Usage - Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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.   
          

            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.

                                   
Types of Pronouns
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A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used to

avoid repeating the same nouns over and over again. For example, "Jeremy ran
so fast, you'd think his life was on the line." The pronoun "his" saved us from
repeating the name Jeremy again.
Common pronouns include I, me, mine, she, he, it, we, and us. In truth, there
are many different types of pronouns, each serving a different purpose.

Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used as a substitute for a person's name. There are two
kinds: subjective and objective pronouns. That is, they either act as the subject
of the sentence or the object of the sentence.
As the subject of a sentence, they are:
 I
 you
 he
 she
 it
 we
 they
For example:
 They went to the store.
 I don't want to leave.
 He runs a great shop in town.
 You can't leave, either.
As the object of the sentence, they are:
 me
 you
 her
 him
 it
 us
 them
For example:
 Please don't sit beside me.
 Go talk to her.
 Mary put the gift under it.
 Don't look at them.
For more, check out Subject Versus Object Pronouns.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession of a noun. They are:
 my
 our
 your
 his
 her
 its (note there is no apostrophe)
 their
For example:
 Is that my book?
 No, that's his book.
 That's its shelf.
 I'd like to see their bookshelves.
However, there are also independent possessive pronouns. These pronouns
refer to a previously named or understood noun. They stand alone and aren't
followed by any other noun. They are:
 mine
 ours
 yours
 his
 hers
 its
 theirs
For example:
 That's mine.
 Wrong. It's ours.
 So, I suppose those clothes are yours?
 No, it's theirs.

Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns don't point to particular nouns. We use them when an object
doesn't need to be specifically identified. As such, it can remain indefinite. They
include:
 few
 everyone
 all
 some
 anything
 nobody
For example:
 Most wealth is held by a select few.
 Everyone is here already.
 I don't have any paper napkins. Can you bring some?
 He's nobody.

Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun.
We often see them when we need to add more information. They are:
 who
 whom
 which
 whoever
 whomever
 whichever
 that
For example:
 The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
 I don't know which pair of shoes you want.
 Take whichever ones you want.
 No, not that one.

Intensive Pronouns
Intensive pronouns emphasize, or intensify, nouns and pronouns. Typically, we
find them right after the noun they're intensifying. These pronouns typically end
in -self or -selves. They are:
 myself
 himself
 herself
 themselves
 itself
 yourself
 yourselves
 ourselves
For example:
 I myself like to travel.
 He himself is his worst critic.
 She approved the marriage herself.
 We went to hear W.B. Yeats himself speak.

Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns take the place of a noun that's already been
mentioned. They can be singular or plural. There are five of them. They include:
 these
 those
 this
 that
 such
For example:
 These are ugly.
 Those are lovely.
 Don't drink this.
 Such was his understanding.

Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns do just what they say. They work in sentences that are
posing a question. They are:
 who
 whom
 which
 what
 whoever
 whomever
 whichever
 whatever
For example:
 Who is going to arrive first?
 What are you bringing to the party?
 Which of these do you like better?
 Whatever do you mean?

Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are similar to intensive pronouns. The difference between
the two is that intensive pronouns aren't essential to a sentence's meaning.
Meanwhile, reflexive pronouns are. Also, they're used when the subject and the
object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. These pronouns end in
-self or -selves. They are:
 myself
 yourself
 himself
 herself
 itself
 ourselves
 yourselves
 themselves
For example:
 I told myself not to spend all my money on new shoes.
 You're going to have to drive yourself to the restaurant today.
 We gave ourselves plenty of extra time.
 They bought themselves a new car.
A Pronoun-Testing Paragraph
See if you can locate all the pronouns in this paragraph:
No matter what your teachers may have taught you about pronouns, they don't
always have it right. If your teachers ever warned you about the evils of
gambling, however, they were right about that. You don't want someone
breaking your kneecaps with his crowbar; it will hurt, the police might arrest
you, and you may never forgive yourself.
Answers:
(Pronouns in bold)
No matter what your teachers may have taught you about
pronouns, they don't always have it right. If your teachers ever
warned you about the evils of gambling, however, they were right
about that. You don't want someone breaking your kneecaps
with his crowbar; it will hurt, the police might arrest you, and you may never
forgive yourself.
  

Pronoun Quiz 1
Pick the pronoun in each sentence.
1) Gary's mom asked _______ to clean the garage.
a. he
b. him
2) A student at an all boys high school should be on ______ best behavior.
a. their
b. his
3) Neither Mary nor _____ knew why the store was closed.
a. I
b. me
4) After school you and ____ must discuss a few things.
a. I
b. me
5) Everyone at the table has eaten _______ lunch earlier.
a. his or her
b. their
6) My nephew was crying and needed ______ diaper changed.
a. his
b. their
Pronoun Quiz 2
Find the pronoun(s) in each sentence.
1) My son dropped his bottle on the ground.
a. son b. his c. my
2) The girls standing under the tree are eating their lunch.
a. girls b. tree c. their
3) When I looked over eat him, I noticed that he was reading a book.
a. I b. he c. him
4) The guys ate all of their pizzas.
a. guys b. their c. pizzas
5) Grandma is waiting for her shawl.
a. grandma b. her c. waiting
6) Neither him nor I knew the right answer.
a. him b. I c. answer
7) Why don't you go outside?
a. you b. outside c. go
8) Take me with you.
a. me b. take c. you
9) I like running fast.
a. I b. run c. run
10) What are you eating now?
a. you b. eating c. what

Pronoun Quiz 3
Fill in the blank with the right pronoun.
1) Did he see ___?
a. us b. we
2) I took the bag from ____.
a. him b. they
3) My brother and ___ went to the park?
a. I b. us
4) What did ____ do about the car?
a. them b. they
5) What did ____ say about the work?
a. she b. me
6) Where will ___ go from here?
a. you b. us
7) Can ____ talk for a minute?
a. we b. us
8) Is this house _____?
a. theirs b. them
9) Why don't ____ have a seat?
a. you b. us
10) Is that cup ____?
a. his b. him

Pronoun Quiz 4
Circle the right pronouns in the story below.
Last night I/me went out to play with a friend. We/us played jump rope and
chased spiders before the moon came out. Mine/my mother came out to find
me/my. When her/she found I/me my mother told me/I it was time for bed. When
I/me said goodbye to my friend her/she told me us/we would play again
tomorrow.
Today I/me ate ice cream and it was very tasty. After lunch, we/us went to play
in the park. There were swings, slides, and see-saws. Me/my and Jane went on
the see-saw together. She/her laughed loudly when us/we played. It was very
fun. After awhile we/us went back with my mom, and her/she took us/we home
again.

Pronoun Quiz 5
Circle any pronouns that you see in the story below.
Jane and Jack went out to play. It was a hot Saturday afternoon as they played
ball. After playing with the ball, they went on the swings in the backyard. Jane
ran ahead of Jack.
"I wonder where she is going," Jack said quietly. Waiting for a moment, Jack then
ran after Jane quickly. "Wait for me!" he yelled. As Jane looked back, she smiled
sweetly. "I will meet you at the top of the hill," she yelled back as she kept
running. Jack was out of breath, but he still managed to catch up with her.
"Hey," he said panting. "You run fast," he continued.
"I know!" said Jane giggling loudly as she poked Jack's arm playfully and he
laughed as well.
Answers
Quiz 1
1) him; 2) his; 3) I; 4) I; 5) his or her; 6) his

Quiz 2
1) his; 2) their; 3) he; 4) their; 5) her; 6) I; 7) you; 8) you; 9) I; 10) you

Quiz 3
1) us; 2) him; 3) I; 4) they; 5) she; 6) you; 7) we; 8) theirs; 9) you; 10) his

Quiz 4
Last night I/me went out to play with a friend. We/us played jump rope and
chased spiders before the moon came out. Mine/My mother came out to
find me/my. When her/she found I/me my mother told me/I it was time for bed.
When I/me said goodbye to my friend her/she told me us/we would play again
tomorrow.
Today I/me ate ice cream and it was very tasty. After lunch, we/us went to play
in the park. There were swings, slides, and see-saws. Me/my and Jane went on
the see-saw together. She/Her laughed loudly when us/we played. It was very
fun. After awhile we/us went back with my mom, and her/she took us/we home
again.

Quiz 5
Jane and Jack went out to play. It was a hot Saturday afternoon as they played
ball. After playing with the ball, they went on the swings in the backyard. Jane
ran ahead of Jack.
"I wonder where she is going," Jack said quietly. Waiting for a moment, Jack then
ran after Jane quickly. "Wait for me!" he yelled. As Jane looked back, she smiled
sweetly. "I will meet you at the top of the hill," she yelled back as she kept
running. Jack was out of breath, but he still managed to catch up with her.
"Hey," he said panting. "You run fast," he continued.
"I know!" said Jane giggling loudly as she poked Jack's arm playfully
and he laughed as well.