1 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
2 Pronouns and AntecedentsA pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun. A pronoun can refer to an earlier noun or pronoun in the sentence. An antecedent is a word, clause or phrase for which a pronoun stands. (ante = "before") The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number.
3 We don’t talk like this…Ed Sheeran performed Ed Sheeran’s songs at the Nutter Center. Instead we say… Ed Sheeran performed his songs at the Nutter Center. Antecedent PRONOUN
4 A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a plural noun.The mechanics of the previous sentence look like this: Ed Sheeran performed his songs at the Nutter Center. Antecedent Pronoun Singular masculine Singular masculine
5 Third-Person Personal PronounsOften, an antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause that you replace with one of the third-person personal pronouns: Third-Person Personal Pronouns he, him, his, himself she, her, hers, herself it, its, itself they, them, their, theirs, themselves
6 Antecedents with Personal Pronouns Examples:Our carnivorous friends will not attend the picnic because they despise tofu hotdogs and black bean burgers. Friends = antecedent; they = personal pronoun. Eating with your mouth closed has several benefits. Most importantly, it keeps people from turning away in disgust. Eating with your mouth closed = phrase as antecedent; it = personal pronoun.
7 Antecedents with Personal Pronouns Identify them in these examplesWhen Kris sprained his ankle, Coach Ames replaced him with Jasper, a much slower runner. Kris = antecedent; him = personal pronoun. Karline hopes that her roommates remember to walk the new puppy. It will mean less urine to mop up when she gets home. That her roommates remember to walk the new puppy = clause as antecedent; it = personal pronoun.
8 Demonstrative PronounsThe antecedent might be the word, phrase, or clause that a demonstrative pronoun replaces. Demonstrative Pronouns this, that, these, those
9 Antecedents with Demonstrative Pronouns Examples:Jackson rides his skateboard to work. Now this is an eco- friendly mode of transportation! Skateboard = antecedent; this = demonstrative pronoun. You need to work on throwing large, unwieldy objects and catching heavy things. Those are the skills you must acquire to be a successful chainsaw juggler. Throwing large, unwieldy objects, catching heavy things = phrases as antecedents; those = demonstrative pronoun.
10 Antecedents with Demonstrative Pronouns Identify them in this example.Francine prays that the neighbors will keep their barking dog inside. That will allow her to get a good night's sleep. That the neighbors will keep their barking dog inside = clause as antecedent; that [the second one] = demonstrative pronoun.
11 who, whom, whose, that, whichSometimes the antecedent is the point of reference for a relative pronoun. Relative Pronouns who, whom, whose, that, which
12 Antecedents with Relative Pronouns Examples:Principal Meyers, whose nose hair curled outside his nostrils, delivered the morning announcements. Principal Meyers = antecedent; whose = relative pronoun. The dish that contains the leftover squid eyeball stew cannot go in the microwave. Dish = antecedent; that = relative pronoun.
13 Antecedents with Relative Pronouns Identify them in this example.Eating ice cream for dinner, which might not be nutritionally smart, is what Teresa wanted after her long day of waitressing. Eating ice cream for dinner = antecedent; which = relative pronoun.
14 A singular antecedent requires a singular pronoun.The cat yowled its happiness for tuna. Cat = singular antecedent; its = singular pronoun. And a plural antecedent requires a plural pronoun. The cats yowled their happiness for tuna. Cats = plural antecedent; their = plural pronoun.
15 1. Each and Every When you join two or more singular nouns with and, you create a plural antecedent. The beetle and baby snake were thankful they escaped the lawnmower blade. Beetle + snake = plural antecedent; they = plural pronoun.
16 However, if you include each or every in front, the antecedent becomes singular and will require a singular pronoun. Each beetle and baby snake was thankful it escaped the lawnmower blade. Each beetle + baby snake = singular antecedent; it = singular pronoun.
17 No matter how many nouns you include, if you have each or every in front, the antecedent is singular and needs a singular pronoun for agreement. Each beetle, baby snake, worm, centipede, lizard, grasshopper, and toad was thankful ________ escaped the lawnmower blade. Each beetle + baby snake + worm + centipede + lizard + grasshopper + toad = singular antecedent; it = singular pronoun
18 2. Correlative ConjunctionsWhen you use correlative conjunctions like either ... or, neither ... nor, or not only ... but also, only the second antecedent counts for agreement. Not only Freddy the nose picker but also grateful shoppers replenished their supply of tissues during the drugstore sale. shoppers= plural antecedent; their= plural pronoun. Not only grateful shoppers but also Freddy the nose picker replenished _____supply of tissues during the drugstore sale. Freddy the nose picker= singular antecedent; his= singular pronoun.
19 3. Singular Indefinite Pronounseach, either, neither anybody, anyone, anything everybody, everyone, everything nobody, no one, nothing somebody, someone, something
20 Singular indefinite pronouns are often antecedentsSingular indefinite pronouns are often antecedents. Logic might indicate that the indefinite pronoun is plural—when we say everyone, for example, we mean more than one person—but with this group, you must use a singular pronoun for agreement.
21 Singular Indefinite Pronouns ExamplesNeither of Darren's girlfriends knows that _____has competition. After the long hike in the cold mountains, everybody needs to replenish _______fluids with a steaming bowl of squid eyeball stew. The lack of air conditioning made everyone's shirt stick to ________skin.
22 Plural Indefinite Pronounsseveral, few, both, many These antecedents require a plural pronoun.
23 Plural Indefinite Pronouns ExamplesBoth do a good job in their office. Few realize __________ full potentials. Several of the bystanders claimed ____________ saw the culprit.
24 Ambiguous Indefinite Pronounssome, all, any, none, most, more When used as antecedents, ambiguous indefinite pronouns rely on the object of the preposition in order to determine whether a singular or plural pronoun is used for agreement. When the object of the preposition is uncountable, use a singular pronoun. When the object of the preposition is countable, use a plural pronoun.
25 Ambiguous Indefinite Pronouns ExamplesSome of the sugar fell out of its bag. All of the jewelry has lost _____________ glow. Some of the marbles fell out of _____________ bag. All of the jewels have lost ___________ glow.
26 Class, family, jury, and team are examples of collective nouns.
27 More on Collective Nouns:This type of noun names groups composed of two or more members. As we all know, sometimes a group acts in unison, as one unit, with every member doing the same thing at the same time. Other times, the members of the group have their own agendas and are pursuing individual goals.
28 Even More on Collective NounsWhen a collective noun is an antecedent, the behavior of its members determines whether you need a singular or plural pronoun.
29 If all of the members are doing the same thing at the same time, then the collective noun is singular and requires a singular pronoun for agreement. The Larsen family does its shopping every Saturday. In the quiet auditorium, the class took _____chemistry final. The team roared ______displeasure when the opposition scored another touchdown.
30 However, if the members of the collective noun are acting individually, indicate that change by using a plural pronoun. In the produce section, the Larsen family began arguing about the vegetables they would prefer for dinner. After the long and difficult exam, the class returned home, some to pack for winter break, some to study for ______Thursday exams.
31 5. Titles of Single EntitiesWhen the name of a country, school, business, movie, book, or organization is the antecedent, you must ignore (for the purpose of agreement) all of the people involved and use a singular pronoun.
32 Examples When Weaver High School won the regional football championship on a technicality, we snuck onto campus the next evening and cut all four legs off its tiger mascot. Save room for dessert, for Tito's Taco Palace offers _____ diners fried ice cream with habanero jelly. PencilGang International met _____fundraising goal last year, so free pencils will be distributed to needy writers worldwide. The United States loves _______ landmarks.