular
Mathematics, economics
The College of Arts and Sciences
6) Titles of Books, Movies and
Companies
Each of these are singular regardless
of whether the item ends in s or is
joined by AND
The Grapes of Wrath
Romeo and Juliet
Einstein Brothers Bagels