English I Honors

1. English I Honors 5th March 2012 Grammar Unit Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

2. 6th March 2012 • BW: Get ready for your quiz by taking out a clean sheet of paper and numbering it 1 – 15. Everything else to the floor! • EQ: How can having pronoun/antecedent agreement clarify your writing? • HW: PA Agreement practice – due Wednesday S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

3. What is an antecedent? • To understand antecedents, you must understand pronouns. • Pronouns = a part of speech that replaces a noun • The antecedent of a pronoun is the noun that the pronoun replaces. • Example: Mr. Townes celebrates his ninth wedding anniversary on Thursday. • Which is the pronoun and which is the antecedent? S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

4. In general… • Follow the same rules as subject-verb agreement • Ignore extra phrases or clauses • Collective nouns take singular or plural pronouns • Depending on situation & usage • Examples: The cans of pigs’ feet sit on (their, its) shelf. • The gunslinger put his revolver back in (his, its) holster. • There are some specific agreement rules, though. S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

5. Rule #1 • A pronoun must agree with the antecedent in number. • Singular nouns get singular pronouns; plural nouns get plural pronouns. (Sounds like the S-V Big Rule.) • Examples • Each girl wants to look beautiful on (her, their) prom night. • If anybody is late (he’ll, they’ll) be in trouble. • Everyone wants to eat (his, their) dessert first. S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

6. Rule #2 • A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person. • Point of view – First, second, or third • Example: If the students don’t listen to the directions, (they, he, you) will find the test is difficult. S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

7. Rule #3 • A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender. • Male, female, or neutral • Male = he, him, his • Female = she, her, hers • Neutral = it, its • Example: Each of the girls puts (his, her) stuff in the car.

8. Rule #4 • Either/or and neither/nor situations • Also function as in SV agreement • Pronoun agrees with the antecedent closest to it • Example: • Neither the actors nor the director did (his, their) job. • Neither the director nor the actors did (his, their) job. S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

9. Rule #5 • When the word “every” comes before a series of nouns, it is singular. • Example: Every cow, pig, and horse got out of (its, their) cage. • So, how can we remember all these various rules? S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

10. With a 3D fish! S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

11. FISH-3D • F – find any pronouns • I – Identify any pronouns • S – Select the pronoun that matches the noun (or nouns) it should replace • H – How do we know if the pronoun is in agreement with the noun it replaces? We ask: • DO they agree in gender? • DO they agree in number? • DO they agree in person? S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

12. But, don’t get confused… • Unclear antecedents • Example: I never go to that place because they have stale bread. (What is the antecedent for “they?”) • Ambiguous antecedent • The suitcase was on the plane, but now it's gone.(What is gone? The suitcase or the plane?) • Faraway antecedent • Buford saw Longstreet's division coming toward his men. Reynolds' troops responded quickly to the calls for assistance, and soon he found himself in the midst of a deadly battle. (Who is he? Buford, Reynolds, or Longstreet?) S-V Agreement Mathis 2009

13. To Summarize • A quick quiz: Write the following sentences with the proper pronoun. 1. The can of lima beans sits on (it, its) shelf. 2. A girl wants to look beautiful on (her, their) prom night. 3. If anyone is late, (he’ll, they’ll) be in trouble. 4. Everyone wants to eat (her, their) dessert first. 5. Both did a good job on (his, their) work. 6. Some of the sugar fell out of (its, their) bag. 7. Some of the marbles fell out of (its, their) bag. 8. Every student must have (their, his) pencils. • P/A Agreement practice is due Wednesday. S-V Agreement Mathis 2009