2.5 Pronouns
Learning Objectives
- Identify pronouns and their antecedents.
- Use pronouns and their antecedents correctly.
If there were no pronouns, all types of writing would be quite tedious to read. We would soon be frustrated by reading sentences like Bob said that Bob was tired or Christina told the class that Christina received an A. Pronouns help a writer avoid constant repetition. Knowing just how pronouns work is an important aspect of clear and concise writing.
Pronoun Agreement
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of (or refers back to) a noun or another pronoun. The word or words a pronoun refers to is called the antecedent of the pronoun.
1. Lani complained that she was exhausted.
- She refers to Lani.
- Lani is the antecedent of she.
2. Jeremy left the party early, so I did not see him until Monday at work.
- Him refers to Jeremy.
- Jeremy is the antecedent of him.
3. Kai has a job interview tomorrow morning, so I hope they get some sleep (singular use of “they”).
- They refers to Kai.
- Kai is the antecedent of they.
4. Crina and Rosalie have been best friends ever since they were in high school (plural use of “they”).
- They refers to Crina and Rosalie.
- Crina and Rosalie is the antecedent of they.
Pronoun agreement errors occur when the pronoun and the antecedent do not match or agree with each other. There are several types of pronoun agreement.
Agreement in Person
| Singular Pronouns | Plural Pronouns | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Person | I | me | my (mine) | we | us | our (ours) |
| Second Person | you | you | your (yours) | you | you | your (your) |
| Third Person | he, she, they, it | him, her, they, it | his, her, their, its | they | them | their (theirs) |
If you use a consistent person, your reader is less likely to be confused.
Correct: When a person (3rd) goes to a restaurant, they (3rd) should leave a tip.
Correct: When we (1st) go to a restaurant, I should (1st) should leave a tip.
Indefinite Pronouns and Agreement
Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing and are usually singular. Note that a pronoun that refers to an indefinite singular pronoun should also be singular. The following are some common indefinite pronouns.
| Common Indefinite Pronouns | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| all | each one | few | nothing | several |
| any | each other | many | one | some |
| anybody | either | neither | one another | somebody |
| anything | everybody | nobody | oneself | someone |
| both | everyone | none | other | something |
| each | everything | no one | others | anyone |
Correct: Everyone (sing.) should do what they (sing.) can to help.
Correct: Someone (sing.) left their (sing.) backpack in the library.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns suggest more than one person but are usually considered singular. Look over the following examples of collective nouns.
| Common Collective Nouns | ||
|---|---|---|
| audience | faculty | public |
| band | family | school |
| class | government | society |
| committee | group | team |
| company | jury | tribe |
Incorrect: Lara’s company (sing.) will have their (plur.) annual picnic next week.
Correct: Lara’s company (sing.) will have its (sing.) annual picnic next week.
Exercise 2
Complete the following sentences by selecting the correct pronoun. Copy the completed sentence onto your own sheet of paper. Then circle the noun the pronoun replaces.
- In the current economy, nobody wants to waste ________ money on frivolous things.
- If anybody chooses to go to medical school, ________ must be prepared to work long hours.
- The plumbing crew did ________ best to repair the broken pipes before the next ice storm.
- If someone is rude to you, try giving ________ a smile in return.
- My family has ________ faults, but I still love them no matter what.
- The school of education plans to train ________ students to be literacy tutors.
- The commencement speaker said that each student has a responsibility toward ________.
- My mother’s singing group has ________ rehearsals on Thursday evenings.
- No one should suffer ________ pains alone.
- I thought the flock of birds lost ________ way in the storm.
Subject and Object Pronouns
Subject pronouns function as subjects in a sentence. Object pronouns function as the object of a verb or of a preposition.
| Singular Pronouns | Plural Pronouns | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Object | Subject | Object |
| I | me | we | us |
| you | you | you | you |
| he, she, they, it | him, her, them, it | they | them |
The following sentences show pronouns as subjects:
- She loves the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall.
- Every summer, they picked up litter from national parks.
The following sentences show pronouns as objects:
- Marie leaned over and kissed him.
- Jane moved it to the corner.
Tip
Note that a pronoun can also be the object of a preposition.
Near them, the children played.
My mother stood between us.
The pronouns us and them are objects of the prepositions near and between. They answer the questions near whom? And between whom?
Key Takeaways
- Pronouns and their antecedents need to agree.
- Pronouns can function as subjects or objects.
