Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Collective Nouns: Rules and Examples

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🔍 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: A pronoun must agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) with its antecedent (the noun it refers to).
• 💡 Singular Antecedents: Use singular pronouns (he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, its) with singular antecedents. Example: *The dog wagged its tail.*
• 📝 Plural Antecedents: Use plural pronouns (they, them, their, theirs) with plural antecedents. Example: *The students completed their assignments.*
• 👥 Collective Nouns: Collective nouns (team, family, committee, etc.) can be singular or plural, depending on whether they are acting as a unit or as individuals.
• 🤝 Collective Nouns as Singular: If the collective noun is acting as a unit, use a singular pronoun. Example: *The team celebrated its victory.*
• 흩 Collective Nouns as Plural: If the collective noun's members are acting individually, use a plural pronoun. Example: *The family were arguing about their vacation plans.* (Less common, but grammatically correct when emphasizing individual actions).
• 🌐 Indefinite Pronouns: Some indefinite pronouns (each, every, everyone, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody) are always singular. Example: *Everyone should bring his or her own lunch.*

Practice Quiz

1. Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?
   1. The cat licked their paws.
   2. The cat licked its paws.
   3. The cats licked its paws.
   4. The cat licked hisself paws.
2. The committee made _______ decision.
   1. its
   2. their
   3. it's
   4. there
3. Everyone on the team hopes _______ best.
   1. their
   2. his or her
   3. its
   4. there
4. The flock of birds flew to _______ nest.
   1. its
   2. their
   3. it's
   4. there
5. The students completed _______ projects on time.
   1. its
   2. their
   3. it's
   4. there
6. The company announced _______ new policy.
   1. their
   2. its
   3. it's
   4. there
7. The jury reached _______ verdict.
   1. their
   2. its
   3. it's
   4. there