Podcast
Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences demonstrates the most effective use of a pronoun to avoid redundancy and improve readability?
Which of the following sentences demonstrates the most effective use of a pronoun to avoid redundancy and improve readability?
- My brother loves to play video games; my brother spends hours every day playing them. (correct)
- The cat chased the mouse, and the cat caught it.
- Sarah went to the store, and Sarah bought milk.
- The dog wagged its tail, and the dog barked loudly.
In the sentence, 'The students appreciated the professor's effort, and they showed their gratitude,' what is the antecedent of the pronoun 'they'?
In the sentence, 'The students appreciated the professor's effort, and they showed their gratitude,' what is the antecedent of the pronoun 'they'?
- Gratitude
- Professor
- Students (correct)
- Effort
Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement when referring to a singular, gender-neutral subject?
Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement when referring to a singular, gender-neutral subject?
- Each student should bring their own lunch.
- Every participant needs to ensure he or she has registered. (correct)
- Someone left their umbrella in the office.
- A person needs to realize their full potential.
Consider the sentences: 'Emily loves to paint. Her paintings are displayed in the gallery.' Which revision best combines these sentences using a pronoun?
Consider the sentences: 'Emily loves to paint. Her paintings are displayed in the gallery.' Which revision best combines these sentences using a pronoun?
In the sentence, 'When the team wins, it celebrates its victory,' what is the correct classification of the pronoun 'it'?
In the sentence, 'When the team wins, it celebrates its victory,' what is the correct classification of the pronoun 'it'?
Flashcards
What is a Pronoun?
What is a Pronoun?
A word replacing a noun to make writing less repetitive and more interesting.
What is an Antecedent?
What is an Antecedent?
The noun that a pronoun replaces. It usually appears before the pronoun.
Examples of Personal Pronouns
Examples of Personal Pronouns
I, we, you, he, she, it, they, me, us, him, her, them, my, mine, our, ours, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, their, and theirs.
Masculine Pronouns
Masculine Pronouns
Signup and view all the flashcards
Gender Neutral 'They'
Gender Neutral 'They'
Signup and view all the flashcards
Study Notes
- Nouns denote persons or things and can be subjects or objects in sentences.
- Pronouns replace nouns in sentences, making writing more interesting and concise.
Personal Pronouns
- Refer to specific persons or groups.
- Can be singular or plural, and in the first, second, or third person.
- Can be subjective, objective, or possessive.
- Masculine, feminine, or gender neutral in the third person singular.
Pronoun Examples
- I and we are first-person pronouns, with I being singular and we being plural.
- He, him, and his are masculine third-person singular pronouns, with he being subjective, him being objective, and his being possessive.
- He refers to masculine third person singular, while she refers to feminine third person singular.
- They can refer to plural third person or third person singular gender neutral.
Antecedents
- A pronoun replaces a noun which is the antecedent
- Antecedents are usually mentioned before pronouns.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Rules
- Singular antecedents require singular pronouns.
- Plural antecedents require plural pronouns.
- First-person antecedents require first-person pronouns.
- Second-person antecedents require second-person pronouns.
- Third-person antecedents require third-person pronouns.
- Masculine antecedents require masculine pronouns.
- Feminine antecedents require feminine pronouns.
- Subject antecedents require subjective pronouns.
- Object antecedents require objective pronouns.
- Possessive pronouns must agree with antecedents in number, point of view, and gender.
Avoiding Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Mistakes
- Mistakes happen when antecedents and pronouns are far apart or joined by 'and' or 'or'.
- When two antecedents are connected by 'and', the pronoun should be plural.
- When two singular antecedents are connected by 'or', the pronoun should be singular.
- Modifying clauses or phrases can cause confusion, leading to incorrect pronoun usage.
- Be careful to use the correct subjective or objective pronoun based on the antecedent.
Pronoun-Antecedent Examples
- "Sam and Ella decided to open their own cleaning company" - 'their' agrees with the compound antecedent 'Sam and Ella'.
- "My family and I rented for several years before we bought our own place" - 'we' and 'our' agree with the first-person plural antecedent 'My family and I'.
- "The authorities in this facility, let lawyers stay with their clients as long as they want" - 'their' and 'they' refer to 'lawyers'.
- "Janie bought her suit from the store down the street" - 'her' agrees with the feminine antecedent 'Janie'.
- "Not everyone prefers to work from their home" - 'their' is a gender-neutral pronoun referring to 'everyone'; can also be phrased as "his or her".
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Review of nouns and pronouns. Nouns are words that refer to persons, places, things, or ideas. Pronouns are words that replace nouns in sentences, making writing more concise. Pronouns should agree in number and gender with their antecedents.
