The Art of Agreement: Correct Pronoun-Antecedent Pairing.

The Art of Agreement: Correct Pronoun-Antecedent Pairing

1 Pronouns & Antecedents

Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns. President Lincoln delivered Lincoln’s

Gettysburg Address in 1863. President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg

Address in 1863. The pronoun his refers back to President

Lincoln. President Lincoln is the ANTECEDENT for

the pronoun his.

2 Pronouns & Antecedents

An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers, (ante = “before”) The can of lima beans sits on its shelf.

The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number 1. The can of lima beans sits on its shelf. The can (singular) of lima beans sits on its

(singular) shelf.

3 Pronoun Antecedent

Identify the pronouns and antecedents: 2. Jane lost a glove and she can't find it.

Jane = she glove = it Antecedent Pronoun Antecedent Pronoun

4 Pronoun Types: An Overview

Subject pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they Object pronouns: me, you, him her, it, us, them Possessive pronouns: my (mine), you (yours),

his, her (hers), it (its), our (ours) their (theirs) Indefinite pronouns: another, anybody, anyone,

anything, each, everybody, either, neither, no one, somebody, one

5 Indefinite Pronouns as Antecedents

3. Each of the clerks does a good deal of work around (their / his or her) office.

3. Each of the clerks does a good deal of work around his or her office.

Rule: Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronouns. Singular: each, either, neither, one, no

one, nobody, nothing, anyone, anybody, anything, someone, somebody, something, everyone, everybody, everything.

6 Indefinite Pronouns as Antecedents

4. Both do a good job in (their / his or her) office.

4. Both do a good job in their office. Rule: Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents

require plural pronouns. Plural: several, few, both, many

7 Indefinite Pronouns as Antecedents

5. Some of the sugar fell out of (its / their) bag.

5. Some of the sugar fell out of its bag. = Sugar is an uncountable noun and requires a singular pronoun.

8 Indefinite Pronouns as Antecedents

6. Some of the marbles fell out of (its / their) bag.

6. Some of the marbles fell out of their bag. =

Marbles are countable and require a plural pronoun.

Some indefinite pronouns modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or plural (some, any, none, all, most)

9 Compound Subjects joined by and

7. Jones and Smith made (his and her / their) presentation.

7. Jones and Smith made their presentation. Rule: Compound subjects joined by and

always take a plural pronoun.

10 Compound Subjects Joined by or/nor 8. Neither the director nor the actors did (his

or her / their) jobs. 9. Neither the actors nor the director did (his

or her / their) jobs. 8. Neither the director nor the actors did their

jobs. 9. Neither the actors nor the director did his

or her jobs. Rule: With compound subjects joined by

or/nor the pronoun agrees with the antecedent closer to the pronoun.

11 Collective Nouns

10. The jury read (its / their) verdict. 11. The jury members gave (its / their)

individual opinions. 10. The jury read its verdict. 11. The jury members gave their individual

opinions. Rule: Collective nouns (group, jury, crowd,

team, etc.) may be singular or plural depending on meaning.

11

Gender

12. If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, (he / she / he or she / they) has to know the rules of the game.

12. If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has to know the rules of the game.

Rule: Person is singular and needs a singular pronoun, but person is also gender neural. To avoid using sexist language when referring to an antecedent that can include either males or females, use his or her.

12 Gender

Rule: To make the sentence sound smoother, make the entire sentence plural:

Instead of writing: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has to know the rules of the game.

If people want to succeed in corporate life, they have to know the rules of the game.