Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

Put the PRO in Pronoun

What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is the word that takes the place of a noun or

another pronoun.

Examples of Pronouns:

MASCULINE: he, him, his, himselfFEMININE: she, her, hers, herselfNEUTRAL: it, its, itself PLURAL: they, them, their, theirs,

themselves

What is an antecedent?

• An antecedent is the word that the pronoun is referring to (usually earlier in the sentence).

Example: Laura sold her bike to buy in-line skates.

Antecedent Pronoun

Why can’t they just get along?

We always want pronouns to agree with their antecedents in both NUMBER and GENDER.

WRONG EXAMPLES

• Everybody has their own way of studying.

• Anyone could forget their homework.

• Neither Jim nor Frank took their case to court.

• Everybody who is going to the movie needs to bring their money.

• Either Mom or Lucy will volunteer their time.

ANTECEDENTSTO LOOK OUT FOR

WARNING

• Anybody• Anyone• Each• Neither• Everybody• Everyone

• Nobody• Either• No one• One• Somebody• Someone

WARNING Antecedents = Singular Indefinite Pronouns

What about Reflexive Pronouns?

• Reflexive pronouns are those that refer directly back to the subject of the sentence. We use reflexive pronouns for emphasis.

Examples of REFLEXIVE Pronouns:Myself, ourselves, yourself, himself, herself,

itself, themselves

Sentences Using Reflexive Pronouns

1.John spilled grape juice all over himself.

2.Mrs. Johnson tried to clean his white shirt by herself, but she needed something stronger.

John and Mr. Johnson offered to go to the grocery store by themselves to get Bleach.

The store itself was stocked with hundreds of other cleaning supplies, but ironically the bleach was sold outside.

Sentences for Practice

In the world of Impressionist Painting, Mary Cassatt made their work known.

Edgar Degas suggested Cassatt create a series of paintings for herself, and she accepted her suggestion.

Each of the women in her paintings seemed to have their own identity.

Now it’s time for you to practice!

INSTRUCTIONS:

Flip your sheet over on the back and do the sentences for

practice in pairs.