H-L6U6: Pronoun references

Pronoun references

After Andrew intercepted the ball, he kicked it as hard as he could.


The word a pronoun refers
to is called its antecedent.
Remember the pronoun and
the antecedent must agree.

BE CAREFUL!

Grammar checkers do not
flag issues with faulty
pronoun references

​Pronouns substitute for nouns:

Multiple Choice

Which pronoun should replace the antecedent? (hint: gender of pronoun must match gender of antecedent)

Carlos is my friend, but _____ is a poor student.

• I

• she

• you

• he

Multiple Choice

What is the correct pronoun in the following sentence?

Should Tammy and _____ meet you?

• me

• I

• Both answers could be correct.

Multiple Choice

What is the correct pronoun in the following sentence?

Mother told Carmen and _____ to wear our jackets.

• me

• I

• Both answers could be correct.

Multiple Choice

Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that refer to non-specific beings, objects, or places. Depending upon usage, indefinite pronouns can be singular, plural, or both.

Always singular: anyone, everyone, someone, someone, anybody, somebody, nobody, each, one, either and neither.

Always plural: both, few, many, others, and several.

Singular and plural both (depending upon usage): all, any, more, most and some.

Identify the correct pronoun in the sentence.

Nobody plays ________ best when the humidity is very high.

• his

• their

Multiple Choice

Identify the correct pronoun in the sentence.

Some of the vanilla has lost ________ flavor.

• its

• their

Multiple Choice

Compound antecedents joined by or, nor, neither/nor, or either/or use either singular or plural pronouns. The pronoun should agree with closest antecedent.

Compound antecedents joined with and use a plural pronoun.

Identify the correct pronoun in the sentence.

Neither the actors nor the director did _____ job.

• his

• their

Multiple Choice

Neither of the cats had its tail clipped

• correct

• incorrect

Multiple Choice

Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Brenning select the music for their program.

• correct

• incorrect

Multiple Choice

Neither the women nor the men will bring their spouses.

• correct

• incorrect

Multiple Choice

The few who have turned in his or her assignment in may leave early.

• correct

• incorrect

Multiple Choice

Collective nouns may have a plural or singular meaning because they name something that has many members or parts.

Singular meaning: If the members of the group are acting as a unit, the noun will be singular and will take a singular pronoun.

Plural meaning: If the members are acting individually, the noun has a plural meaning and will take a plural pronoun.

Identify the correct pronoun in the sentence.

The jury will read _______ verdict.

• his or her

• their

Multiple Choice

The committee decided to spend their budget surplus on yo-yos for the officers.

• correct

• incorrect

Answering reference questions

(Reading Comprehension)

1. Read the sentence with the highlighted pronoun / phrase

2. Look for nouns or noun phrases that could replace the highlighted word.

​*Remember that the correct answer will agree in number and gender and will usually be before the highlighted reference word.

Multiple Choice

New Zealand is becoming an increasingly popular destination for overseas visitors. It attracts tourists and people on business, but the vast majority come as students.

It refers to ...

• overseas

• New Zealand

• a popular destination

Multiple Choice

It attracts tourists and people on business, but the vast majority come as students.

Mostly from Asian countries, they stay for anything from a few weeks to a few years or more, studying at language schools, colleges and universities.

They refers to

• Asian countries

• tourists and business people

• students

Multiple Choice

New Zealand can offer good homestay accommodation, a clean and beautiful environment and a reasonable cost of tuition. These factors attract an ever-increasing number of overseas students, accounting for millions of dollars in revenue for New Zealand.

These factors refers to ...

• accommodation, environment and reasonable tuition costs

• schools, colleges, universities

• increasing overseas students

Multiple Choice

The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States, ending at Linea remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins.

It refers to ...

• pipeline

• ocean

• state

Multiple Choice

The railroad was not the first institution to impose regularity on society, or to draw attention to the importance of precise timekeeping. For as long as Line merchants have set out their wares at daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated, people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The value of this tradition is today more apparent than ever.

The phrase "this tradition" refers to ...

• friendly relations between neighbors

• the railroad's reliance on time schedules

• people's agreement on the measurement of time

Multiple Choice

Over time beneficial traits and characteristics that promote survival will be kept in the gene pool while those that harm survival will be selected against. Therefore, this natural selection ensures that a species gradually improves itself over an extended duration of time. On the other hand, as a species continues to 'improve' itself, it branches out to create entirely new species that are no longer capable of reproducing together.

The word 'those' in paragraph 1 refers to ...

• survival

• natural selection

• traits characteristics

Multiple Choice

We were able to walk along the kangaroos and wallabies. We were even allowed to touch them and to feed them.

…. allowed to touch them and to feed...

The word them in paragraph 3 refer to ....

• the visitors of wildlife park

• the kangaroos and wallabies

• koala and wallabies

Multiple Choice

Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the Lascaux complex.

The word they refers to ...

• artists

• animals

• materials

Multiple Choice

The hippopotamus is the third largest land animal, smaller only than the elephant and the rhinoceros. Its name comes from two Greek words which mean “river horse.” The long name of this animal is often shortened to the easier to handle term “hippo.”

The possessive “its” in line 2 refers to ...

• Hippopotamus

• Elephant

• Rhinoceros