Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Remember:

A noun designates a person, place, thing, quality, action, or idea. (e.g. plumber, Caroline, Korea, piano, studying, truth.)

A pronoun functions as a noun but does not name the specific person, place, thing, or idea. (e.g. I, you, it, who, which, himself, this, everyone.)

An antecedent is the noun to which a pronoun refers. (e.g. Todd must understand the material in order to complete his assignment. “Todd” is the antecedent for “his”.)

Keep pronouns clearly referenced to their antecedents. It avoids unnecessary repetition.

When a personal pronoun appears in a sentence and there is more than one possible antecedent, the pronoun must refer unambiguously to only one of them.

Ambiguous: The conversation between Sally and Joan makes her reflect upon her own shortcomings in public speaking.

Clear: After conversing with Sally, Joan reflects upon her own shortcomings in public speaking.

If you are reporting what someone else has said, check for clear pronoun reference.

Ambiguous: Tom told James that he had won the lottery.

Clear: Tom told James, “You have won the lottery!”

Keep the pronoun and antecedent close together. If a pronoun is too far form its antecedent, readers will have trouble making the connection between the two.

Avoid using masculine pronouns to refer to antecedents that include or may include both males and females.

Inappropriate: Every child should have his own bedroom.

Revised: Every child should have his or her own bedroom. OR All children should have their own bedrooms.

Note: Ontario’s lawmakers have legalized the use of the plural pronouns “they”, “them”, and “their” to represent singular antecedents; however, many English teachers will not accept this type of grammar on a test or assignment.

Inappropriate: A person can have their shoes repaired here.

Revised: A person can have his or her shoes repaired here. OR People can have their shoes repaired here.

Make sure the pronouns “it”, “this”, “that”, “which”, and “who” refer clearly to their antecedents.

“Who” refers primarily to people or animals with given names.

“Which” refers to animals or things.
”That” refers to animals, things, and people or persons treated anonymously.

Do not shift unnecessarily between first person (I, we), second person (you), and third person (he, she, it, they), or between singular and plural.

Ambiguous: After one has selected the boat he is going to learn in, it would be a good idea if you first learned the theory of sailing. Most of us have seen a sailboat, but seeing one and sailing one are two different things. One might think that a boat can sail only with the breeze and not against it, or they might think that a shift in breeze is necessary to turn a boat.

Clear: After you have selected the boat you are going to learn in, it would be a good idea if you first learned the theory of sailing. You have probably seen a sailboat, but seeing one and sailing one are two different things. You may think that a boat can sail only with the breeze and not against it, or you may think that a shift in breeze is necessary to turn a boat.

“You” should only mean “you, the reader.”

Inappropriate: Magazine advertisements attempt to make you purchase certain items.

Revised: Magazine advertisements attempt to make subscribers purchase certain items.

“They” should refer only to a clear antecedent; do not use “they” to refer indefinitely to persons who have not been specifically mentioned.

Inappropriate: They do not let people into the club without proper identification. (Who is “they”?)

Revised: The bouncers do not let people into the club without proper identification.

Antecedents can only be nouns or pronouns. They may not be adjectives or possessives.

Inappropriate: In Hope’s autobiography, she portrays Andy as a harsh and unfeeling person. (“Hope’s” cannot be the antecedent because it is a possessive.)

Revised: In her autobiography, Hope portrays Andy as a harsh and unfeeling person. OR In Hope’s autobiography, Andy is portrayed as a harsh and unfeeling person.

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