Name ______Date ______Period ______
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
Definition: A PRONOUN is a word that takes the place of a noun.
EX: Mr. Ramos was a great coach; we will miss him.
A ______must agree with its ______in number, gender, and person.
An antecedent is ______.
(Most of the time the antecedent will come first in the sentence.)
EX: Mr. Ramos was a great coach; we will miss him.
(antecedent) (pronoun)
7 Rules for Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
1. The following indefinite pronouns are ______:
Another Anything Everybody Neither One
Anybody Each Everyone Nobody Somebody
Anyone Either Everything No one Someone
______Each_____ of the boys rode ______bike to school.
2. The following indefinite pronouns are ______:
Both, Many, Few, Several
______Many_____ students improved ______scores.
3. These indefinite pronouns can be ______or ______:
Some Any None All Most
TIP: If the object of the preposition is plural (countable), use a plural antecedent. If they object of the preposition is singular (uncountable), use a singular antecedent.
______All_____ (of the furniture) is in ______original condition.
OP=singular
______All_____ (of the runners) have received ______numbers.
OP=plural
4. Subjects joined by ______form a ______. They require a ______pronoun.
John and Julie have decided to go ______separate ways.
(compound subject)
5. When two ______are joined by the following ______: either/or OR neither/nor use a ______or ______pronoun based on whichever antecedent/subject is closer to the ______.
Neither the director nor the actors did ______jobs.
Neither the actors nor the director did ______job.
6. When a ______is the antecedent, use a ______if the group is acting as a whole. Use a plural pronoun if the collective noun is emphasizing individual members.
What is a COLLECTIVE NOUN?
A collective noun names groups composed of members.
Below are some examples of collective nouns:
Army Committee Litter Swarm
Jury Audience Crowd Team
Class Orchestra Troop Flock
Club Group Public Faculty
The jury read ______verdict. (its or their?)
The jury members gave ______individual opinions. (its or their?)
The audience rose to ______feet. (its or their?)
7. ______, ______, and ______refer to masculine antecedents. ______, ______, and ______refer to feminine ones.
Use each respectively.
Scott visited ______mother. (masculine)
Betty visited ______brother. (feminine)
Each diver should bring ______equipment. (unspecified)
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
Exercise 1 – Circle the correct pronoun in each sentence.
Remember:
1. Neither, either, and each are singular.
2. Words ending in "one," "body," and "thing" are also singular.
3. A collective noun is singular if the group acts as one unit, plural if the members ofthe group act as individuals.
1. Each of the suspects had (his, their) own alibi.
2. Jeff and Isabel planned (his and her, their) wedding.
3. Did Gore or Bush announce (his, their) intent to run for president?
4. Neither the nails nor the hammer was returned to (its, their) proper place.
5. Everyone turned in (his or her, their) drama reviews in advance of the due date.
6. All of the students turned in (his or her, their) research papers on time.
7. If any one of the students has misplaced (his or her, their) lunch ticket, (he or she, they) can ask for a replacement from the Ms. Ima Hungry, the lunch lady.
8. The state of Florida does not treat (its, their) public employees fairly.
9. Both of the women have made (her, their) opinions known.
10. Every one of the actresses knows (her, their) part by heart.
11. Either my brother or sisters will reveal (his and their, their) plans at the family reunion.
12. After the victory, the winning and the losing captains thanked (his, their) team members for effort beyond the call of duty.
13. Before the guests began arriving, Sally asked Tim whether everything was in (its, their) place.
14. Neither of the candidates wore clothing suitable for (his or her, their) interview.
15. Every teacher must turn in (his or her, their) grades by December 18.
Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
Exercise 2 – Circle the correct pronoun in each sentence.
1. Neither Clarissa nor Aleah wore (her, their) own dresses to the prom.
2. Someone in your English class called and left (his, their) phone number.
3. McDonnell-Douglas recently published (its, their) report on the newly improved
Tomahawk missile.
4. One of the cashiers thinks that (her, their) boss has been transferred to a different
location.
5. Many of the students at Dalton State College find that school pressures affect
(his or her, their) relationships at home.
6. Each of the candidates gave (his or her, their) speech at the Civic Center.
7. Having an obsessive-compulsive personality, Laura likes to have everything
in (its, their) place before she goes to sleep at night.
8. Either of the women who parked illegally will soon find that (her, their) car has
been towed.
9. Either my brothers or my uncle will fail to purchase (his, their) tickets in time
to receive a discount.
10. Either my brother or my uncles will fail to purchase (his, their) tickets in time
to receive a discount.
Adapted from - Dalton State Writing Lab