Pronoun agreement
42 flashcards covering Pronoun agreement for the ACT English & Reading section.
Pronoun agreement is a fundamental grammar rule that requires pronouns to match their antecedents—the nouns they replace—in number, gender, and person. For example, if the antecedent is a singular noun like "student," you should use a singular pronoun such as "he" or "she" instead of "they," unless the context calls for it. This ensures sentences are clear and logical, preventing confusion for readers.
On the ACT English section, pronoun agreement appears in multiple-choice questions that ask you to identify and correct errors in sentences or passages. Common traps include mismatches with indefinite pronouns like "everyone" (which is singular), ambiguous references where it's unclear what the pronoun points to, or shifts in number and gender. Focus on spotting these issues by carefully tracing pronouns back to their antecedents and choosing options that maintain consistency without introducing ambiguity.
Always check that the pronoun matches its antecedent in number and gender for clarity.
Terms (42)
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Pronoun agreement
Pronoun agreement means that a pronoun must match its antecedent in number, gender, and person to ensure clear and grammatically correct sentences.
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Antecedent
An antecedent is the noun or noun phrase that a pronoun replaces or refers to in a sentence, and the pronoun must agree with it.
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Agreement in number
Agreement in number requires a pronoun to be singular if its antecedent is singular and plural if its antecedent is plural.
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Agreement in gender
Agreement in gender means a pronoun must be masculine if its antecedent is masculine, feminine if feminine, and neutral if the antecedent is neutral.
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Agreement in person
Agreement in person ensures that a pronoun matches the person of its antecedent, such as first person for I, second for you, and third for he or she.
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Indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns like everyone or someone are usually singular, so they require singular pronouns in agreement, even if they seem to refer to multiple people.
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Everyone as singular
The word everyone is always singular, so pronouns referring to it, such as in a sentence about everyone, must also be singular.
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Somebody as singular
Somebody is a singular indefinite pronoun, requiring singular pronouns for agreement, like he or she instead of they.
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Each as singular
Each is a singular pronoun or determiner, so any pronoun referring to it must be singular to maintain agreement.
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Every as singular
Every functions as a singular word when used with a noun, requiring singular pronouns for agreement in the sentence.
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No one as singular
No one is a singular indefinite pronoun, so pronouns agreeing with it must be singular, avoiding plural forms.
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Nothing as singular
Nothing is treated as a singular pronoun, necessitating singular agreement in pronouns that refer to it.
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One as singular
One is a singular pronoun, so any pronoun in agreement with it must also be singular.
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Both as plural
Both is a plural pronoun, requiring plural pronouns for agreement when it serves as the antecedent.
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Few as plural
Few is considered plural, so pronouns agreeing with it must be plural to match.
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All as singular or plural
All can be singular or plural depending on its antecedent; pronouns must agree with whether it refers to a singular or plural noun.
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Some as singular or plural
Some is singular if its antecedent is singular and plural if plural, so agreeing pronouns must follow suit.
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Compound subjects with and
When a compound subject is joined by and, it is usually plural, so pronouns referring to it must be plural.
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Compound subjects with or/nor
In compound subjects joined by or or nor, the pronoun agrees with the nearest antecedent, which determines its number.
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Collective nouns
Collective nouns like team or family are singular if acting as a unit, requiring singular pronouns, but plural if members act individually.
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The jury as singular
The jury is typically singular when acting as a whole, so pronouns referring to it should be singular.
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Family as singular
Family is a singular collective noun when referring to the group as one, demanding singular pronoun agreement.
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Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns like who, which, or that must agree in number with their antecedents to maintain proper sentence structure.
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Ambiguous pronoun reference
Ambiguous pronoun reference occurs when a pronoun could refer to more than one antecedent, making the sentence unclear and incorrect on the test.
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Clear pronoun reference
Clear pronoun reference means the pronoun unambiguously points to its antecedent, avoiding confusion in the sentence.
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Pronouns in comparisons
In comparisons, pronouns must agree with their antecedents to ensure the sentence logically and grammatically compares the correct elements.
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Pronoun shift
Pronoun shift is an error where the person of the pronoun changes unnecessarily in a sentence, violating agreement rules.
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Maintaining consistency
Maintaining consistency in pronouns means keeping the same number, gender, and person throughout a sentence or related clauses.
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Pronouns with gerunds
Pronouns referring to gerunds, which are verb forms acting as nouns, must agree in number with the gerund as the antecedent.
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Possessive pronouns
Possessive pronouns like his or their must agree in number and gender with their antecedents to show correct ownership.
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Strategy for checking agreement
To check pronoun agreement, first identify the antecedent and ensure the pronoun matches it in number, gender, and person.
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Trap: Singular indefinite pronouns
A common trap is treating singular indefinite pronouns like anyone as plural, which leads to incorrect pronoun agreement in sentences.
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Trap: Each in compounds
In sentences with each, pronouns must remain singular even if the structure suggests a group, avoiding agreement errors.
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Trap: Or/nor with different numbers
When subjects joined by or or nor have different numbers, the pronoun agrees with the closer one, often trapping test-takers into mismatches.
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Example of correct singular agreement
In the sentence 'The dog wagged its tail,' the pronoun its correctly agrees with the singular antecedent dog.
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Example of incorrect singular agreement
In the incorrect sentence 'Everyone lost their keys,' their should be his or her to agree with the singular everyone.
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Example of plural agreement
The sentence 'The cats chased their toys' shows correct plural agreement between cats and their.
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Example of gender agreement
In 'The actress prepared her script,' her agrees in gender with the feminine antecedent actress.
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Example of person agreement
The sentence 'You should bring your book' maintains person agreement with the second-person you and your.
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Advanced: Pronouns in complex sentences
In complex sentences, pronouns must agree with antecedents across clauses, ensuring no shifts occur that could confuse meaning.
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Advanced: Antecedents in phrases
Pronouns must agree with antecedents within prepositional or other phrases, even if the structure is intricate.
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Advanced: Non-gendered antecedents
For non-gendered antecedents like child, pronouns should be neutral, such as it, to maintain agreement without assuming gender.