Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun in a sentence. The noun to which the pronoun refers is called the antecedent. In some cases, the antecedent is also a pronoun.The relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent is called pronoun reference or pronoun-antecedent agreement. Let's take a look at some rules concerning pronouns and antecedents:

1. A pronoun must always agree with its antecedent in number, person, and gender.

Consider the following sentences[1]:

Hermione was waving her wand enthusiastically over the cauldron.

He gave a piglike squeal of pain, was lifted off his feet and slammed into the opposite wall.

Those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting.

In the first sentence, the antecedent is Hermione, which is a singular, feminine noun. The pronoun that refers to it is her, which is also a singular feminine pronoun in the third person. In the second sentence, the pronoun his agrees with its antecedent He, and the pronoun it agrees with the noun wall. In the third sentence, the pronoun their agrees and number with Those.


2. Use a singular personal pronoun with a singular indefinite pronoun. Indefinite pronouns include anyone, somebody, someone, every, everyone, everybody, and each.

If anyone wants to buy a nice pair of shoes, he or she should go to The Shoe Expo.

Every person is entitled to his or her own opinion.

An increasing number of writers use the plural pronoun their/they/them with singular indefinite pronouns to avoid awkward sentences that result from frequent use of his or her in sentences. Others try to avoid sexism by using the plural pronoun. One way to avoid this dilemma is to use the rewrite the sentence in the plural:

If shoppers want to buy a nice pair of shoes, they should go to The Shoe Expo.

People are entitled to their own opinions.

In cases where number is more important than gender, the indefinite pronoun can be taken to refer to an entire group, and a plural pronoun is used. 

Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur[2].

In the above sentence, emphasis is given on Everybody as a group, as opposed to Fleur as an individual.


3. When the antecedents are joined by and, a plural pronoun should be used. This is true even if the antecedents are each singular.

Harry and Ron hated their new Potions teacher.

The Griffindors and the Slytherins played their last Quidditch match.

4. When antecedents are joined by or, nor, or correlative conjunctions such as either/or and neither/nor, the pronoun agrees with the one to which it is closer.

Neither Harry nor the Weasleys ate their pumpkin pie for breakfast.

Neither the Weasleys nor Harry ate his pumpkin pie for breakfast.

5. Make the pronoun refer directly to the noun, or place it as close to the noun as possible. Otherwise, confusion can occur. The following sentence will make this clear:

When Malfoy got hit by Hermione's jinx, a wart appeared on his ear. Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey had it magically removed.

What does the word it  refer to? Did Malfoy undergo a wart removal procedure, or an ear amputation?


Laurie Rozakis offers some tips to avoid any confusion with pronouns and their antecedents.[3] We can make a pronoun clearly refer to a single antecedent or a definite antecedent. We can also place pronouns closer to its antecedent. Consider the following sentence:

Harry's anger and bitterness were affecting Ron and Hermione, so he decided to get rid of them.

Is Harry going to end his friendship with Ron and Hermione, or is he going to stop being angry and bitter? It is confusing. To remedy this, we can rewrite the sentence.

Harry's anger and bitterness were affecting Ron and Hermione, so he decided to get rid of these feelings.

Harry decided to get rid of his anger and bitterness because they were affecting Ron and Hermione.

So, there. Pronoun-antecedent agreement is fairly easy to understand, isn't it?

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Rowling, J.K.
2. Ibid.
3. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style, 2nd ed. Rozakis, L.E.