Pronouns are words used in place of nouns. They provide a quick, convenient way to refer to a word that has already been named. Common problems in using pronouns include problems with pronoun reference, agreement, and case.

A pronoun should refer clearly to its antecedent, the noun or pronoun for which it substitutes.

If an antecedent is missing or unclear, the meaning of the sentence is also unclear. Use the following guidelines to make certain your pronoun references are clear and correct.

They, it, and you often refer vaguely to antecedents in preceding sentences or to no antecedent at all.

Pronouns must refer to nouns or other pronouns. Adjectives and possessives cannot serve as antecedents, although they may seem to suggest a noun the pronoun could refer to.

The pronoun it seems to refer to the adjective depressed, which suggests the noun depression. This noun is not in the sentence, however.

The pronoun it seems to refer to stock markets, which is a possessive, not a noun.

Pronouns and antecedents must agree in person, number, and gender. The most common agreement error occurs when pronouns and antecedents do not agree in number. If the antecedent is singular, use a singular pronoun. If the antecedent is plural, use a plural pronoun.

In most situations you will instinctively choose the correct pronoun and antecedent. Here are a few guidelines to follow for those times when you are unsure of which pronoun or antecedent to use.

Singular indefinite pronouns include the following:

If the pronoun and antecedent do not agree, change either the pronoun or the indefinite pronoun to which it refers. If you need to use a singular pronoun, use he or she or him or her to avoid sexism.

An alternative is to eliminate the pronoun or pronouns entirely.

Note: Overuse of him or her and his or her can create awkward sentences. To avoid this problem, you can revise your sentences in one of two ways: by using a plural antecedent and a plural pronoun or by omitting the pronouns altogether.

The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, and some can be either singular or plural, depending on how they are used in sentences. When an indefinite pronoun refers to something that can be counted, use a plural pronoun to refer to it. When an indefinite pronoun refers to something that cannot be counted, use a singular pronoun to refer to it.

Because the word plants is a plural, countable noun, the pronoun some is plural in this sentence.

Water is not countable, so most is singular.

Exception: When the singular antecedents joined by and refer to the same person, place, or thing, use a singular pronoun.

Exception: When each or every comes before the antecedent, use a singular pronoun.

When a compound antecedent is joined by or or nor, the pronoun should agree with the noun closer to the verb.

A collective noun names a group of people or things acting together or individually (herd, class, team) and may be referred to by a singular or plural pronoun depending on your intended meaning. When you refer to a group acting together as a unit, use a singular pronoun.

The pack is acting as a unit.

When you refer to the members of the group as acting individually, use a plural pronoun.

The members of the squad acted individually.

Most of the time you will automatically know which form, or case, of a pronoun to use: the subjective, objective, or possessive case. A pronoun’s case indicates its function in a sentence. When a pronoun functions as a subject in a sentence, the subjective case (I) is used. When a pronoun functions as a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a preposition, the objective case (me) is used. When a pronoun indicates ownership, the possessive case (mine) is used.

Use the following guidelines to correct errors in pronoun case.

If you mentally delete hikers, the sentence sounds correct: If we frighten them, the bears may attack.

If you mentally delete kindergartners, the sentence sounds correct: The older children never paid attention to us.

To decide whether to use who or whom in a question, answer the question yourself by using the words he or him or she or her. If you use he or she in the answer, you should use who in the question. If you use him or her in the answer, use whom in the question.

Similarly, to decide whether to use who or whom in a dependent clause, turn the dependent clause into a question. The pronoun you use to answer that question will tell you whether who or whom should appear in the clause.

If you ask the question (Who, whom) came from African royalty?, the answer, He came from African royalty, indicates that the correct pronoun is who.

If you ask the question (Who, whom) do we seek?, the answer, We seek him, indicates that the correct pronoun is whom.

The possessive pronoun his modifies the gerund moralizing.

Gerunds are often confused with participles because both end in -ing.