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    Rules in Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

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    makgeolli
    This document outlines rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement. It discusses how singular and plural indefinite pronouns require singular or plural referents, and how modifiers like prepositional phrases can affect this. Compound subjects joined by "and" are plural, while those joined by "or/nor" depend on the closer antecedent. Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on intended meaning. Titles, news, and phrases with "every" or "many a" take singular referents, while "a number of" takes a plural referent.

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    Rules in Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

    Uploaded by

    makgeolli
    69 views13 pages
    This document outlines rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement. It discusses how singular and plural indefinite pronouns require singular or plural referents, and how modifiers like prepositional phrases can affect this. Compound subjects joined by "and" are plural, while those joined by "or/nor" depend on the closer antecedent. Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on intended meaning. Titles, news, and phrases with "every" or "many a" take singular referents, while "a number of" takes a plural referent.

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    This document outlines rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement. It discusses how singular and plural indefinite pronouns require singular or plural referents, and how modifiers like prepositional phrases can affect this. Compound subjects joined by "and" are plural, while those joined by "or/nor" depend on the closer antecedent. Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on intended meaning. Titles, news, and phrases with "every" or "many a" take singular referents, while "a number of" takes a plural referent.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    69 views13 pages

    Rules in Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

    Uploaded by

    makgeolli
    This document outlines rules for pronoun-antecedent agreement. It discusses how singular and plural indefinite pronouns require singular or plural referents, and how modifiers like prepositional phrases can affect this. Compound subjects joined by "and" are plural, while those joined by "or/nor" depend on the closer antecedent. Collective nouns can be singular or plural based on intended meaning. Titles, news, and phrases with "every" or "many a" take singular referents, while "a number of" takes a plural referent.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 13

    RULES IN PRONOUN-

    ANTECEDENT
    AGREEMENT
    1. A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the
    number of the antecedent.
         Example:
    The can of green peas sits on its shelf.

    2. Indefinite pronouns as antecedents

    • Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun


    referents.
    Example:
    Each of the clerks does a good deal of work around his/her
    office.
    Singular indefinite pronouns:

    each, either, neither, one, no one, nothing, anyone,


    anybody, anything, something, someone, somebody,
    nobody, everyone, everybody, everything
    • Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural
    referents.
                  Plual indefinite pronouns:  several, few, both, many

    Examples:
    Both did a good job in their office.
    Several came to see their friends.
    Few submitted their outputs.
    Many just stayed in their homes during the lockdown.
    Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be
    either singular or plural. 
    Either Singular or Plural:  some, any, none, all, most

    • When the object of the preposition is uncountable, use a singular referent


    pronoun.

    Examples:
    Some of the sugar fell out of its bag.
    All of the jewelry has lost its glow.

    Sugar and jewelry are uncountable; therefore, the sentences have singular


    referent pronouns.
    •When the object of the preposition is countable, use a plural referent
    pronoun.

    Examples:
    Some of the marbles fell out of their bag.
    Some of the jewels have lost their glow.

    Marbles and jewels are countable; therefore, the sentences have plural


    referent pronouns.
                  
    3. Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.
                      Example:
    Jane and Sally made their presentation.

    4. With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun


    agrees with the antecedent closer to the pronoun.
        
    Example #1 (plural antecedent closer to pronoun):
    Neither the director nor the actors did their jobs.
    Example #2 (singular antecedent closer to pronoun):
    Neither the actors nor the director did his or her job.

    5. Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a


    singular referent.  
    Examples:
    The Grapes of Wrath made its character seem real.
    The United States cherishes its democracy.
    6. Collective Nouns  (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or
    plural, depending on meaning.   

    Examples:
    The jury read its verdict.
    In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the
    referent pronoun is singular.

    The jury gave their individual opinions.


    The jury disagreed among themselves.
    In these examples, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals;
    therefore, the referent pronoun is plural.
    7. Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular
    referent.  (news, measles, mumps, physics, etc)
    Example:  
    The news has lost much of its sting two days later.

    8. Every or Many a  before a noun or a series of nouns requires a


    singular referent.
    Examples:
    Every cow, pig, and horse had lost its life in the fire.
    Many a girl wishes she could sing like Adele.
    9. The number of   vs  A number of  before a subject:

    • The number of is singular.  


    Example:
    The number of volunteers increases its ranks daily.

    • A number of is plural.


    Example:
    A number of volunteers are offering their help.

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