Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Pronouns A pronoun is a

Pronouns • A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun or

Pronouns • Types of Pronouns – Personal – Relative – Interrogative – Demonstrative –

Antecedents • A word that a pronoun stands for is called its antecedent. •

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #1 • A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender

Pronouns and Antecedents • Singular pronouns refer to singular antecedents. Plural pronouns refer to

Pronouns and Antecedents • A few singular pronouns indicate gender. • He, him, his

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #2 • Singular pronouns are used to refer to the

Pronouns and Antecedents • If the antecedent may be either masculine or feminine, use

Pronouns and Antecedents • Note: You can often avoid the his or her construction

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #3 • Use a singular pronoun to refer to two

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #3 • Note: Revise awkward constructions caused by antecedents of

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #4 • Use a plural pronoun to refer to two

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #5 • When a relative pronoun is the subject of

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #5 • Ex. My ballet class, which meets on Wednesday,

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Pronoun. Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns • A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun or of more than one noun. • Ex. Those are the boots Jim bought yesterday.

Pronouns • Types of Pronouns – Personal – Relative – Interrogative – Demonstrative – Indefinite – Reflexive/Intensive – Possessive

Antecedents • A word that a pronoun stands for is called its antecedent. • Ex. Those are the boots Jim bought yesterday. • Ex. They went home. Kim followed them.

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #1 • A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and in number.

Pronouns and Antecedents • Singular pronouns refer to singular antecedents. Plural pronouns refer to plural antecedents. • Ex. Abraham won his bicycle in a contest. • Ex. The swimmers took their gold medals with them.

Pronouns and Antecedents • A few singular pronouns indicate gender. • He, him, his and himself = masculine • She, hers, and herself = feminine • It, its, and itself = neutral

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #2 • Singular pronouns are used to refer to the following antecedents: • anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, neither, nobody, no one, somebody, and someone – Note that these are all indefinite pronouns

Pronouns and Antecedents • If the antecedent may be either masculine or feminine, use both masculine and feminine pronouns to refer to it. • Ex. Everyone who wants a ride should raise his or her hand. • Ex. Somebody left his or her books behind.

Pronouns and Antecedents • Note: You can often avoid the his or her construction by revising the sentence to use the plural forms of both the pronoun and its antecedent. • Ex. Everyone sent in his or her dues • Ex. All of the members sent their dues.

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #3 • Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor. • Ex. Either Ralph or Peter always walks his dog at the park.

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #3 • Note: Revise awkward constructions caused by antecedents of different genders. • Awk: Either Crystal or Ben will sing his solo. • Revised: Either Crystal will sing her solo, or Ben will sing his.

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #4 • Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by and. • Ex. If Monica and Leroy want to participate, tell them to arrive at 7: 00 p. m. sharp. • Ex. Cassie, Eduardo, and Liza have turned in their projects.

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #5 • When a relative pronoun is the subject of an adjective clause, the verb in the clause agrees with the word to which the relative pronoun refers.

Pronouns and Antecedents Rule #5 • Ex. My ballet class, which meets on Wednesday, is planning a recital. (which refers to the singular noun class) • Ex. I know people who build boats. (who refers to the plural noun people)