Clauses And Phrases Questions Long
Pronoun-antecedent agreement refers to the grammatical agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent, which is the noun or noun phrase that the pronoun replaces or refers to. This agreement ensures that the pronoun and its antecedent match in terms of number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter).
For example, consider the sentence: "John went to the store, and he bought some groceries." In this sentence, the pronoun "he" is used to replace the noun "John" as its antecedent. Both the pronoun and its antecedent are singular and masculine, thus demonstrating proper pronoun-antecedent agreement.
Similarly, let's look at another example: "The students completed their assignments." Here, the pronoun "their" is used to replace the noun "students" as its antecedent. Both the pronoun and its antecedent are plural, ensuring proper agreement.
However, errors in pronoun-antecedent agreement can occur when there is a mismatch in number or gender. For instance, consider the sentence: "The student left their backpack in the classroom." In this case, the pronoun "their" is plural, while the antecedent "student" is singular. To correct this error, we can say: "The student left his or her backpack in the classroom" or "The students left their backpacks in the classroom."
Another example of a gender mismatch is: "Every doctor should be proud of their work." Here, the pronoun "their" is plural, while the antecedent "doctor" is singular. To maintain agreement, we can say: "Every doctor should be proud of his or her work" or "Doctors should be proud of their work."
In summary, pronoun-antecedent agreement is crucial for maintaining clarity and grammatical correctness in writing. It ensures that pronouns correctly match their antecedents in terms of number and gender.