Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

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Pronoun/ Antecedent Agreement
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Pronoun/ Antecedent AgreementDirections Read
the following sentences and identify the problem.

• Michael went skateboarding yesterday and
  Michael took Michaels skateboard with him.
  When Michael arrived Michael was really glad to
  see that Brian and C.J. were there. After
  Michael, Brian, and C.J. skate boarded for awhile
  Michael, Brian and C.J. picked up Michaels,
  Brians and C.J.s boards and went to grab
  something to eat.
• What is wrong with these sentences?
• A pronoun is a word used to

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• Using Pronouns seems easy. However, many
  students make mistakes on their term paper when
  they incorrectly use pronouns. The purpose of
  the following exercises is to help you to not
  make these errors on your paper!

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Antecedents of Pronouns

• A pronoun gets its meaning from the noun it
  stands for. This noun is called an antecedent.
  An antecedent is the noun (or group of words
  acting as a noun) for which a pronoun stands.
• The word antecedent comes from a Latin word
  meaning to go before. In looking for a
  pronouns antecedent, remember that it usually
  comes before the pronoun. In the two preceding
  examples, Smiths is the antecedent of they and
  their, and caring for a hive of honeybees is the
  antecedent of it. Sometimes, however, an
  antecedent follows its pronoun.

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EXAMPLES

• 1. When the Smiths moved, they gave their
  pets to neighbors. 2. Because of its climate,
  Phoenix is my favorite city. 3. All of my
  answers were correct .
• 4. Caring for a hive of honeybees can be a
  rewarding hobby, but it requires a certain
  amount of bravery.
• In the first sentence, the pronouns they and
  their stand for the noun Smiths. In the second
  sentence, the pronoun it stands for an entire
  group of words acting as a noun.

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Exercise 1 The underlined words in the
fallowing sentences are pronouns. Write the
antecedent of each underlined pronoun after the
correct number in the answer key to the right

• Example The dog wagged its tail.
  
  Ex. Dog
• Although most young children are natural
  swimmers, some do 1.
• have a fear of the water.
• Andrea usually brings her lunch to school.
  2.
• This is not the fabric I ordered.
  
  3.
• The horse has broken out of its stall.
  4.
• Frank asked his father to build the campfire.
  5.

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Agreement Between Personal Pronouns and
Antecedents

• One rule of pronoun and antecedent agreement is
  the basis for almost all the other rules. A
  personal pronoun must agree with its antecedent
  in number, person, and gender. The rule mentions
  three areas of agreement number, person, and
  gender. You are probably already familiar with
  number and person. Number is either singular or
  plural. Person indicates whether a pronoun
  refers to the first person, second person, or
  third person-that is, to the person speaking, the
  person spoken to, or the person, place, or thing
  spoken about.

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Rules Regarding Agreement in Number.

• Making personal pronouns agree with their
  antecedents in the number is usually a problem
  only when the antecedent is a compound. Use a
  plural personal pronoun with two or more
  antecedents joined by and.
• EXAMPLE Gene and Rita have changed their plans.
• Use a singular personal pronoun with two or more
  singular antecedents joined by or or nor.
• Example Neither Lisa nor Amy can find their
  gloves.

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Active and Passive Voice

• Active Voice indicates that the subject of the
  verb is, has been, or will be doing something.
• Baseball great Walter Johnson pitched 50
  consecutive scoreless innings. For many years

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