Lesson 5: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement B

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

Explanation

Think of pronouns like everybody and everyone as meaning "every single one." This helps you remember they are singular and need a singular pronoun like his or her. For pronouns that are clearly plural, like many or few, you need a plural pronoun like their. Remember to always match the pronoun to its antecedent in number!

Examples

Singular Indefinite Pronouns

• Each of the dogs wagged its tail happily. [The pronoun its agrees with the singular antecedent Each.]
• Somebody left his or her backpack in the classroom. [The pronoun group his or her agrees with the antecedent Somebody, because both are singular and could refer to either a boy or a girl.]

Plural Indefinite Pronouns

• Many of the players brought his or her own water bottles. [The pronoun their agrees with the plural antecedent Many.]
• Are both of the movies good, or are it boring? [The pronoun they agrees with the antecedent both, because both are plural.]

Definition

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

Explanation

Some tricky pronouns can be singular or plural! To figure it out, you must be a word detective. Look at the prepositional phrase that follows the pronoun. If the noun in that phrase is singular (like "cake"), the pronoun is singular. If the noun is plural (like "apples"), the pronoun is plural!

Examples

• Has any of the juice lost its coldness? [The pronoun its agrees with the antecedent any, which is singular because it refers to the singular noun juice.]
• Have any of the sodas lost its fizz? [The pronoun their agrees with the antecedent any, which is plural because it refers to the plural noun sodas.]
• Most of the cake had frosting on its side. [The pronoun its agrees with Most. Most is singular here because the noun in the phrase that follows, cake, is singular.]
• Most of the cookies had frosting on its tops. [The pronoun their agrees with Most. Most is plural here because the noun in the phrase that follows, cookies, is plural.]