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Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Rules

This document discusses pronoun-antecedent agreement and provides rules for proper pronoun usage. It defines pronouns and antecedents, noting that pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number. The document then lists and explains 9 rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement, and provides examples. Finally, it includes a practice exercise for students to identify pronouns, antecedents, and correct any errors in agreement.

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Sairah Faith Tablatin
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21 views7 pages

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Rules

This document discusses pronoun-antecedent agreement and provides rules for proper pronoun usage. It defines pronouns and antecedents, noting that pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number. The document then lists and explains 9 rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement, and provides examples. Finally, it includes a practice exercise for students to identify pronouns, antecedents, and correct any errors in agreement.

Uploaded by

Sairah Faith Tablatin
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Overview
Just like in subject-verb agreement, it is important that pronouns and their antecedents
agree with each other. This will help in making utterances clear and be understood better. It
will avoid miscommunication between the speaker and the receiver.

Learning Outcomes
1. Familiarize with the rules in pronoun-antecedent agreement.
2. Apply the rules learned in writing.

Content

A. Introductory Activity
Read the comic strip below. Did you notice any grammatical errors in it? Or is there
anything that the characters said that made the conversation unclear? Would you like to
tell the class what may be wrong with the utterances? What needs to be done in order to
correct it?

[Link]
B. Developmental Activity

A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun. A word can refer to
an earlier noun or pronoun in the sentence.

Example:

We do not talk or write this way. Automatically, we replace the noun Lincoln's with a
pronoun. More naturally, we say

The pronoun his refers back to President Lincoln. President Lincoln is


the ANTECEDENT for the pronoun his.

An antecedent is a word for which a pronoun stands. (ante = "before")

The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number.

Rule: A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a
plural noun.

Thus, the mechanics of the sentence above look like this:

Here are nine pronoun-antecedent agreement rules. These rules are related to the rules
found in subject-verb agreement.

1. A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the number
of the antecedent.
Example:

2. Indefinite pronouns as antecedents


• Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun referents.
SINGULAR: each, either, neither, one, no one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody,
anything, someone, somebody, something, everyone, everybody, everything
Example:
• Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.
PLURAL: several, few, both, many
Example:

• Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either
singular or plural.
EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL: some, any, none, all, most

Examples:

Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

Jewelry is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

Examples:

Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

Jewels are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

3. Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.


Example:

4. With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the
antecedent closer to the pronoun.

Example #1 (plural antecedent closer to pronoun):


Example #2 (singular antecedent closer to pronoun):

Note: Example #1, with the plural antecedent closer to the pronoun, creates a
smoother sentence than example #2, which forces the use of the singular "his or her."

5. Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or


plural, depending on meaning.

In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the referent pronoun is
singular.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the
referent pronoun is plural.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the
referent pronoun is plural.

6. Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a


singular referent.
EXAMPLES:

7. Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent. (news,
measles, mumps, physics, etc.)
EXAMPLE:

8. Every or Many a before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.


EXAMPLES:
9. The number of vs A number of before a subject:
• The number of is singular.

• A number of is plural.

Note!
Personal Pronouns
he, she, it- singular
they, you, we- plural

Possessive Pronouns
his, her/hers, its-singular
their/theirs, our/ours, your/yours-plural

Object pronouns
him, her, it-singular
us, you, them-plural
Practice Exercise

Test I.
Directions: Read each sentence carefully. Underline the pronoun and encircle the
antecedent.

1. The man of the house could give guests an idea of reassures he kept.

2. Neither Carmen nor her sisters have brought a gift for their brother.

3. Some of the equipment was still packed in its containers.

4. All of the mineral water has lost its sparkle.

5. Sandra, I believe that you need to see the coach.

Directions: Re-write the following sentences, correcting any vague pronoun-antecedent


agreement. Write your answers on a clean ½ crosswise yellow paper.

6. If anyone would like to come with us, you should get ready now.
7. Neither the father nor his sons knew his way out of the deep dark forest.
8. Anyone in the Secret Society of Women Only knows their secret handshakes.
9. Bob gave his father his pocketknife.
10. If anyone saw the crash, they should call the police.
GRADED INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE TASK

On a short bond paper, write about one of your happiest experiences as a


college student. Write it in two to three paragraphs and give it a title. Make sure
to apply the rules and principles that you have learned about punctuation marks,
capitalization, subject-verb agreement, pronouns, etc.

Also, please follow the simple format below for uniformity.

Name:__________________ Subject: __________


Program and Block: _____ Date Submitted: __

Your Title

Here goes the body of your essay._______________________________________


______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Common questions

Powered by AI

Incorrect pronoun-antecedent agreement can lead to ambiguity and confusion, making it unclear which noun a pronoun refers to. This undermines the clarity of the communication and may distort the intended meaning of a sentence, leading to misunderstandings or difficulties in interpreting the sentence structure properly .

Indefinite pronouns are categorized into singular, plural, and those that can be either, depending on their use. Singular examples include 'each', 'either', 'neither'; plural examples include 'several', 'few'; and pronouns like 'some', 'any', 'none' can be singular or plural based on the context .

Personal pronouns like 'he', 'she', 'it' are singular, while 'they', 'you', 'we' are plural, and their possessive forms follow the same number agreement rules ('his', 'her/hers', 'its' for singular; 'their/theirs', 'our/ours' for plural). These distinctions prevent miscommunication and ensure each pronoun clearly refers to its proper antecedent .

When compound subjects are joined by 'and', they take a plural pronoun because they collectively form a plural subject. For example, 'Jack and Jill took their time.' However, with 'or' and 'nor', the pronoun agrees with the closer antecedent. Example: 'Neither the dog nor the cats have their food.' or 'Neither the cats nor the dog has its food.' .

Titles of single entities, such as books or organizations, take singular referents regardless of their plural form because they represent a single entity. For example, 'The United States is known for its diverse culture' or 'Physics is interesting because of its complexity' .

Pronoun-antecedent agreement ensures clarity and prevents miscommunication by making sure pronouns agree in number with their antecedents, similar to subject-verb agreement. This similarity is important as both agreements help in structuring grammatically correct and coherent sentences .

Collective nouns require singular referents when acting as a single unit, and plural referents when the individuals are acting independently. The meaning inferred from the sentence context influences this distinction, such as in 'The jury has made its decision' vs. 'The jury have returned to their homes' .

Prepositional phrases can modify indefinite pronouns, affecting whether the pronoun is singular or plural. Pronouns such as 'some', 'any', 'none', 'all', and 'most' are affected, as their number can depend on what they refer to; e.g., 'Some of the cake is left on its plate.' vs. 'Some of the cookies are missing from their tray' .

The rule that mandates singular referents with 'Every' or 'Many a' stems from their usage conveying a singular action or instance within a set, even when multiple items or individuals are implied. Examples include 'Every student has submitted his or her assignment' and 'Many a man has lost his way' .

'The number of' implies a singular subject and takes a singular verb and pronoun as it refers to the total count as one unit ('The number of issues is increasing'). Conversely, 'a number of' is plural, referring to multiple items or individuals, thus requiring a plural verb and pronoun ('A number of issues have been reported').

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