Bell Ringer 12/15: Read each sentence. Write the correct pronoun in parentheses. 1.If all the students write a long essay, (they, he or she) will keep the teacher busy. 2.My neighbors think that (their, his or her) mail was stolen. 3.Neither the players nor the coach can get (his, their) sleep on the bumpy bus ride. 4.When a person buys a car, (he or she, they) need(s) to consider all options. 5.If each of the students wants to do well in the class, (they, he or she) must pay attention.

Bell Ringer 10/13: Write each sentence. Circle the correct pronoun in parentheses. 1.The runner on the track team always wins races because (he, they) has no fear of leaving skin on the pavement. 2.A person who eats too much candy risks hurting (his or her, their) teeth. 3.Neither Sally nor Molly explained (her, their) opinion on the subject. 4.Each of the boys rode (his, their) bike to school. 5.The faculty believes that it is (its, their) mission to prepare students to be good citizens and employees.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun takes the place of a noun, a group of words acting as a noun, or another pronoun. The antecedent of a pronoun is the word or group of words referred to by the pronoun. Examples: Ben rode his bike to school. (Ben is the antecedent of his; his is the pronoun.) The students passed their tests with flying colors. (Students is the antecedent of their; their is the pronoun.)

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in both number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). Examples: Jane regained her confidence after a few lessons. (Jane=antecedent; her=singular feminine pronoun) The cubs searched for their mother. (cubs=antecedent; their=plural neuter pronoun)

Rule #1 When the antecedent may be either masculine or feminine, use both the masculine and the feminine forms connected by or. Examples: Every one of the students shouted his or her approval. A person should always choose his or her friends carefully. *In many cases, you can avoid the awkward “his or her” by rephrasing the sentence. Ex: All of the students shouted their approval.

Rule #2 Use a singular pronoun to refer to each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, or somebody. Examples: Someone left his or her hat on the field. One of the parakeets escaped from its cage.

Rule #3 Two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor should be referred to by a singular pronoun. Examples: Neither Richard nor Bob distinguished himself in the finals. Paula or Janet will present her views on the subject.

Rule # 4 Two or more antecedents joined by and should be referred to by a plural pronoun. Examples: Mona and Janet left early because they had to be home before ten o’clock. Mom and Dad celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary yesterday.

Rule # 5 If you have a collective noun like audience, class, committee, program, faculty use the pronoun its. Example: The faculty believes that it is its responsibility to help students become productive citizens. The committee will select its officers at the meeting tomorrow.

If you’re not sure.. Ask yourself: – “Is the antecedent singular (referring to one person or a group acting as one)?” – “Or is it plural (referring to more than one person)?”

Practice A person should always try (his or her, their) best. The uniform company finally sent Jerome and Ken the shirts that (he, they) had ordered. Claire or Sarah will go to the nursing home early so that (she, they) can help the residents. Several of the volunteers contributed (his or her, their) own money. People should always choose (his or her, their) friends carefully.

Note about indefinite pronouns These indefinite pronouns are always plural: – several, few, others, both, many Sometimes the meaning of everyone and everybody is clearly plural. In such cases, the plural pronoun should be used. *Confusing: Everyone laughed when he or she saw the clowns. *Clear: Everyone laughed when they saw the clowns.

Practice—Correct or Incorrect George has chosen Walt Disney as the subject of his report.

Several other people in our class have also submitted his or her own topics.

Dominic, one of the Perrone twins, has chosen Alfred Hitchcock as their subject.

Neither Kim nor Amanda have packed their suitcase for the trip.

Each of these moviemakers’ films has left their mark on the entertainment world.

Both Matt and Sarah offered their help with moving us this weekend.

Each boy refused politely, saying that they would proofread the report on their own.

Does everyone, including George and Dominic, know that they must assemble facts, not opinions?

Neither George nor Dominic should forget to include anecdotes about their subject.

Nobody likes to discover that they just read a list of dull facts about an interesting subject.

Bell Ringer 10/14—Read each sentence. Write the correct pronoun, and then also write down its antecedent. 1.People should always choose (his or her, their) words carefully. 2.Sarah and Jill will go to the gym early to start (their, her) stretching routine. 3.Both of the boys rode (their, his) bike (s) to school. 4.All the people in the room wished that (they, he or she) had bought coffee before the meeting. 5.The members of the club received the tickets (he or she, they) had purchased in advance.

Bell Ringer 10/17: Write the correct pronoun and its antecedent. 1.Either Brian or Matt will bring (his, their) iPod to the 5k race on Saturday. 2.Both sisters will be picked up by (her, their) father. 3.Each of the NFL football players told about a time when (he, they) had suffered an injury. 4.The nursing program at Auburn University should be proud of (its, their) graduates. 5.Each member of a team should respect (his or her, their) teammates.

Bell Ringer 10/28: Read the following pairs of sentences. Choose the one that seems more clear. 1.A. When the national anthem is played at a baseball game, you should rise. B. When the national anthem is played at a baseball game, the crowd should rise. 2.A. In some neighborhoods, the garbage is picked up once a week. B. In some neighborhoods, they pick up the garbage once a week. 3.A. When reading a story by Poe, you should expect horror as part of the plot. B. Those who read stories by Poe should expect horror as part of the plot.