Grammar - pronoun/antecedent Flashcards
Pronouns
take the place of or refer to nouns
The noun can be replaced with a pronoun and still maintain meaning.
Subject Personal Pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Object personal pronouns
me, you, him, her, it, us, them
possessive pronouns
my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs
Antecedents
A word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers
Pronouns must agree with antecedents in: person or object, number, and gender
The woman was working all day at the market. She was very tired.
↑ ↑
antecedent = woman pronoun = she
(“she” refers to the antecedent, “the woman”)
The mother and father were cheering on their daughter, and they were loud..
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
antecedents pronoun pronoun
(“their” refers to the antecedents, “mother” and “father”)
For antecedents joined by “and”
always choose a plural pronoun.
Susan and the girls did their best work in class.
Each
Singular
Add Each: Each cowboy and farmer took his/her/their (singular) dog for a walk.
Every
Singular (but watch gender)
Every cowboy and farmer took her/his/their (singular) dog for a walk.
Neither/nor
Singular
Add Neither/nor: Neither the cowboy nor the farmer took his dog for a walk.
Either/or
Singular
Either/or: Either the cowboy or the farmer took her dog for a walk.
Not only/also
Plural
Not only/also: Not only the cowboy, but also the farmers took their dog for a walk.
Ignore prepositional phrases to help determine verb tense.
Neither [of the girls] is blonde.
Each [of us] is here.
Either [of us] likes reading.
Subjects connected by “or”
For antecedents joined by or or nor – choose a pronoun to agree with the antecedent closest to the verb.
Either the cat or the mouse ate her food.
Group Nouns - depends
Groups can be singular or plural depending on meaning
When referring to a group as a single entity, the pronoun is singular
When referring to individuals within a group, the pronoun is plural
The class will meet in its room today.
The class must turn in their test today.
Compound Pronouns
When you compound a pronoun with something else, don’t change its form.
Start with: The book belonged to me.
Compounded: The book belonged to Angela and me.
(In any list, your name is last)
She and I went to the concert. (correct) Vs. I and she went to the concert. (incorrect)
Indefinite Pronouns & Verb Tense
either, neither, other
anybody, anyone, anything
somebody, someone, something
everybody, everyone, everything
nobody, no one, nothing
each, one
Singular
Anything in the kitchen is good to eat.
Both, few, many, several, others
plural
Both cupcakes and cake are good to eat.
All, most, some, any, none
depends
All cupcakes are good to eat.
I vs. Me at the beginning of a sentence
Never - I is a subject, me is an object
To check if a pronoun is correct, try using it by itself:
She and I ate at the restaurant. Vs. Her and me ate at the restaurant.
She ate at the restaurant. (correct) Her ate at the restaurant. (wrong)
I ate at the restaurant. (yes) Me ate at the restaurant. (no)
I versus me at the end of a sentence
Rarely - usually me as direct object
The teacher mentored me. Vs. The teacher mentored I.
The teacher mentored her and me. (yes) The teacher mentored she and I. (no)
Subject or Object Pronoun? Complete the sentence.
The cat is as smart as she/her.
Complete the sentence: The cat is as smart as (she is vs. her is)
The cat is as smart as she.
He has the same locker as I/me.
Complete the sentence: He has the same locker as (I have vs. me have)
He has the same locker as I.
