Agreement Of Pronoun And Antecedent

Observe that the pronouns in italics agree in person, number and gender with the nouns for which they stand.

1. I have bought you a book; it is "Bird-Life," by Frank M. Chapman.

2. I met a little cottage girl; she was eight years old, she said.

3. The boy stood on the burning deck

Whence all but him had fled.

4. Men may work hard all their lives, yet they may die poor, because of their habits.

5. Ye crags and peaks, I'm with you once again;

I hold to you these hands to show they still are free.

6. Every one must do his own thinking on this subject.

7. I, who speak to you, am he.

8. The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner.

9. Take the books that interest you most.

In these sentences it is easy to see the agreement of the pronoun in person, number, and gender with its antecedent, or the noun which it represents. This agreement applies to all pronouns. Carelessness in regard to this agreement is responsible for many mistakes in the use of English.

A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in person, number and gender.

Write sentences using pronouns of the first person, of the second person, and the third person, using both singular and plural numbers.

Write sentences using relative pronouns. Tell in each case the antecedent, and show that the pronoun agrees with its antecedent in person, number, and gender.