Pronoun-antecedent agreement

Pronouns substitute for nouns; they are a kind of shorthand. The word a pronoun refers to is called its antecedent.

Example sentence: After Andrew intercepted the ball, he kicked it weakly. Explanation: 'Andrew' is the antecedent of 'he'; 'ball' is the antecedent of 'it.'

A pronoun and its antecedent agree when they are both singular or both plural.

SINGULAR

Example sentence: Dr. Ave Berto finished her rounds. Explanation: 'Dr. Ava Berto' is the antecedent of 'her.'

PLURAL

Example sentence: The hospital interns finished their rounds. Explanation: 'interns' is the antecedent of 'their.'

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: The logger in the Northwest relies on the old forest growth for their living. Revised sentence: Loggers in the Northwest rely on the old forest growth for their living. Explanation: The singular 'logger' has been replaced by the plural 'Loggers' to provide a proper antecedent for the plural pronoun 'their.'

ESL: Pronoun-antecedent agreement

Exercise: Pronoun-antecedent agreement 1

Exercise: Pronoun-antecedent agreement 2

Exercise: Pronoun-antecedent agreement 3

Exercise: Pronoun-antecedent agreement 4