Lesson 8:  Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns and their antecedents must agree in number and gender.  Number means if the antecedent is singular, then the pronoun must be singular.  Gender means if the antecedent is masculine, then the pronoun must be masculine.

Example: John Smith was the son of immigrants; his mother and father came from England.

First, memorize the following chart:  (Notice that this chart is virtually the same chart as I gave for subject/verb agreement.)

Singular antecedent = singular pronoun
Plural antecedent = plural pronoun
Singular antecedent joined by and to a singular antecedent = plural pronoun
Plural antecedent joined by and to a plural antecedent = plural pronoun

Singular antecedent joined by or, nor to a singular antecedent = singular pronoun
Plural antecedent joined by or , nor to a plural antecedent = plural pronoun
Singular antecedent joined by or, nor to a plural antecedent = plural pronoun
Plural antecedent joined by or, nor to a singular antecedent = singular pronoun
 

Two common problems with pronoun/antecedent agreement:

• Indefinite pronouns are divided into singular, plural, or both pronouns.  You must have memorized the singular group because some of them do not logically sound as if they are singular.  Example:  Everybody must bring his/her books to class.  Everybody does not logically seem to be singular but grammatically it is.
• Avoid the use of sexist pronouns.  Example:  In the University Center, a student seems to be able to
  enjoy his extra hours.  To avoid the masculine pronoun, use the plural form of student.  Revised:  In the University Center, students seem to be able to enjoy their extra hours.

How does one find errors in pronoun/antecedent agreement?

Go through the draft and look for any type of pronoun.  Check to see what each pronoun's antecedent is and if the two match in number and gender.