Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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:

                  

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

pronoun.  More naturally, we say

                    

The pronoun his refers back to President Lincoln.  President Lincoln is

the ANTECEDENT for the pronoun his. 

An antecedent is a word for which a pronoun stands.  (ante = "before")

The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number.

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

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

                

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:

                    

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):

                          

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.

Exercise:

1. The car would not stop because their brakes failed.

2. Joan and Jim moved to the mountains, where he or she built a cabin.

3. Every boy on the team must try their best if he wants his team to win.
Dangling or Misplaced Modifier
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes, defines, or qualifies something
else in a sentence.

Modifiers include descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs:

 She always listened attentively in class.
 She decided to buy the blue vintage Cadillac.

Modifiers can also be phrases or clauses:

 Anna smiled when she walked past the bar where she met her husband.
 Having received a promotion at work, he went out to buy a bottle of champagne.

The most common modifier mistakes are dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers.

Both terms refer to modifiers that are connected to the wrong thing in a sentence.

A misplaced modifier is too far away from the thing it’s supposed to modify, while a
dangling modifier’s intended subject is missing from the sentence altogether.

What is a misplaced modifier?

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is positioned too far away from the word,
phrase or clause it is intended to modify and, as a result, appears to be modifying
something else.

A misplaced modifier can be fixed by moving it so that it is connected to the right

subject.

Misplaced Corrected

 The waiter presented a steak to the  The waiter presented a medium-rare steak to

guest that was medium rare. the guest.
 The waiter presented a steak that was
medium rare to the guest.
In this example, the misplaced modifier implies that the guest was medium rare. Moving
the modifier correctly indicates that it was the steak that was medium rare.

What is a dangling modifier?

A dangling modifier occurs when the subject of a modifier is missing from the sentence.

Dangling modifiers often take the form of an introductory phrase followed by a clause
that doesn’t state the intended subject.

Dangling Corrected

 Fumbling in her purse, the keys could not  Fumbling in her purse, she could not find the
be found. keys.
 As she fumbled in her purse, the keys could not
be found.

In this example, the subject who was fumbling in her purse is not stated, so it seems
like the keys were doing the fumbling. A dangling modifier like this can be fixed either by
rewriting the main clause in active voice, or by revising the introductory phrase.

Exercise:

1. Having injured his dominant hand, it was difficult to write the exam.

2. She arrived home and fell onto the sofa covered in sweat.