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9.2 Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement
Agreement Between Personal Pronouns and Antecedents
A personal pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender. Use a singular
personal pronoun with two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor. Use a plural personal pronoun with two or more antecedents joined by and. Use a plural personal pronoun if any part of a
compound antecedent joined by or or nor is plural. When dealing with pronoun-antecedent agreement, take care not to shift either person or gender. When gender is not specified, use the masculine or
NAME. CLASS. DATE.
rewrite the sentence.
PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT
Jason got an A on his science report. The lamppost has flowers around it.
Amy or Louise will lend you her notes.
Mom and Dad have left for their vacation.
Neither the attendants nor the bride showed their nervousness. Every student must pay his own way.
All students must pay their own way.
EXERCISE A: Choosing Personal Pronouns to Agree with Antecedents. Assume that each item below is an antecedent for a personal pronoun. After each, write his, her, its, or their to show which
pronoun you would use to refer to it. EXAMPLE: the general or an aide his
1. most teachers 2. the sports car
3. either Tom or Peter. 4. Sally, Jane, or Carol
5. only one actress
( 8. Vera, are these
9. Janet has been studying all week for
10. Surely Bill or Kevin will give us Copyright © by Prentice-Hall, Inc.
gloves?
phone numbers on the form.
driver's test. expert advice.
6. Damian or Justin 7. each Cub Scout _ 8. several proposals 9. the new library
10. the best female vocalist
EXERCISE B: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement in Sentences. Write an appropriate personal pronoun to complete each sentence.
EXAMPLE: My sister and I clean our own rooms.
Despite Tom's hard work,
We planted a lot of spinach this year, but no one will eat
Neither Beth nor Elena can find The lawyer and her clerk changed
Papa Walter thinks Lionel offered to lend us
All contestants must include
probably will not win a prize.
history notes.
line of defense.
garden is the best in the neighborhood. car.
