Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

Front

What is pronoun/antecedent agreement?

Back

Pronoun/antecedent agreement refers to the grammatical rule that a pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent (the noun it replaces).

Front

What is an antecedent?

Back

An antecedent is the noun or noun phrase that a pronoun refers to or replaces in a sentence.

Front

What is a pronoun?

Back

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun to avoid repetition, such as he, she, it, they, etc.

Front

What is the rule for pronouns when the antecedent is plural?

Back

When the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must also be plural (e.g., 'The students lost their books').

Front

What is the rule for pronouns when the antecedent is singular?

Back

When the antecedent is singular, the pronoun must also be singular (e.g., 'The girl lost her book').

Front

How do you handle compound antecedents joined by 'and'?

Back

When compound antecedents are joined by 'and', use a plural pronoun (e.g., 'Maria and Shawna lost their books').

Front

How do you handle compound antecedents joined by 'or' or 'nor'?

Back

When compound antecedents are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the pronoun should agree with the nearest antecedent (e.g., 'Either Maria or Shawna will win her match').

Front

What is the difference between 'his or her' and 'their'?

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'His or her' is used for singular antecedents, while 'their' is used for plural antecedents or when the gender is unknown.

Front

What is a collective noun?

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A collective noun refers to a group of individuals or things considered as a single unit (e.g., team, group, committee).

Front

How do you treat pronouns with collective nouns?

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Collective nouns can take either singular or plural pronouns depending on whether the group is acting as a single unit or as individuals (e.g., 'The team won its game' vs. 'The team celebrated their victories').