The document reviews various types of pronouns, including personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns, along with their respective antecedents. It outlines the general rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement based on number, person, and gender, and addresses special cases such as collective nouns and the treatment of indefinite pronouns. Additionally, it provides examples of pronoun usage in different contexts to illustrate correct agreement.

1. Pronouns and Antecedents

2. Review
Pronoun
 A word that substitutes for a noun
 Types:

Personal Pronouns (specific persons/things): I, me, you, she, her, he, him, it, we,
us, you, them, they

Possessive Pronouns (show ownership): my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, its,
our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs

Intensive/Reflexive (emphasize a particular noun): myself, yourself, himself,
herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

Relative/Interrogative (used in subordinate clauses): who, whom,whose, which,
that

Demonstrative (identify and point to nouns): this, that, these, those

Indefinite (do not refer to specific person/thing): anything, everyone, everything,
nobody, anyone, all, any, anybody, anything, both, each, either, everybody, everyone,
everything, few, many, neither, none, no one, nothing, one, several, some, somebody,
someone, something

3. Review
Antecedent
Noun that the pronoun is replacing
 Examples

Wanda (noun)= She (pronoun)

The students (noun)=They (pronoun)

Driver (noun)=He/She (pronoun)

Elephant (noun)=It (pronoun)

4. General Rule for Pronoun-
Antecedent Agreement
Antecedent and pronoun must match in
number, person (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and gender.
Singular antecedent (noun)=singular
pronoun
Plural antecedent (noun)=plural pronoun

Examples
 Alex (singular 3rd person)= he (singular 3rd person)
 Marbles (plural 3rd person)=those (plural 3rd person)
Gender

Male or female

5. Note about Gender
 If you aren’t sure of the gender of the
antecedent, use “she or he”, “his/her”,
“him/her” as the pronoun

Example: The police officer always carries
his/her badge when on duty.
 Things and animals don’t have gender—
use “it”, “its” to refer to non-human
objects/groups.
 Example: The team won its game.

6. Person
What is it? Singular Plural
1st
Person
Refers to self I, me We
2nd
Person
Person/thing
speaking to
You You
3rd
Person
Someone/
Thing
separate
from you
He, She, It
(or nouns
referring to
he, she, it)
They (or
nouns
referring to
they)

7. Steps for Determining if Pronouns
and Antecedents Agree
 Find the pronouns in the sentence.
 Example: Sally went to her boyfriend’s house, but he wasn’t home.
 Decide what nouns the pronouns are referring to (ie.
find the antecedents)
 Example: Sally went to her boyfriend’s house, but he wasn’t
home.
 Ask yourself “What person/number/gender is the
antecedent?” “Does the pronoun match the antecedent in
number and person?”
 Example:

Sally (3rd person, singular)=her (3rd person, singular)

Boyfriend (3rd person, singular)=he (3rd person, singular)

8. Special Cases
Tricky Pronoun-Antecedent
Situations

9. 1) Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronoun=pronoun that does not refer to
specific people or things
For the most part indefinite pronouns are
SINGULAR
EXCEPT
Both, few, some, several (PLURAL)

10. Ways to Deal with Indefinite
Pronouns
To make an indefinite pronoun and a pronoun
agree (in the same sentence):
 Use she/he or his/her with the SINGULAR indefinite
pronoun

Example: In class everyone performs at his or her own fitness
level.
 Use they or their with the PLURAL indefinite pronoun

Example: Both of the boys perform at their own fitness level.

11. Ways to Deal with Indefinite
Pronouns
OR
 Make the antecedent a plural noun.
 When someone has been drinking, they
are likely to speed. WRONG
 When drivers have been drinking, they
are likely to speed. RIGHT

12. 2) Collective Nouns
Collective noun=noun names a class
or group (made up of several
individuals)
They should be considered singular
unless individuals are emphasized
(then plural).
 Examples of Collective Nouns:
committee, class, crowd, family

13. Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement w/ Collective Nouns
As a unit: (singular)
The committee granted its permission to
build.
Individuals emphasized: (plural)
The committee put their signatures on
the document.

14. 3) EVERY, EACH, ONE
 When “every”, “each”, or “one” is the
antecedent, the pronoun should be
singular.
 Every student should complete his/her
teacher’s survey by the end of the week.
 Each piece of silverware is in its place in the
drawer.
 One of the girls snuck out of her house on
Friday night.

15. 4) Antecedents Joined by
AND
 Treat as plural--Make pronoun plural
 Jill and John moved to Luray, where they
built a cabin.
 Mickey and Minnie live in Disneyland in
their special mouse castle.

16. 5) Antecedents Joined by NOR
or OR or beginning with
NEITHER, EITHER
 Make the pronoun agree with the
antecedent nearest to the pronoun
 Either Bruce or Tom should receive first
prize for his poem.
 Neither the mouse nor the rats could find
their way through the maze.

17. 5) Antecedents Ending in -s
 Some antecedents ending in –s are
not plural because they focus on just
one item—Make the pronoun
singular
 Mathematics, economics
 The College of Arts and Sciences

18. 6) Titles of Books, Movies and
Companies
 Each of these are singular regardless
of whether the item ends in –s or is
joined by AND
 The Grapes of Wrath
 Romeo and Juliet
 Einstein Brothers Bagels