Example of a noun antecedent of a pronoun:
Example of a noun phrase antecedent of a pronoun:
Example of a pronoun antecedent of a pronoun:
The indefinite pronoun each is the antecedent for the pronouns his or her.If the sentence read, 'Each applicant must submit...', then each is used as an adjective to describe the noun 'applicant', which would then be the antecedent for 'his or her'.Both versions of the sentence and the antecedents would be correct.
Each of the members of the team has his own locker.
There is only one rule for the relationship between pronoun and antecedent; the rule is called pronoun-antecedent agreement.The rule says that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender.Number = singular or pluralGender = male, female, or neuterExamples:When George got to 19th Street, he got off the train. (the pronoun 'he' is gender male and singular)Fran and Frank came to visit and brought the baby with them. (the pronoun 'them' is used for male and/or female and plural)Anna made cookies for hergrandchildren. (the pronoun 'her' is gender female and singular)
The noun to which a pronoun refers is called the antecedent. Care should be used to provide the proper pronoun, in number and gender, and to avoid unclear references.The father leaves every morning to go to hisjob. (antecedent father)The girl could not remember what had happened to her. (antecedent girl)* Number:The tallest of the boys had his cap on backwards. (singular antecedent tallest)Each of the cats had its own personality. (singular antecedent each)Every one of the tribes had its own territory.* Unclear references:Bob told Tim that he had won a contest. (which boy won?)When Bob won a contest, he told Jim about it. (clarified)
A pronoun-antecedent error occurs when a pronoun does not match the noun it replaces, in person (first/second/third), number (singular/plural) or gender(male/female/common/neuter).Examples:"A person can find success, even if you have no experience." (he has)"After each of the horses was caught, they were put in the corral." (it was)"Before the class left, it put its books in the closet." (they and their is better)* References to he or him as 3rd person singular is thought by some to be a gender error if a female antecedent is possible, but there is no consensus among users."A person should always know his limits." (some would use "his or her")
'Would everyone please bring their computers to the writing shop.'The antecedent is the indefinite pronoun 'everyone', a word that takes the place of an unknown or unnamed number and gender of people; the pronoun 'their' (a possessive adjective) represents any number and gender of people.That is the agreement, an unknown number and gender.
New York City is a multicultural city, it has people from all over the world.Margaret is my sister; she attends the local college.John lost his math book, this one must be his.
A noun phrase is a word or group of words based on a noun or pronoun (without a verb) that can function in a sentence as a subject, object of a verb or a preposition. A noun phrase can be one word or many words"Who owns the pink unicycle?" The noun phrase (in bold) is direct object of the verb 'owns'.A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence."Who owns it?" The pronoun 'it' takes the place of the noun phrase as the direct object of the verb 'owns'.
"Every one" is a pronoun phrase that functions as a compound indefinite pronoun. It is used to refer to each individual in a group or collection.
Pronoun-antecedent agreement is a grammatical concept that ensures that pronouns and their antecedents (the words they refer to) match in number and gender. This agreement is crucial for clarity and coherence in writing, as it helps readers understand the relationships between pronouns and the nouns they represent. When there is a lack of agreement, it can lead to confusion or ambiguity in a sentence.
Incorrect pronoun shift occurs when there is inconsistency in the use of pronouns within a sentence or paragraph. This often happens when a writer switches between different pronouns (such as he, she, they) without a clear antecedent or reference point. This can lead to confusion for the reader and disrupt the flow of the writing. To correct this error, it is important to maintain consistency in the choice of pronouns throughout the text.
It was the meanest winter anyone on the island could remember, with each storm worse than its antecedent.