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Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement. An Overview. Pronouns. Definition: a word or phrase that takes the place of a noun or noun phrase; takes the place of a noun/noun phrase you have already mentioned There are subject pronouns, object pronouns, and possessive pronouns Examples:

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Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

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  1. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement An Overview

  2. Pronouns • Definition: a word or phrase that takes the place of a noun or noun phrase; takes the place of a noun/noun phrase you have already mentioned • There are subject pronouns, object pronouns, and possessive pronouns • Examples: • Subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they • Object: us, you, them, me, him, her, it • Possessive: his, hers, its, our(s), your(s), their(s), my, mine • Other pronouns: who, us, one, anything, nothing, everything, someone, themselves, myself

  3. Pronoun Examples • Mark lives down the street. He is my best friend. • He=pronoun, which refers to Mark • Kim and I went to the grocery. We bought spaghetti for dinner. • We=pronoun, which refers to Kim and I • Jim, Cathy, and Sam saw the play yesterday. They thought it was a great performance. • They=pronoun, which refers to Jim, Cathy, and Sam

  4. Antecedents • Definition: the noun a pronoun refers to • The pronoun must agree with the antecedent in number and gender. • Singular pronouns must replace singular nouns and plural pronouns must replace plural nouns. • Masculine pronouns must replace masculine nouns and feminine pronouns must replace feminine nouns.

  5. Antecedent Examples • Mark lives down the street. He is my best friend. • He=pronoun (singular) • Mark=antecedent (singular), which “he” refers to • John, Tom, and Jill are teachers. They work at the same elementary school. • They=pronoun (plural) • John, Tom, and Jill=antecedents (plural), which “they” refers to • Yesterday the driver took his car to the shop. • His=pronoun (singular) • The driver=antecedent (singular), which “his” refers to

  6. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement • Katie walked to her car • Her=pronoun, which agrees with Katie (the antecedent) • “Her” is a singular, feminine pronoun • A box of donuts was on the table. It was empty. • It=pronoun, which refers to a box (the antecedent) • “It” is a singular, object pronoun • Sam and I were at the game. Did you see us? • Us=pronoun, which refers to Sam and I • “us” is a plural, object pronoun

  7. More Examples • Neither one of the men knew where his car was parked. • Neither one=antecedent (singular) • His=pronoun (singular) • The policemen disagreed amongst themselves. • Policemen=antecedent (plural) • themselves=pronoun (plural) • Both women found their purses. • Both=antecedent (plural) • Their=pronoun (plural • John found his wallet in his pocket. • John=antecedent (singular) • His=pronoun (singular) • A number of the employees lost their benefits. • A number of=antecedent (plural) • their=pronoun (plural)

  8. Common Mistakes • Incorrect: If a student wants to learn, they should ask the teacher for help. • Correct: If students want to learn, they should ask the teacher for help. • Students=antecedent (plural) • They=pronoun (plural) • Also correct: If a student wants to learn, he or she should ask the teacher for help. • Student=antecedent (singular) • He or she=pronoun (singular) • Incorrect: The company lost their contract with Dell. • Correct: The company lost its contract with Dell. • Company=antecedent (singular) • its=pronoun (singular)

  9. References and Further Help • For more information on pronouns and antecedents, consult the following: • http://www.towson.edu/ows/pro_antagree.htm • http://www.towson.edu/ows/modulepaa.htm • http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/pronouns-and-antecedents.aspx

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