After reviewing subject-verb agreement rules, let's take a look at pronoun-antecedent agreement in more detail to see how they can always be matched in our sentences.
In the previous lesson, we learned that all parts of a sentence must match or agree. In addition to subject-verb agreement, we should also make sure we are using pronouns correctly. Since we know from ESL001 that pronouns replace nouns or noun phrases, we must make sure that our pronouns match the nouns they replace, or their antecedents, in number (singular or plural), in person (first, second, or third), and case (subjective, objective, or possessive). In order to check this agreement, you must understand the concept of antecedent, or referent, in order to check the relationship between pronouns and the nouns they replace.
As we learned in ESL001, a pronoun is a word that can be used in place of a noun. We use pronouns so we do not have to repeat words. It sounds better if pronouns are used to replace nouns. To do so successfully, we must first introduce the noun before using a pronoun to refer to it throughout the rest of the sentence.
Therefore, as a pronoun replaces a noun, and because a pronoun is replacing a noun, its meaning is dependent on the noun that it is replacing. This noun is called the antecedent or referent. Let's look at these two sentences we just read again:
The pronoun it, in two forms (Its and it), has the antecedent "a pronoun". Whenever you use a pronoun, you must also include an antecedent noun. Without the antecedent, your readers (or listeners) won't be able to figure out what the pronoun is referring to.
Therefore, an antecedent simply means the noun (or phrase) that a pronoun is replacing. Since both nouns and pronouns have number, person, and case, it's important to make sure the pronoun matches or agrees with the noun to which it refers. This will make it possible for readers to understand the sentence the first time they read it, not the third, fourth, or tenth time, or only after they have had to go backward to reread the previous sentence to guess the antecedents. In other words, pronoun-antecedent agreement will ensure our writing has clarity.
TIP 1: Avoid using a pronoun that refers confusingly to two possible antecedents.
TIP 2: Avoid using implied antecedents such as "they", "it", and "one". In other words, antecedents must always be clearly stated.
Sometimes, the antecedent of one sentence appears in the sentence that came before it. For instance, the sentence used in this example could be preceded by the following sentence:
In this case, the antecedent "professors" appears in the first sentence. The pronoun "they" appears in the second sentence. Since the antecedent of "they" (professors) is clearly stated in the previous sentence, there is no need to repeat the antecedent (professors) again, so the pronoun "they" can be used instead.
Let's see some explanations and examples of this important relationship between pronouns and their antecedents:
Pronoun-antecedent clarity involves asking whether the pronouns you use to refer back to your nouns and concepts match the person, number, and gender of the antecedent. When that matching happens, we say that the pronoun agrees with its antecedent. Let's look at a couple of examples:
In the first sentence, Zacharias is singular, third person, and masculine. The pronouns he and himself are also singular, third person, and masculine, so they agree. In the second sentence, the Smiths is plural and third person. The pronoun them is also plural and third person.
Some of the trickiest agreements are with indefinite pronouns. Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that do not refer to a specific person or thing. Singular indefinite pronouns refer to or take the place of singular nouns or pronouns. Plural indefinite pronouns refer to or take the place of plural nouns or pronouns.
Words like every and nobody are singular and match, at the level of formal grammar, with singular pronouns. Here are some more words that fall into this category of indefinite pronouns:
