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Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
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What are pronouns and antecedents? A pronoun works to take the place of a noun or noun phrase. For example: The girl loves her doll. An antecedent of a pronoun is the word the pronoun refers to. For example: Bob is going to his house. (Bob is the antecedent and his is the pronoun) *Notice that the antecedent comes before the pronoun. (ante means before)
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What is the common mistake involving p-a agreement? Often writers will pair a singular pronoun with a plural antecedent or vice versa. They MUST be either both singular or both plural. Ex: The boy finished his dinner. (boy and his are both singular) Ex: The boys finished their dinner. (boys and their are both plural)
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What are some other rules involving p-a agreement? A pronoun must also agree in person and gender with its antecedent. Ex: Amy brought her homework to school. (Amy is the antecedent and her is the pronoun to which Amy refers. The pronoun and antecedent are both third person and feminine.)
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How should you approach indefinite pronouns? Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific persons or things. Though some of the following indefinite pronouns seem to have plural meanings, treat them as singular: Anybody, anyone, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, no one, someone, something Ex: Everyone should respect his or her teacher. (Instead of using the plural their, use the singular option, his or her, when you do not know the gender of the person.)
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How can you avoid the he or she in dealing with indefinite pronouns? Because using he or she can be wordy, you can make the singular antecedent plural. Ex: When someone has not studied, they are more likely to fail. (incorrect) Replace someone with a plural construction: When students have not studied, they are more likely to fail. (now both the pronoun and antecedent are plural)
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How can you avoid the he or she in dealing with indefinite pronouns? (2) You can also rewrite the sentence. Ex: When someone has not studied, they are more likely to fail. (incorrect) Rewrite the sentence: Someone who has not studied is more likely to fail. (now both the pronoun and antecedent are singular)
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To recap... -An antecedent is the word the pronoun refers to. -Pronouns and antecedents must agree in number, person, and gender -When dealing with indefinite pronouns, there are three options: 1. Replace they with he or she 2. Make the singular antecedent plural 3. Rewrite the sentence
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Reflection Section (Use the information in your notes to help you answer the following questions.) 1. Because of her illness, Ms. Noriega had to get a substitute teacher for our class. What is the pronoun:antecedent: 2. Had he wanted, Mr. Mulvihill could have won first prize. What is the pronoun:antecedent: 3. When everyone has studied for a test, they are more likely to succeed. Correct or incorrect?
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Resources For more practice with pronoun-antecedent agreement, take a practice quiz at: http://students.ed.uiuc.edu/ebecker/grammarquiz/ To go to the quiz click here:
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