Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Lack of Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement When the noun and the pronoun you are renaming it with do not agree in subject or number Incorrect: Jon is a nice boy; it comes to school everyday. Incorrect: A student should bring their book to class daily.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Examples The artists displayed their paintings in the park.

Your Turn! Yay! Many of the early twentieth century photographers found (his or her / their) work treated merely as a fad.

Indefinite Pronouns Refer to non specific persons or things. Anybody, either, neither, somebody, anyone, everybody, nobody, someone, anything, everyone, no one something, each, everything In class everyone performs at his or her [not their] own fitness level.

Generic Nouns They will always be singular, even though they may strike you as plural. Every runner must train rigorously if he or she wants [not they want] to excel.

Collective Nouns These are considered to be singular unless the meaning is clearly plural. Jury, committee, audience, crowd, class, troop, family, team, and couple. Unit: The committee granted its permission to build. Individuals: The committee put their signatures on the document.

Compound Antecedents Joined by “and” Consider them as plural Jill and John moved to Lauray, where they built a cabin.

Compound Antecedents Joined by words like: or, nor, either, neither. Make the pronoun agree with the closest antecedent. Either Bruce or Tom should receive first prize for his poem.