Pronoun antecedent-agreement

Pronoun Defined A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a noun.

Antecedent Defined Many pronouns have antecedents, nouns or pronouns to which they refer.

Agreement: A pronoun and antecedent agree when they are both singular or both plural. Pronouns such as: he, his, she, her, it, and its, must also agree in gender with their antecedent.

An American family is likely to have at least two cars in their garage

American families are likely to have at least two cars in their garages

Everyone in America seems to be in love with their cars

Americans seem to be in love with their cars

A consumer in the 1970’s expected their new car to burn fuel efficiently There is plural

A consumer in the 1970’s expected a new car to burn fuel efficiently

In the 1980’s and 90’s no one was horrified by the prices they saw at the gas station

In the 1980’s and 90’s no one was horrified by the prices at the gas stations.

When a bill requiring SUV’s to get the same gas mileage as cars came before the Senate, they rejected the proposal. Group nouns are singular

When a bill requiring SUV’s to get the same gas mileage as cars came before the Senate, it rejected the proposal

According to the Sierra Club, someone who spends a year driving an SUV instead of a car wastes more energy than if they had left their refrigerator door open for 6 years.

According to the Sierra Club, an SUV instead of a car wastes more energy than leaving a refrigerator door open for 6 years.

Compared to a European or Japanese driver, An American driver today is still paying bargain prices for their gas.

Compared to a European or Japanese driver, an American driver today is still paying bargain prices for gas.

All information in this slide show is taken from Diana Hacker’s The Bedford Handbook