Pronoun - Antecedent Agreement “I don’t like to read about myself, but it’s not like I’m some superstar who has stuff written about them all the time.” -- Mandy Moore, on her status as a celebrity “Mandy, you’ve got bigger problems than the tabloids.” – Mrs. Manny Brown

Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. An antecedent is the noun to which the pronoun refers. Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and gender.

Troubleshooting: Indefinite Pronouns Indefinite pronouns refer to nonspecific persons or things. Even though many indefinite pronouns seem plural, they are treated as singular in standard written English. Indefinite Pronouns: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, somebody, someone, something

Troubleshooting: Indefinite Pronouns Incorrect: Everyone is responsible for their learning. Here, the indefinite pronoun everyone is paired with the plural pronoun their. Correct: Everyone is responsible for his/her learning. Correct: All students are responsible for their learning. Correct: One is responsible for one’s own learning. Correct: The responsibility for learning falls squarely on the shoulders of the student.

Troubleshooting: Generic Nouns Generic nouns represent a typical member of a group. Treat generic nouns as singular, and use singular pronouns in reference to generic nouns.

Troubleshooting: Generic Nouns Incorrect: A circus clown must be both frightening and funny if they are to be successful on the carnival circuit. Here, the generic noun a circus clown is incorrectly referred to with a plural pronoun. Correct: Circus clowns must be both frightening and funny if they are to be successful on the carnival circuit. Correct: A circus clown must be both frightening and funny if he/she is to be successful on the carnival circuit. Correct: A circus clown must be both frightening and funny to succeed on the carnival circuit.

Troubleshooting: Collective Nouns Collective nouns name a class or group. Most of the time, the group functions as a unit, and so should be treated as singular. If, however, the members of the group are acting as individuals, treat the collective noun as plural. Please don’t ever correct a citizen of the UK. You will sound like a bonehead. They have a different rule on this one than we do.

Collective Nouns as a Unit Incorrect: The jury gave their verdict to the judge. Here, the jury is acting as a unit; therefore, the plural pronoun their is not appropriate. Correct: The jury gave its verdict to the judge.

Collective Nouns as Individuals Incorrect: The jury groaned when it was told it would be sequestered. It’s not probable that the jury groaned in unison; rather, each member probably groaned individually. So, the singular pronoun it isn’t correct. Correct: The jury groaned when they were told they would be sequestered.

Troubleshooting: Compound Antecedents Treat compound antecedents joined with and as plural Example: When Kim and Tim get phone calls, they sometimes have a difficult time discerning for whom the caller is asking. Kim and Tim is a compound antecedent joined with and, so the plural pronoun they is appropriate.

Troubleshooting: Compound Antecedents Compound antecedents joined with or or nor should use a pronoun that agrees with the nearer antecedent. Example: Either Amy or Julie will loan her purse to Cassi. Example: Neither the President nor the advisors could make their speeches coherent.

Troubleshooting: Compound Antecedents When one antecedent is male and the other female, do not use a gender-specific pronoun. It won’t make sense. Incorrect: Either Kim or Tim should receive a prize for his hard work on the project. The best solution is to recast the sentence to avoid the problem. Correct: A prize for hard work on the project should go to either Kim or Tim.

Practice If a driver refuses to take a blood test, he or she will have their license suspended for six months. The National Rifle Association argues that current gun laws should be enforced. In the past, however, they have opposed nearly all legislation affecting guns.

Practice Eight highly qualified firefighters applied for the forestry position in Durango, each hoping for a career move that would allow them to hone their skills in battling and preventing forest fires.

Practice If anyone notices any suspicious activity, they should report it to the police. Why should we care about the timber wolf? One answer is that they have proven beneficial to humans by killing off weakened prey.

Grammar Girl to the Rescue! Grammar Girl on Pronouns