Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Rules

Antecedents

Are the nouns or word phrases being replaced by the pronoun

Antecedents must agree in

Number Singular noun= singular pronoun Plural noun= plural pronoun

Antecedents must agree in

Person: First: I, my, me, mine, we, us Second: you, yours Third: they, them, their, theirs

Pronouns

Take the place of a noun/pronoun

Indefinite Pronouns: all, any, most, none, some agreement is determined by the

number of the object of the preposition in the prepositional phrase following the pronoun Only some of the paint spilled, but it still made a mess. Some of the children are ready for their naps.

Indefinite Pronouns: both, few, many, several are always replaced by a ____________ pronoun

plural (they, them, you (all), we, us, their, theirs, themselves)

Two or more antecedents joined by "and" are replaced by a ____________ pronoun (Jan and Mary)

plural (they, them, you (all), we, us, their, theirs, themselves)

Collective nouns that refer to each member of the group individually are considered _____________. The members of the group act as individuals—each person taking on separate responsibilities or actions.

plural and use a plural pronoun (they, them, you (all), we, us) At the car wash, the team took their places so that each vehicle got vacuumed, washed, and dried.

Two or more singular antecedents joined by "or" or "nor" are replaced by a ____________ pronoun (Fred or Sam) (Neither Fred nor Sam) (Either Fred or Sam)

singular (he, she, it him, her, his, her, hers, its himself, herself, itself)

Indefinite Pronouns: anybody, anyone, anything are always replaced by a ____________ pronoun

singular (he, she, it, him, his, her, hers, its, himself, herself, itself)

Indefinite Pronouns: each, either, neither are always replaced by a ____________ pronoun

singular (he, she, it, him, his, her, hers, its, himself, herself, itself)

Indefinite Pronouns: everyone, everybody, everything are always replaced by a ____________ pronoun

singular (he, she, it, him, his, her, hers, its, himself, herself, itself)

Indefinite Pronouns: no one, nobody, nothing are always replaced by a ____________ pronoun

singular (he, she, it, him, his, her, hers, its, himself, herself, itself)

Indefinite Pronouns: someone, somebody, something are always replaced by a ____________ pronoun

singular (he, she, it, him, his, her, hers, its, himself, herself, itself)

Words stating amounts usually are replaced by a ____________ pronoun.

singular (it, its)

Named businesses, schools, title of a creative work, countries, and organizations are replaced by a ____________ pronoun.

singular (it, its, itself)

Collective nouns that refer to one group or unit are considered _____________. The members of the group act in unison—everyone doing essentially the same thing at the same time.

singular and use a singular pronoun (she, her, he, him, it, you, I, me) The team agreed to host a car wash to finance its farthest away game.

"either ... or", "neither ... nor", and "not only ... but also" have two parts, so you'll find two separate antecedents. You must ___________.

use the closer of the two antecedents to determine if you need a singular or plural pronoun.