1. PRONOUNS AND ANTECEDENTS
AGREEMENT
PRONOUNS
AND
ANTECEDENTS

2. PRONOUNS? REMEMBER A PRONOUN IS A WORD THAT TAKES THE PLACE OF A NOUN
HE, SHE, IT, THEY, THEM, ETC.

3. ANTECEDENT? THE ANTECEDENT IS THE NOUN THAT THE PRONOUN STANDS FOR…
BOBBY PLAYS BASS GUITAR. HE IS IN A BAND.
HE IS THE PRONOUN
BOBBY IS THE ANTECEDENT.

4. PRONOUN/ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT
A PRONOUN MUST AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT IN GENDER (MALE/FEMALE)
EACH OF THE GIRLS PUTS (HIS/HER) STUFF INTO THE CAR.
NOT A VERY COMMON ERROR.

5. AGREEMENT THE PRONOUN MUST AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT IN PERSON.
FIRST PERSON (THE PERSON TALKING): I, WE
SECOND PERSON (THE PERSON I’M TALKING TO): YOU
THIRD PERSON (THE PERSON I’M TALKING ABOUT): SHE, HE, IT, THEY
IF STUDENTS REFUSE TO LEARN THE RULES OF PAPER WRITING, YOU CAN FORGET A GOOD GRADE IN ENGLISH CLASS. (STUDENTS – TALKING ABOUT; YOU –TALKING TO)

6. AGREEMENT
A PRONOUN MUST AGREE WITH ITS ANTECEDENT IN NUMBER (SINGULAR OR PLURAL)
EACH GIRL WANTS TO LOOK BEAUTIFUL ON (THEIR/HER) PROM NIGHT.
IF PEOPLE WANT TO STAY HEALTHY, (THEY/YOU) MUST EAT WELL AND WATCH YOUR WAISTLINE.

7. AGREEMENT IF ANYBODY IS LATE, THEY’LL GET INTO TROUBLE.
IS THIS RIGHT OR WRONG?
SHOULD YOU USE “HE’LL” OR “HE OR SHE”

8. AGREEMENT THERE’S AND THERE IS
MANY PEOPLE USE “THERE’S” INFORMALLY IN SPEECH AND THEREFORE IT SLIPS INTO WRITING.
THERE’S ONLY THREE THINGS I NEED IN LIFE: CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, AND CHOCOLATE.
MAKE SURE YOU MEAN TO USE A SINGULAR VERB. LOOK AT SENTENCE AGAIN.