Pronouns and Antecedents

1. Pronouns and Antecedents

2. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. The noun being replaced is called an antecedent. The pronoun must agree with the noun it is replacing.

3. If the noun is singular, then the pronoun must be singular.

4. If the noun is masculine, then the pronoun must be masculine.

5. If the noun is feminine, then the pronoun must be feminine.

6. If the noun is neutral, then the pronoun must be neutral.

7. Examples: Mr. Wilsonput some papers into ____ briefcase. The bride tossed _____ bouquet toward the unmarried girls. The tiger paced back and forth in _____ cage.

8. Remember-- If the gender is not known, then it is appropriate to use a masculine pronoun, OR you can use him or her (written together as one).

9. Sometimes, a pronoun has more than one antecedentin a sentence. In those cases, follow these rules: For two or more antecedents joined by and, use a plural pronoun. EXAMPLE: Sally and Suemake _______ own clothes.

10. For two or more antecedents joined by oror nor, the pronoun should agree with the antecedent closer to the pronoun.

11. Examples: Neither Sally norSue made ______own clothes. Neither Sally northe other girls made _____ own clothes. Neither the other girls norSallymade ____ own clothes.

12. The following indefinite pronouns will take a singular replacement pronoun. anybody anyone everybody everyone somebody someone nobody no one

13. anything each either everything one neither something nothing Example: Each of the girls made herown clothes. Everybody needs his own glove for practice.

14. The following indefinite pronouns will take aplural replacement pronoun. several few both many others Example: Several of the girls made theirown clothes.

15. The following indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural. You must look to the person or thing it is replacing. all none some most any

16. Examples: Some of the girls made theirclothes. Someof the fabric faded when itwas washed. All of the boys need _____ books.

17. Also— use who or whom to refer to people use which to refer to things use that to refer to persons or things

18. Examples: Sally is a friend ______never lets you down. The roast_______ Mom cooked is delicious. The lion _______ escaped frightened everyone.

19. Ex 19—practice editing to correct pronoun-antecedent agreement Answers on the following slides.

20. Ahmed and his friend Jabbar were from the big city, where they didn’t see much green space. They worked hard to plan their camping trip in the wilds of northern Minnesota. It was the first time either of them had been camping. They were going to a remote spot where they could catch lots of fish. They had hired a fishing guide with an excellent reputation they could rely on.

21. Jabbar and he found the long trip tired them out. First they took an airplane journey (another first for them) to St. Paul. Then came a 200-mile car trip north. Jabbar and he made the last leg of their journey by boat. Both were glad it was a motorboat, not a canoe.

22. When the two got the guide’s cabin, they went inside. The guide stayed outside to finish some of the chores he had to do. Both were surprised to see the pot-bellied stove in a most unusual position, set up on posts nearly three feet off the cabin floor. Neither of the men knew the reasons for its unusual placement.

23. Jabbar said, “I’m sure it’s for a practical reason. The heat from the stove would dry out green or wet wood placed under it.” “I imagine,” said Ahmed, “that the heat from the stove circulates much quicker around the room, thus warming it quicker for you and me.”

24. “Actually,” Jabbar replied, warming to his subject, “we both know that warm air rises in a room. Cool air can come in an open window at night so it will not get too hot.” The two men thought hard to get their dilemma figured out. When the guide returned, they asked him to settle the argument for them.”

25. “It’s simple,” he explained to them (or you could say Ahmed and him). “When I brought the stove upriver on my boat, I lost one section of the stovepipe overboard. So I set the stove up high so I could get the smoke to go out the hole in the roof!”