Chapter 5

Matchmaking: Pairing Pronouns

and Antecedents
P ronouns don’t like to be alone. Each must pair up with an antecedent — the noun or other
pronoun it refers to. You’re the matchmaker! You must make sure that a pronoun and its
antecedent agree. A singular antecedent belongs with a singular pronoun, and a plural anteced-
ent requires a plural pronoun. In this chapter, you find practice for every situation likely to arise
in matching pronouns to antecedents correctly and clearly.

The Questions You’ll Work On

In this chapter, you work on questions that develop these skills:

» Identifying pronouns and their antecedents

» Pairing singular and plural pronouns with the appropriate antecedents

» Matching the gender of pronouns and antecedents

» Ensuring that the antecedent of every pronoun is clear

What to Watch Out For

eep these points in mind when you’re answering the questions in this chapter:

» o etermine hether you re using the proper pronoun, first i entify the antece ent.

» Singular pronouns ta e the place of singular nouns or other singular pronouns.

» lural pronouns ta e the place of plural nouns or other plural pronouns.

CHAPTER 5 Matchmaking: Pairing Pronouns and Antecedents 39

 » atch masculine pronouns to masculine nouns, an feminine pronouns to feminine nouns.
Use neuter pronouns for objects and ideas (it, those, and the like) and gender-neutral pronouns
(they/them/their/theirs hen the gen er is unspecifie or nonbinary. or more information on
gen er-neutral pronouns, see ote about ronouns in the intro uction.

» Some personal pronouns refer to the speaker (I, me, we, and so forth) or to the person addressed
(you, your, for e ample . hese pronouns have no antece ent in the sentence. ther pronouns
that refer to an undetermined person or thing (such as whatever or something) may also lack an
antece ent in the sentence.

» ronouns must e press only one meaning. f the rea er can t grasp the pronoun-antece ent
relationship, you have to re or the sentence.

Identifying Pronouns 244. My dog Rex wants to chew on his bone,

but I can’t find it.
and Their Antecedents
241–250 Identify each pronoun in the sentence
as well as the word(s) the pronoun replaces (the
antecedent). Note: More than one pronoun may refer
to the same antecedent, and sometimes a pronoun 245. Whoever broke the window should pay
has no antecedent in the sentence. for it!

241. Martin told his players they had to work

harder.

246. The motorcycle that Jean built from a kit

won the race, which was sponsored by a
local bank.

242. Mary and her uncle watched their favor-

ite show at his house.

247. None of the computer programs work

until someone enters a password and
username.
243. In his sonnets, Shakespeare inspires
readers to think deeply about the mean-
ing of their lives.

40 PART 1 The Questions

248. John, who needs a shave, broke his own 253. Dora and I liked the dresses, but _____
razor and then borrowed mine. (Dora and I) decided _____ (dresses)
were too formal for the occasion.

249. What you want is impossible, but I will

254. The company where _____ (Arthur’s)
try to do everything anyway!
father works is expanding _____ (the
company’s) business to Asia.

250. The dentist to whom Mary entrusted her

teeth took good care of them. 255. The audience sat in _____ (audience’s)
seats, patiently waiting for the perfor-
mance to begin, but _____ (perfor-
mance) was delayed.

Pairing Pronouns and

256.
Antecedents Correctly Counting _____ (a group including
the speaker) votes is an important task;
_____ (inspectors) will ensure that
251–260 What are the correct pronouns for each
_____ (task) is done properly.
blank in the sentence? The intended meaning of each
pronoun appears in parentheses.

251. Sara was delighted to receive the book

and read _____ (book) aloud to 257. James, _____ (James) loves foot-
_____ (Sara’s) friends. ball, plans to play _____ (football) in
college.

252. Gregory prepared three reports for

258. Because neither of the boys has _____
_____ (Gregory’s) supervisor, but
(athlete’s) sneakers tied properly,
when _____ (Gregory) handed _____
_____ (the speaker) expect one of
(reports) in, the supervisor was not
_____ (boys) to fall.
happy.

CHAPTER 5 Matchmaking: Pairing Pronouns and Antecedents 41

 259. The diners in the restaurant want
_____ (diners’) meals right away, but
Chef Helen will cook at _____ (Chef
Helen’s) own pace.
263. I. She is tall and strong; those are
attractive qualities.
II. Summer gives me more free time
than winter, so I prefer it.
III. When I slammed the vase into the
wall, I broke it.

264. I. The boy Mary insulted walked away

260. When a person wins a prize, _____ from her angrily.
(a group including the speaker) clap for
II. I love that horror film; there are five
_____ (someone).
wonderfully scary monsters in it.
III. Patrick wants to study law because
his father is one.

265. I. The tacks and nails from that store

are very sharp, so I always buy them.
Avoiding Vague II. The tacks covered all the seats, which

Pronoun References were dangerous.

261–270 Which sentence(s) in the group of three use
pronouns clearly and correctly?
266.
261. I. Ellen and her sister thought she got a
good grade.
II. The pitcher and catcher worked on
his throwing speed.
III. The umpire found his glasses just in
time for the playoffs.
267.
262. I. The bowl was on the table with the
green tablecloth; I washed it.
II. Joe and I hung our posters on the
south wall.
III. I hope you like the figs; I picked
them myself.
III. I read many modern novels, and
I usually like them.
I. The library book has a stain on the
cover, but I can’t remove it.
II. The fish that Catherine bought had
red spots on its tail.
III. His grandmother introduced Mark to
opera, and he loved it.
I. The architect likes the new build-
ing, which was designed by his
competitor.
II. Gloria explained that she was late
because her train left an hour past its
scheduled time.
III. Charlie watches football and baseball
games all day long and wishes he
could be a professional at it.

42 PART 1 The Questions

268. I. Georgina put one more card on top
of the four she had fashioned into a
little house, but it fell.
II. The computer mouse I dropped broke
into three pieces, but I glued them
back together.
III. I did my homework in the middle of
the night without a ashlight, which
was a problem.
270. I. The Yankee was a great hitter, but
the other team’s star was better at it.
II. The shades let in some light; they
were translucent.
III. Allowing some sunlight reduces the
need for strong electric lights, which
may not be energy e cient.

269. I. The paper it says that war may break

out within the next two days.

II. In an article in the paper it says

that soldiers will report for duty
tomorrow.
III. The government hopes to avoid
war because of its high cost in both
money and lives.

CHAPTER 5 Matchmaking: Pairing Pronouns and Antecedents 43