Cagayan State University

English Language Proficiency

1

Loraine P. Abuyuan, MA
Irish Keith A. Villanueva
2020
 Topic 1: Correct Usage of
Pronoun-Antecedent
Agreement

Learning Objectives:

 Determine the correct pronoun antecedent in a sentence; and

 Master the different rules in terms of using correct pronoun antecedent.

PRESENTATION OF CONTENTS

A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun.
A word can refer to an earlier noun or pronoun in the sentence.
Example:

President Lincoln delivered Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in 1863.

We do not talk or write this way. Automatically, we replace the noun Lincoln's with a pronoun.
More naturally, we say

President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address in 1863.

The pronoun his relates back to Lincoln. President Lincoln for the pronoun his is the
ANTECEDENT.

An antecedent is a word which stands for a pronoun. (Ante = "Front")

The pronoun must be counted in accordance with its antecedent.

Rule: A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; it must replace a plural pronoun.

Thus, the mechanics of the sentence above looks like this:

Here are nine pronoun-antecedent agreement rules. These rules are related to the rules found
in subject-verb agreement.

1. A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the number of the
antecedent.

Example:

2. Indefinite pronouns as antecedents

Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun referents.

Example:
Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.
PLURAL: several, few, both, many
Example:

Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or
plural.
EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL: some, any, none, all, most

Examples:

Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

Jewelry is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

When the object of the preposition is countable use a singular referent pronoun.
Examples:
 Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

Jewels are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.
3. Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.
Example:

4. With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the antecedent
closer to the pronoun.
Example #1 (plural antecedent closer to pronoun):

Example #2 (singular antecedent closer to pronoun):

Note: Example #1, with the plural antecedent closer to the pronoun, creates a smoother
sentence than example #2, which forces the use of the singular "his or her."
5. Collective Nouns (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or plural, depending on
meaning.

In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the referent pronoun is
singular.

In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the
referent pronoun is plural.

6. Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a singular referent.

EXAMPLES:
 7. Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent.
(news, measles, mumps, physics, etc)

EXAMPLE:

8. Every or Many a before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.

EXAMPLES:

9. The number of vs A number of before a subject:

The number of is singular.

A number of is plural.
Reference:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pronoun+antecedent&rlz=1C1GGRV_enPH910PH910&oq=p
ronoun+antecedent+&aqs=chrome..69i57.6140j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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