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Understand how to match pronouns with the specific nouns they replace.
Imagine reading a book where every sentence said: 'The dragon breathed fire because the dragon was angry at the dragon's neighbors.' Sounds repetitive, right? Pronouns are the secret 'stunt doubles' that save our sentences, but they only work if they have the right partner!
Before a pronoun can do its job, it needs a partner. This partner is called the antecedent. The word antecedent comes from Latin words meaning 'to go before.' It is the specific noun that the pronoun replaces. For example, in the sentence 'Leo ate the apple because he was hungry,' the pronoun is he. Who is he? It's Leo! Therefore, Leo is the antecedent. Without a clear antecedent, your reader will be confused about who or what you are talking about. Think of the antecedent as the 'boss' and the pronoun as the 'assistant' who follows the boss's lead.
Let's find the antecedent in a simple sentence: 1. Sentence: 'The umbrella is wet because it was left in the rain.' 2. Identify the pronoun: The word is it. 3. Ask the question: What was left in the rain? 4. Find the noun: The umbrella. 5. Conclusion: Umbrella is the antecedent for the pronoun it.
Quick Check
In the sentence 'Maya forgot her backpack,' which word is the antecedent?
Answer
Maya
Pronouns and antecedents must be 'number twins.' If the antecedent is singular (just one), the pronoun must be singular. If the antecedent is plural (more than one), the pronoun must be plural. You can think of it like a math equation:
Common singular pronouns include he, she, it, him, her, and its. Common plural pronouns include they, them, and their. If you say, 'The dogs wagged its tail,' it sounds wrong because 'dogs' is plural but 'its' is singular. You must change it to 'The dogs wagged their tails.'
Step-by-step correction: 1. Sentence: 'The players practiced hard so he could win.' 2. Check the antecedent: Players (Plural). 3. Check the pronoun: He (Singular). 4. Match them: Change he to they. 5. Final Result: 'The players practiced hard so they could win.'
Quick Check
True or False: If the antecedent is 'The cookies,' the correct pronoun to use is 'it.'
Answer
False
The final step in matching is gender. Pronouns should reflect whether the antecedent is male, female, or neutral (not having a gender). - Use he/him/his for males. - Use she/her/hers for females. - Use it/its for objects, places, or animals when the gender is unknown. - Use they/them/their for groups of people or when you want to be gender-neutral.
If you are talking about a 'robot,' you wouldn't usually say 'she' unless the robot is a female character. Usually, you would use 'it.' Matching the 'personality' of the noun ensures your writing is accurate and respectful.
Let's fix a sentence with multiple partners: 1. Sentence: 'The scientist and the pilot entered the room, and then it sat down.' 2. Identify the antecedent: 'The scientist and the pilot' (This is a compound subject, making it plural). 3. Identify the error: It is for objects. These are people! 4. Fix the number and gender: Use the plural, neutral pronoun they. 5. Final Result: 'The scientist and the pilot entered the room, and then they sat down.'
In the sentence 'The tree dropped its leaves,' what is the antecedent?
Which pronoun correctly completes this sentence: 'The students need to bring ____ books to class.'
The word 'antecedent' usually comes after the pronoun in a sentence.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain to a friend what an 'antecedent' is and give them one example of a pronoun-antecedent pair.
Practice Activity
Look at a page in your favorite book. Circle three pronouns and draw an arrow to their 'partner' nouns (the antecedents)!