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Hammer Grammar
Lesson 9: Pronoun-antecedent agreement
Pronouns take the place of nouns in a sentence. When you use pronouns in a sentence,
you must be sure that they agree with the words to which they refer (their antecedents).
Among the most common pronouns are: I, you, he, she, they, it, my, your, his, hers, our,
their, its, me, him, them, any, each, all, either, neither, none and some. They must agree
with their antecedents in person, number and gender.
Agreement in person is straightforward. For example:
I want my dinner at 7 p.m.
He wants his dinner at 8 p.m.
You want your dinner at 6 p.m.
Avoid using “one” as a pronoun in your writing. It sounds stuffy.
Agreement in number can be more confusing. Singular nouns takes singular pronouns,
and plural nouns take plural pronouns. For trickier situations, many of the rules related to
subject-verb agreement apply. Consider these examples:
Neither John nor Dan is at the dinner to accept his award. (Both antecedents are
singular, so neither takes a singular verb and pronoun)
The American Federation of Teachers released its statement today. (Federation is the
subject and takes a singular verb and pronoun)
Neither Bob nor his teammates showed up for their practice. (Teammates is closer to the
pronoun, so the pronoun is plural)
The construction one of those who causes confusion when it comes to subject-verb
agreement in the relative clause. Decide whether one or those is the antecedent of who in
choosing the right verb.
In the following sentence, the antecedent is bosses, and therefore the plural verb believe
is correct.

Connie is one of those bosses who believe in giving their employees freedom to make
decisions.
The addition of only makes it clear that the antecedent is one rather than bosses, and
therefore the singular verb believes is appropriate.

Connie is the only one of the bosses who believes in giving her employees freedom to
make decisions.
When you use a one of those who construction, look at the clause beginning with who and
then decide what the antecedent is. In most cases you will decide on the plural form of
the verb.

Dr. Wolfe is one of those teachers who entertain students as well as teach them.

One of those business owners who believe in putting the customer first, Jim won the
loyalty of the community.
Note that while the case of the pronoun ( who or whom) depends on the pronoun's role in
its own clause, the number of the verb depends on the pronoun's antecedent.
If an antecedent is a collective noun, consider whether group is acting as a unit or acting
separately. For example:
The committee announced its choice for publicity director. (acting as one unit)
The committee were evenly divided in their votes for publicity director. (acting separately)
Gender agreement can lead to inadvertent sexism or awkward constructions. It’s a good
idea to avoid using “he” or “his” to refer to a group that includes both men and women.
Using the phrase “he or she” or “his or her” can be awkward. Whenever possible,
rewrite the sentence to avoid either construction. For example:
Every student said he passed the test. (a bit sexist)
Every student said he or she passed the test. (awkward)
All the students said they passed the test. (better)
Helpful hints
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Take a close look at the antecedent to determine its proper pronoun. Remember
that pronouns must agree in person, number and gender.
Remember the rules of subject-verb agreement. Don’t rely solely on how the
sentence sounds.
Make sure the reader can easily understand the antecedent of a pronoun. A
pronoun that might refer to two different antecedents can lead to confusion.
As always: When in doubt, look it up!
Hammer Grammar
Exercise 9: Pronoun-antecedent agreement
In the following sentences, choose the correct bold-faced word or rewrite the
sentence for clarity. If you find errors from previous Hammer Grammar exercises,
correct those as well.
Your Name: ______________________________________
1. Bob Smith was the only one of the male birdwatchers who didn’t lose their/his field
glasses.
2. The jury, which had been sequestered three days, returned its/their unanimous
verdict: not guilty.
3. None of the women prisoners had their sentences/her sentence reduced.
4. The phenomena may never be explained. It/They may as well be part of a magic spell.
5. Each of the men’s debate finalists is entitled to his/their opinion.
6. WCUZ-TV claims to really care about its/their audience.
7. The Young Republicans organization worked tirelessly for its/their school board
candidate.
8. Only half of the team’s players celebrated its/their victory.
Rewrite the following sentences for clarity.
9. The retiring professor told the student his best days were behind him.
10. Every registered voter has a chance to effect the future by casting his ballot in the
election.