Pronouns: Pronoun Agreement: Matching Pronouns to their Partners
Think of pronouns as dancers in a ballroom. Each pronoun needs to find its perfect dance partner – the noun it replaces (called the antecedent). Pronoun agreement is like making sure each dancer is paired up correctly for a smooth and graceful performance.
What is Pronoun Agreement?
Pronoun agreement means using a pronoun that matches its antecedent in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter).
- Examples:
- The girl lost her keys. (singular, feminine)
- The students finished their homework. (plural)
- The tree lost its leaves in the fall. (singular, neuter)
Why Does It Matter?
Incorrect pronoun agreement can confuse your audience and make your writing sound awkward. It’s like a couple dancing out of sync!
Tricky Situations:
-
Indefinite Pronouns: Some indefinite pronouns are singular (e.g., anyone, everyone, someone, nobody), while others are plural (e.g., both, few, many, several).
- Example: Everyone should bring their own lunch. (singular antecedent, plural pronoun is acceptable in informal English)
-
Collective Nouns: Collective nouns (e.g., team, family, class) can be singular or plural, depending on whether the members are acting as a unit or individually.
- Example: The team won its first game of the season. (singular, acting as a unit)
- Example: The team celebrated their victory. (plural, acting individually)
Let’s Practice!
Choose the Correct Pronoun: Circle the correct pronoun in each sentence.
- Each student should bring (his or her / their) textbook to class.
- The jury reached (its / their) verdict.
- Nobody wants to miss (his or her / their) chance to win.
- The family packed (its / their) bags for the vacation.
- Someone left (his or her / their) phone on the table.
Correct the Errors: Rewrite the sentences with correct pronoun agreement.
- Everyone should do their best.
- The company is having its annual meeting next week.
- Neither of the girls brought their jacket.
Challenge!
Write a paragraph about your family or friends, using a variety of pronouns and making sure they agree with their antecedents.
Remember:
- Match pronouns to their antecedents in number and gender.
- Be careful with indefinite pronouns and collective nouns.
Mastering pronoun agreement will make your English sound clear, accurate, and professional.
