Pronoun-antecedent Agreement Errors

Pronoun-antecedent agreement errors occur when there is a mismatch between a pronoun and its antecedent, which is the word or phrase that the pronoun refers to. These errors can cause confusion and ambiguity in writing and can be particularly problematic for non-native speakers of English.

Antecedents can be any noun or noun phrase, including proper names, common nouns, pronouns, and gerunds. It's important for the antecedent to be clear and unambiguous, so that the reader or listener can easily understand which noun or noun phrase the pronoun is referring to.

Pronoun-antecedent agreement is also important, which means that the pronoun must match the antecedent in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter). When the antecedent is unclear or the agreement is incorrect, it can lead to confusion or ambiguity in a sentence.

One common type of pronoun-antecedent agreement error is a singular/plural mismatch. For example, the sentence "Each of the boys did their own homework" contains a mismatch between the singular pronoun "each" and the plural pronoun "their." A better way to phrase this sentence would be "Each of the boys did his own homework," using a singular pronoun that agrees with the singular antecedent.

Another type of agreement error is a gender mismatch. For example, the sentence "The doctor said she would be right with you" assumes that the doctor is female, when in fact the gender may be unknown or irrelevant. A better way to phrase this sentence would be "The doctor said they would be right with you," using a gender-neutral pronoun that avoids making assumptions about the doctor's gender.

Agreement errors can also occur with indefinite pronouns such as "everyone" or "anyone." For example, the sentence "Everyone should do their best" contains a mismatch between the singular pronoun "everyone" and the plural pronoun "their." A better way to phrase this sentence would be "Everyone should do his or her best," using a singular pronoun that agrees with the singular antecedent.

Here are some additional examples of pronoun-antecedent agreement errors:

The teacher gave each student their own assignment.

Error: The singular antecedent "each student" does not agree in number with the plural pronoun "their."

Correction: The teacher gave each student his or her own assignment.

Neither of the boys wanted to share their toys.

Error: The singular antecedent "neither" does not agree in number with the plural pronoun "their."

Correction: Neither of the boys wanted to share his toys.

The athlete who won the race celebrated by pouring a bottle of water over their head.

Error: The singular antecedent "athlete" does not agree in number with the plural pronoun "their."

Correction: The athlete who won the race celebrated by pouring a bottle of water over his or her head.

Anyone who wants to participate in the contest can submit their entry online.

Error: The indefinite pronoun "anyone" does not agree in number with the plural pronoun "their."

Correction: Anyone who wants to participate in the contest can submit his or her entry online.

The members of the team are responsible for submitting their own reports.

Error: The singular noun "team" is mistakenly treated as a plural antecedent, leading to a mismatch with the plural pronoun "their."

Correction: The members of the team are responsible for submitting their own reports.

To avoid pronoun-antecedent agreement errors, it's important to identify the antecedent clearly and to choose a pronoun that agrees in number and gender with the antecedent. When in doubt, using gender-neutral pronouns such as "they" or "their" can help to avoid making assumptions about gender or creating confusion in writing.