Pronouns, Modifiers, and Complete Sentences

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Reference

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of another noun or pronoun. An antecedent is the noun or pronoun to which another pronoun refers. For a sentence to be clear and correct, a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender. If an antecedent is singular, the pronoun referring to it must also be singular. If an antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural.

Special rules govern indefinite pronouns. Indefinite pronouns such as 'everyone', 'each', 'neither', and 'somebody' are grammatically singular. These indefinite pronouns take singular verbs, but singular they, them, or their may refer back to them when appropriate. In contrast, indefinite pronouns such as 'both', 'few', 'many', and 'several' are grammatically plural. Other indefinite pronouns, specifically 'all', 'any', 'most', 'none', and 'some', may take singular or plural verbs depending on whether they refer to a singular amount or plural countable things. In some contexts, 'none' may take either singular or plural verbs.

Compound antecedents and collective nouns also follow distinct patterns. Two distinct singular antecedents joined by 'and' generally require a plural pronoun. When antecedents are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the pronoun agrees in number with the closer antecedent. Meanwhile, collective nouns like 'team', 'committee', or 'family' take singular pronouns when the group acts as a single unit. However, collective nouns take plural pronouns when the individual members act separately.

Pronoun reference must always be unmistakable to the reader. An ambiguous pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun could logically refer to more than one preceding noun. Another common error is a broad pronoun reference, which is unclear when a pronoun such as 'this' or 'which' points vaguely to a preceding idea rather than to an identifiable referent.