Making Pronouns and Antecedents Agree

20.4 Making Pronouns and Antecedents Agree

Learning Objectives

Understand the different types of pronouns.
Recognize pronoun antecedents.
Make sure pronouns and antecedents are relatively close together and match in person, number, gender, and human versus nonhuman state.

Pronouns can be somewhat confusing, but they can help make your use of language smoother and more compact. For example, if your name were Pete Rando, you could write, “Pete Rando is going back to wait to go back to Pete Rando’s camper until Pete Rando’s friends have seen the sunset at the Grand Canyon.” Or you could say, “I’m going to wait to go back to my camper until my friends have seen the sunset at the Grand Canyon.” A first step in understanding how and when to use pronouns properly is having an overall picture of pronouns. Study the following table for an overview of the different types of pronouns. Note that some pronouns, such as possessive pronouns and interrogative pronouns, show up on more than one list.

Demonstrative pronounsOne of four pronouns (that, these, this, those) that points out an intended referent (e.g., that house, where the pronoun that points out which house).	Refer to things	that these this those		This trail is the longest one.
Indefinite pronouns	Refer to nonspecific people or things	Singular: anybody anyone everybody everyone everything nothing one someone somebody	Singular or plural: all any more most none some	Do you know anyone who has hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon?
		Plural: both few many
Interrogative pronouns	Are used in questions	that what whatever which whichever who whoever whom whose		Who wants to sign up to ride the mules down into the Grand Canyon?
Personal pronounsA pronoun that refers to people or things (e.g., I, me, it).	Refer to people or things	Subjective case: he I it she they we you	Objective case: her him it me them us you	If you ask Alicia, she will tell you that I am too chicken to ride the mules even though none of them has ever gone over the edge.
		Possessive case: his her(s) its my mine our(s) their(s) your(s)
Possessive pronouns	Show ownership without using an apostrophe	his her(s) its my mine our(s) their(s) your(s)		Regardless of the expense, a helicopter ride is my choice for seeing the Grand Canyon.
Reciprocal pronounsEither of the pronoun pairs each other or one another, which are used to refer to separate parts of a plural antecedent.	Refer to separate parts of a plural antecedent	each other one another		The mules calmly follow each other all the way up and down.
ReflexiveA pronoun that ends in -self or -selves and is necessary for a sentence to make sense. and intensive pronounsA pronoun that ends in -self or -selves and is not necessary for a sentence to make sense.	End in -self or -selves. Reflexive pronouns are needed for a sentence to make sense, and intensive pronouns are optional within a sentence	herself himself itself myself oneself ourselves themselves yourself yourselves		The guides themselves put their lives in the hands, or rather hooves, of the mules every day.
Relative pronouns	Show how dependent clause relates to a noun	that what whatever which whichever who whoever whom whomever whose		As long as I get to see the Grand Canyon from a vantage point other than the edge, I am happy to choose whichever option you want.

Another step in properly using pronouns is to recognize a pronoun’s antecedent, which is the noun or pronoun to which a pronoun refers, and make sure the pronoun and antecedent match in number, person, gender, and human versus nonhuman state. Also, to make the antecedent-pronoun match clear, the pronoun should follow relatively soon after the antecedent, and no other possible antecedent should fall between the antecedent and the pronoun.

Antecedent Situations	Example in a Sentence	Pronoun Antecedent Guidelines
Compound antecedents	Joey and Hannah spent the weekend with their parents at the Grand Teton National Park.	As an antecedent, “Joey and Hannah” is plural, non-gender-specific, human, and third person, so the pronoun must match. Hence their works, but, for example, our, his, her, and them would not work.
Indefinite pronouns that act as an antecedent for other pronouns	Some of the moose left their footprints in our campsite.	Since “of the moose” is a nonessential phrase, the antecedent for their is some. The pronoun some can be singular or plural, so it agrees with their, which is plural.
Collective noun antecedents	The Teton Range is quite regal as it protrudes upwards nearly seven thousand feet.	Teton Range is a collective noun and, therefore, is considered single (multiple mountains within the range, but only one range). It is nonhuman, so it agrees with it. Collective nouns are sometimes an exception to the human versus nonhuman guideline since a noun, such as “crew” or “audience,” can match to the pronoun its.
Antecedents and gender-biased pronouns	Everyone should make his or her own choice about hike lengths.	Years ago, acceptable writing included using male pronouns to refer to all unknown- or collective-gender antecedents. Today such usage is considered sexist (see Chapter 16 "Sentence Style", Section 16.5 "Avoiding Sexist and Offensive Language"). Some people opt to use their with singular antecedents instead of using his or her. Such usage should never be used in formal writing because it is technically incorrect since everyone is singular and their is plural.
Ambiguous antecedents	Ambiguous: The trails wind high into the mountains where they seem to disappear into the sky.	When a pronoun antecedent is unclear, such as in this situation where readers do not know if the trails or the mountains seem to disappear into the sky, you should reword the sentence by either (1) eliminating or (2) moving the pronoun (and probably other words).
		Example #1: The trails wind high into the mountains where the trails seem to disappear into the sky.
		Example #2: High in the mountains, the trails wind as they seem to disappear into the sky.
Vague or implied antecedents	Vague or implied: The Grand Teton park wetland trails go past areas where deer, elk, and moose are often seen, so it should be a lot of fun.	The antecedent of it is not clear because the writer used a shortcut. Instead of referring to any of the nouns that preceded it in the sentence, it refers to an unstated antecedent, such as the experience or the hike. A better way to write the sentence: The Grand Teton park wetland trails go past areas where deer, elk, and moose are often seen, so the hike should be a lot of fun.
Antecedents in previous sentences	The Grand Teton National Park was formed in 1929. In 1950, it was sort of re-formed when additional land was added.	Antecedents should be present within the same sentence unless the flow of the sentences is such that the antecedent/pronoun connection is very clear.

Key Takeaways

Take care to use these eight types of pronouns correctly: demonstrative, indefinite, interrogative, personal, possessive, reciprocal, reflexive/intensive, and relative.
For every pronoun, you should be able to easily identify a matching antecedent.
As a rule, a pronoun’s antecedent should be nearby, in the same sentence, and matching in person, number, gender, and human versus nonhuman state.

Exercise

For each sentence, fill in the blank with an appropriate pronoun(s) and circle the antecedent.
1. Everybody heard us sing _______________ version.
2. The pit crew did _______________ job like clockwork.
3. A small child should not be left to fend for _______________.
4. Beagles and Labradors often show off _______________ natural hunting tendencies.
5. Allie and Bethany are planning to help _______________ with their projects.
6. Ask each student to upload _______________ papers into the drop box.
7. Anyone can get _______________ transcripts by filling out the proper form.