Pronoun and antecedent agreement

An antecedent is the noun or noun phrase a pronoun refers to. Pronoun agreement means the pronoun matches that antecedent in number and person, and reference means readers can tell which noun the pronoun represents. A sentence can sound conversational and still be grammatically unclear, so locate the antecedent before choosing the pronoun.

Match singular and plural number

A singular antecedent generally takes a singular pronoun: “The applicant submitted her form.” A plural antecedent takes a plural pronoun: “The applicants submitted their forms.” In a test sentence, first identify the noun the pronoun stands for. Do not choose the pronoun by matching the nearest noun if that noun is not the antecedent.

Indefinite pronouns need attention

Many indefinite pronouns are singular, including everyone, everybody, someone, each, either, neither and anyone. Example: “Each of the teachers brought her notes” in traditional test grammar. Some are plural, including both, few, many and several: “Several of the teachers brought their notes.” Words such as all, some, any and none can be singular or plural depending on the noun they refer to: “Some of the water is gone” but “Some of the bottles are gone.”

Compound antecedents

Two antecedents joined by and generally take a plural pronoun: “Rina and Paul said they were ready.” With either/or and neither/nor, the pronoun traditionally agrees with the nearer antecedent, but the result can sound awkward. Rewrite to avoid a mismatch: instead of “Neither the teachers nor the student brought their book,” use “Neither the teachers nor the student brought a book.”

Pronoun reference must be clear

A pronoun can agree in number yet remain ambiguous. In “When Alex spoke with Jordan, he was upset,” the reader cannot tell who was upset. Replace the pronoun with the intended name or restructure the sentence. Avoid vague this, that, which and they when no clear noun immediately identifies the reference.

Collective nouns and either gender

A collective noun such as team, committee or audience is generally treated as singular in American English when it acts as one unit: “The committee reached its decision.” Use a plural noun when members act individually and the sentence names them as individuals. Singular they is widely used for a person whose gender is unknown or nonbinary in contemporary English, but follow the convention used by the test question and its surrounding text.

A five-step check

1. Circle the pronoun that may be wrong.
2. Ask what noun or idea it refers to; that is the antecedent.
3. Check whether the antecedent is singular, plural or variable by context.
4. Match number and person, and verify the reference is clear.
5. Rewrite awkward compound or indefinite-pronoun constructions instead of forcing agreement.

Key takeaway

Find the noun first, then match the pronoun to it in number and person. Check indefinite pronouns and make sure a reader can identify the reference without guessing.

Match a pronoun to its antecedent

An antecedent is the noun or noun phrase a pronoun refers to. The pronoun should agree with it in person and number and should make sense in context: “The applicants submitted their forms.” Applicants is plural, so their fits. “The form was updated because it had an error” uses it for singular form. Locate the intended antecedent before deciding whether the pronoun is correct.

Indefinite pronouns such as everyone, each, somebody, and either are generally treated as singular in formal subject-verb agreement: “Everyone brought his or her identification” is traditional, while contemporary writing often uses singular they: “Everyone brought their identification.” Singular they takes plural-form verbs: they are, they have. Follow the style specified by the question and respect a person’s stated pronouns.

Watch collective nouns and compound antecedents

A collective noun names a group, such as committee, class, or team. In American English, it is usually singular when the group acts as one unit: “The committee issued its decision.” If the sentence focuses on individual members, recast it to make the plural people explicit: “Committee members issued their separate responses.” Avoid switching from a singular collective noun to a plural pronoun without a change in meaning.

When two antecedents are joined by and, the reference is often plural: “Maya and Lee said they were ready.” With or or nor, the nearest antecedent may determine agreement in conventional editing, but the sentence can become awkward when the options differ in number. Rewriting to name the person or group often removes uncertainty.

Keep the reference clear as well as grammatical

Agreement is not enough if the sentence contains several possible antecedents. “Jordan told Alex that they should submit the form” may mean Jordan, Alex, or both depending on context. A clearer version names the actor: “Jordan told Alex, ‘I should submit the form’” or “Jordan told Alex that Alex should submit the form.” Repetition is preferable when readers otherwise have to guess.

A pronoun should also have a logical antecedent. “After the report was revised, they submitted it” leaves they without a clear noun if no group has been mentioned. Name the people or organization responsible. Inanimate objects normally take it or they unless personification or a stated identity makes another pronoun appropriate.

• Identify the antecedent before checking person and number.
• Use standard agreement for indefinite and collective nouns, following the requested style.
• Singular they takes plural-form verbs and should respect stated pronouns.
• Check that or/nor constructions refer to the intended alternative.
• Fix ambiguity even when the pronoun technically agrees.

Resolve agreement with compound and indefinite antecedents

A compound antecedent joined by and usually takes a plural pronoun: “The teacher and counselor shared their notes.” With or or nor, agreement generally follows the nearer antecedent, but a sentence can sound awkward when the two nouns differ in number or person. Restructure it when possible: instead of “Either the students or the teacher will bring their copy,” write “The students will bring copies, or the teacher will bring a copy.” Clear sentence design is better than forcing a pronoun to carry an awkward construction.

Indefinite pronouns require attention to meaning and the style expected by the task. Words such as each, everyone, and anybody are grammatically singular in traditional formal agreement, even though they refer to people: “Everyone should bring a pencil.” Modern standard English also commonly uses singular they for an unknown or nonbinary person. When an exam item tests conventional agreement, follow the sentence context and the form taught in its directions; when revising practical prose, singular they can avoid a clumsy or gendered construction. Avoid switching from singular to plural without a clear antecedent.