What is an antesedent?

Answer 1

An antecedent is something that comes before something else. (Ante= before.)

In grammar, you decide whether to use a plural or singular verbs and possessives based on the antecedent. In the sentence "The boys took their books", "boys" is the antecedent that triggers "their" instead of "his".

Answer 2

An antecedent refers to a prior event or circumstance that precedes or influences another event. In linguistics, an antecedent is a word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers. Identifying the antecedent is important for understanding the meaning and context of a sentence.