1. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
Put the PRO in Pronoun

2. What is a Pronoun?!?!
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or another pronoun.
Examples of Pronouns:
MASCULINE: he, him, his, himself
FEMININE: she, her, hers, herself
NEUTRAL: it, its, itself
PLURAL: they, them, their, theirs, themselves

3. What is an antecedent?!?!
An antecedent is the word that the pronoun is referring to (usually earlier in the sentence).
Example:
Laura sold her bike to buy a new iPhone Antecedent Pronoun

4. Rule #1 - Singular vs. Plural
Pronoun and antecedent must agree in number.
If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun must be singular.
If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural.

5. Rule #1 Examples The boys played ______ best and won the game.
Boys is plural, so their must be plural.
The girl lost ____ ribbon.
Girl is singular, so her must be singular.
their
her

6. Rule #1 – Indefinite Singular
Sometimes the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun.
Most indefinite antecedents are singular:
Each Either Neither
One Everyone Everybody
No one Nobody Anyone
Anybody Someone Somebody
Use singular pronouns when referring to these words!

7. Rule #1 – Indefinite Singular Examples
Neither of the boys did ______ homework.
Everyone has a right to ________ own ideas.
Any one of the lifeguards would risk _________ life to save the swimmers.
his
his or her
his or her

8. Rule #1 – Indefinite Plural
A few indefinite pronouns are plural:
Several Few Both Many
Use plural pronouns when referring to these words!

9. Rule #1 – Indefinite Plural Examples
Both of the boys had _____ homework.
Several of the students did _____ work cheerfully.
Many of the teachers enjoy _____ vacation time in the summer.
their
their
their

10. Rule #2 – Compound Antecedents
Any two antecedents joined by “and” are now plural and take a plural pronoun.
The truck and the car lost _____ brakes.
their

11. Rule #2 – Compound Antecedents
With antecedents joined by “or, nor, either, or neither,” you can determine whether they are plural or singular by examining the antecedent closest to the pronoun.
If the closer antecedent is singular, the pronoun must be singular.
If the closer antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural.
Either the judge or the lawyers have forgotten _________ notebooks.
their

12. Rule #2 - Examples The horse and the cow left ______ pen.
Neither Ryan nor his friends had taken ______ driving exam.
Neither the students nor Mr. Leist cared about ________ final exams.
After working all day, neither the teachers nor the students wanted to take _____ friends out to a movie.
their
their
his
their

13. Rule #3 – Agreement in Person/Gender
A pronoun must agree in person and gender with its antecedent.
When one enters the army, _______must follow rules.
Everyone should report to ________cabin right away.
Dilbert doesn’t know what to do about the giant growth on ____ forehead.
he or she
his or her
his

14. Rule #3 – Examples
they
Many people don’t eat peanuts because ______ might be allergic to it.
Harry Potter finds driving at night very hard on ______ eyes.
I hope that no one takes ________ seat.
We hope the girls couldn’t get to _______ seats.
You never know who is going to show up at ________ birthday party.
The dog ate ______ bone.
his my
our
your
its

15. Rule #4 – Collective Nouns
Some nouns refer to groups of things (swarm, army, crowd, class, etc.). These should be treated singularly.
The football team received ____ new plays.
The orchestra prepared for ____ new concert.
its
its

16. Rule #4 – Collective Nouns
If the collective noun is referring to each member of the group individually, it must take a plural pronoun!
The football team members received _______ varsity patches.
their

17. Rule #4 – Examples
its
The committee drafted ______ agenda at Chi-chi’s Mexican restaurant.
The herd got ________ cattle brands.
The teacher group was offended after ______ trip to see Transformers.
The troop sold ________ cookies at the basketball game.
their
its
its