Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Definition

Pronoun-antecedent agreement refers to the grammatical rule that a pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent, which is the noun or noun phrase that the pronoun replaces. This agreement helps maintain clarity and coherence in writing, as it ensures that readers can easily identify what a pronoun refers to without confusion. When pronouns and their antecedents are mismatched, it can lead to misunderstandings or ambiguity in communication.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Pronouns can be singular (he, she, it) or plural (they, we), and they must match the number of their antecedents.
2. Gender is also important in pronoun-antecedent agreement; for example, 'he' is used for male antecedents while 'she' is used for female ones.
3. Collective nouns like 'team' or 'group' can be tricky; they can be singular or plural depending on whether the group acts as one unit or as individual members.
4. When using indefinite pronouns like 'everyone' or 'somebody,' it's essential to use singular pronouns (e.g., 'he or she') since they do not specify gender.
5. To maintain clarity, if there is any ambiguity about what a pronoun refers to, it's better to repeat the antecedent or rephrase the sentence.

Review Questions

• How can you determine the correct pronoun to use in relation to its antecedent in a sentence?
  • To determine the correct pronoun, first identify the antecedent in the sentence and check its number (singular or plural) and gender (male, female, or neutral). For example, if the antecedent is 'the teacher' (singular and female), you would use 'she' as the pronoun. It's important to ensure that the chosen pronoun accurately reflects both the number and gender of the antecedent to maintain agreement.
• Discuss how collective nouns can affect pronoun-antecedent agreement and provide examples.
  • Collective nouns like 'team,' 'committee,' or 'family' can complicate pronoun-antecedent agreement because they can be treated as either singular or plural. If you refer to the group acting as a single unit, you would use a singular pronoun, like 'it.' However, if you emphasize individual members acting separately, you might use a plural pronoun, such as 'they.' For instance, you might say, 'The team won its game' versus 'The team members celebrated; they were thrilled.'
• Evaluate how improper pronoun-antecedent agreement can lead to confusion in writing and provide examples of ambiguous sentences.
  • Improper pronoun-antecedent agreement can create confusion by making it unclear which noun a pronoun refers to. For example, in the sentence 'When Sarah and Jessica went to her favorite store, she bought a dress,' it's ambiguous who 'she' refers to—Sarah or Jessica. This lack of clarity can disrupt the flow of writing and cause misunderstandings. To fix this, you could clarify by rewriting it as 'When Sarah and Jessica went to Sarah's favorite store, Sarah bought a dress.' Clear agreement helps readers easily follow the intended meaning.

Related terms

Antecedent: The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers back to in a sentence.

Pronoun: A word that takes the place of a noun to avoid repetition and simplify sentences.

Subject-Verb Agreement: The grammatical rule that the subject of a sentence must agree with its verb in number, similar to how pronouns must agree with their antecedents.