Learn on PengiElements of Language, 3rd CourseChapter 5: Agreement: Subject and Verb, Pronoun and Antecedent

Lesson 2: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

In this Grade 6 grammar lesson from Elements of Language, 3rd Course, students learn how to match pronouns to their antecedents in number and gender, including masculine, feminine, and neuter pronouns. The lesson also covers how antecedents joined by "and" require a plural pronoun while those joined by "or" or "nor" require a singular pronoun. Practice exercises reinforce correct pronoun-antecedent agreement across a variety of sentence contexts.

Section 1

Agreement in Number and Gender

Definition

A pronoun should agree in number and gender with its antecedent.

Explanation

This is the golden rule of pronouns! If your antecedent is singular, use a singular pronoun. If it's plural, use a plural pronoun. Also, match the gender: use masculine pronouns (he, him) for males, feminine pronouns (she, her) for females, and neuter pronouns (it, its) for things or ideas. Luckily, plural pronouns like they and their work for all genders.

Examples

  • Leo rode his new bicycle down the street.
  • Has Maria told you about her recent trip yet?
  • The old house is losing its paint.

Section 2

Compound Antecedents

Definition

Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by “or” or “nor”. Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by “and”.

Explanation

The joining word is everything! And combines subjects into a plural group, so you need a plural pronoun. In contrast, or and nor create a choice between individual subjects, so the pronoun must remain singular. It's a simple case of "all together" versus "one or the other."

Examples

  • Joined by or: Will Jenna or Priya bring her laptop to the meeting?
  • Joined by and: The dog and the cat have finished their dinners.

Section 3

Singular Indefinite Pronouns

Definition

Use a singular pronoun to refer to these indefinite pronouns: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something.

Explanation

Watch out! Words like everybody or everyone feel plural, but grammatically they are singular. Always treat them as a single unit. This means you must use a singular pronoun to refer to them. If the gender could be male or female, use the combination his or her to be accurate.

Examples

  • Everyone shivered despite _his or her_ coat.
  • Each of the pandas has eaten all of _its_ food.
  • One of the girls won first place with _her_ science project.

Section 4

Plural Indefinite Pronouns

Definition

Use a plural pronoun to refer to these indefinite pronouns: both, few, many, several.

Explanation

These pronouns are easy to master because they are always plural. Words like both, few, many, and several inherently refer to more than one person or thing. Therefore, you must always pair them with a plural pronoun like they, them, or their. There are no tricky exceptions to this rule!

Examples

  • Several of the store’s employees greeted _their_ customers cheerfully.
  • A few of the shoes cannot be sold because _they_ are mismatched.
  • Many of the students submitted _their_ assignments online.

Section 5

Variable Indefinite Pronouns

Definition

The following indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural, depending on how they are used in a sentence: all, any, more, most, none, some.

Explanation

To figure these pronouns out, look at the noun in the phrase that follows them, usually an "of" phrase. If that noun is singular (like freeway or music), the pronoun is singular. If the noun is plural (like drivers or novels), the pronoun is plural. The object of the preposition is your clue!

Examples

  • Singular: All of the icy freeway was treacherous. _It_ had to be sanded.
  • Plural: Some of the drivers can handle _their_ cars well on slick roads.
  • Singular: Most of this shoreline and _its_ natural beauty is under threat.

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Chapter 5: Agreement: Subject and Verb, Pronoun and Antecedent

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    Lesson 1: Subject-Verb Agreement

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    Lesson 2: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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Section 1

Agreement in Number and Gender

Definition

A pronoun should agree in number and gender with its antecedent.

Explanation

This is the golden rule of pronouns! If your antecedent is singular, use a singular pronoun. If it's plural, use a plural pronoun. Also, match the gender: use masculine pronouns (he, him) for males, feminine pronouns (she, her) for females, and neuter pronouns (it, its) for things or ideas. Luckily, plural pronouns like they and their work for all genders.

Examples

  • Leo rode his new bicycle down the street.
  • Has Maria told you about her recent trip yet?
  • The old house is losing its paint.

Section 2

Compound Antecedents

Definition

Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by “or” or “nor”. Use a plural pronoun to refer to two or more antecedents joined by “and”.

Explanation

The joining word is everything! And combines subjects into a plural group, so you need a plural pronoun. In contrast, or and nor create a choice between individual subjects, so the pronoun must remain singular. It's a simple case of "all together" versus "one or the other."

Examples

  • Joined by or: Will Jenna or Priya bring her laptop to the meeting?
  • Joined by and: The dog and the cat have finished their dinners.

Section 3

Singular Indefinite Pronouns

Definition

Use a singular pronoun to refer to these indefinite pronouns: anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, somebody, someone, something.

Explanation

Watch out! Words like everybody or everyone feel plural, but grammatically they are singular. Always treat them as a single unit. This means you must use a singular pronoun to refer to them. If the gender could be male or female, use the combination his or her to be accurate.

Examples

  • Everyone shivered despite _his or her_ coat.
  • Each of the pandas has eaten all of _its_ food.
  • One of the girls won first place with _her_ science project.

Section 4

Plural Indefinite Pronouns

Definition

Use a plural pronoun to refer to these indefinite pronouns: both, few, many, several.

Explanation

These pronouns are easy to master because they are always plural. Words like both, few, many, and several inherently refer to more than one person or thing. Therefore, you must always pair them with a plural pronoun like they, them, or their. There are no tricky exceptions to this rule!

Examples

  • Several of the store’s employees greeted _their_ customers cheerfully.
  • A few of the shoes cannot be sold because _they_ are mismatched.
  • Many of the students submitted _their_ assignments online.

Section 5

Variable Indefinite Pronouns

Definition

The following indefinite pronouns may be singular or plural, depending on how they are used in a sentence: all, any, more, most, none, some.

Explanation

To figure these pronouns out, look at the noun in the phrase that follows them, usually an "of" phrase. If that noun is singular (like freeway or music), the pronoun is singular. If the noun is plural (like drivers or novels), the pronoun is plural. The object of the preposition is your clue!

Examples

  • Singular: All of the icy freeway was treacherous. _It_ had to be sanded.
  • Plural: Some of the drivers can handle _their_ cars well on slick roads.
  • Singular: Most of this shoreline and _its_ natural beauty is under threat.

Book overview

Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.

Continue this chapter

Chapter 5: Agreement: Subject and Verb, Pronoun and Antecedent

  1. Lesson 1

    Lesson 1: Subject-Verb Agreement

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  2. Lesson 2Current

    Lesson 2: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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