Pronoun agreement refers to the grammatical matching of pronouns with their antecedents in terms of number, gender, and person. It ensures that pronouns agree with the nouns they replace or refer to in a sentence.
Here are some key points about pronoun agreement:
Number Agreement:
- Singular pronouns (e.g., he, she, it) should be used with singular antecedents (e.g., dog, book, table).
- Plural pronouns (e.g., they, we, you) should be used with plural antecedents (e.g., dogs, books, tables).
- Example: "The dog (singular) wagged its (singular) tail."
Gender Agreement:
- Gender-neutral pronouns (e.g., they, them, their) can be used when the gender of the antecedent is unknown or when referring to a group of people.
- Gender-specific pronouns (e.g., he, she, his, hers) should be used when referring to individuals of known gender.
- Example: "Alex (gender-neutral) said they (gender-neutral) would join us."
Person Agreement:
- First-person pronouns (e.g., I, we) refer to the speaker(s).
- Second-person pronouns (e.g., you) refer to the person(s) being spoken to.
- Third-person pronouns (e.g., he, she, they) refer to someone or something being spoken about.
- Example: "She (third-person) told him (third-person) to come in."
It's important to ensure that pronouns agree with their antecedents to maintain clarity and avoid confusion in a sentence. Mismatched pronoun agreement can lead to unclear or awkward sentences. When using pronouns, carefully consider the number, gender, and person of the antecedent to select the appropriate pronoun.
Example with pronoun agreement:
- "The students (plural) handed in their (plural) assignments on time."
Example with pronoun disagreement:
- "The student (singular) handed in their (plural) assignment on time." (disagreement in number)
Maintaining pronoun agreement helps to ensure grammatical correctness and effective communication in writing and speaking.
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