Examples of Plural Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement in Sentences

🧠 Quick Study Guide: Plural Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

• 🔍 What is a Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement? It's when a pronoun (like 'they,' 'them,' 'their') matches its antecedent (the noun or noun phrase it refers to) in number (singular/plural) and gender.
• 🎯 The Plural Rule: If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun referring to it must also be plural. Simple as that!
• 📚 Identifying Plural Antecedents:
  • 👥 Compound Antecedents: Two or more nouns joined by 'and' are usually plural and take a plural pronoun (e.g., 'Sarah and Tom love their dogs.').
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Collective Nouns (when acting as individuals): Collective nouns (e.g., 'team,' 'family,' 'committee') can be singular or plural. If the members are acting as individuals, use a plural pronoun (e.g., 'The team disagreed, so they voiced their individual opinions.'). If acting as a single unit, use a singular pronoun.
  • 🔢 Indefinite Pronouns: Some indefinite pronouns are always plural (e.g., 'both,' 'few,' 'many,' 'several'). These always take plural pronouns (e.g., 'Several students completed their projects.').
  • ✅ Plural Nouns: Most straightforward: a plural noun takes a plural pronoun (e.g., 'The books were open to their most interesting chapters.').
• 💡 Common Pitfalls: Watch out for phrases between the antecedent and pronoun (e.g., 'One of the students lost their book,' where 'one' is the singular antecedent, not 'students'). Also, be careful with 'each' or 'every' before compound subjects—they make the subject singular!
• ✍️ Example: 'The students studied diligently for their exams.' (Students = plural antecedent, their = plural possessive pronoun).

❓ Practice Quiz

1. The children quickly put away __________ toys before dinner.
   A. his
   B. her
   C. its
   D. their
2. Both of the scientists presented __________ findings at the conference.
   A. his
   B. her
   C. their
   D. its
3. My parents and I are planning __________ annual vacation to the mountains.
   A. his
   B. her
   C. their
   D. our
4. Several of the birds built __________ nests in the tall oak tree.
   A. its
   B. his
   C. their
   D. her
5. When the committee finally reached a consensus, __________ members celebrated with a small party.
   A. its
   B. his
   C. their
   D. her
6. The two companies announced __________ merger last week.
   A. its
   B. his
   C. their
   D. her
7. Many of the participants expressed __________ satisfaction with the workshop.
   A. his
   B. her
   C. its
   D. their