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ROSA FORT HIGH AFJROTC
GRAMMAR PROGRAMMED TEXT
Lesson 1:
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
INTRODUCTION
You can maximize your learning from this programmed text by following a few simple steps.
First, take a quick scan over the layout of the document. You’ll notice that this lesson is divided
into individual sections starting with a Reading Assignment, followed by a few Review
Questions, and concluded with Answers to Review Questions in the back. Once you are
familiar with the layout, complete the reading assignment and then answer the corresponding
questions (using pen or pencil) to the best of your ability (choose the correct response, complete
the sentence, fill in the blank, etc.). Check your work after answering all the questions. If you
find that you’ve made a mistake, make the appropriate correction and try to determine the reason
for your error before continuing with the lesson. If you do not understand the basis for the
correct response to a particular question, consult your flight instructor during normal duty hours.
Once complete, turn in this programmed text to your flight instructor to certify completion.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. It usually refers to a noun appearing in a previous
sentence or previously in the same sentence. The noun to which the pronoun refers is called the
antecedent. Not all pronouns will refer to an antecedent, however. In the sentence, “Everyone
here edits over twelve pages a day”, the word “everyone” has no antecedent.
There are eight different types of pronouns: personal, demonstrative, indefinite, relative,
reflexive, intensive, interrogative and reciprocal.

Personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, and it) change form according to their various uses within
a sentence. As such, the pronoun “I” is used as the subject (person, place or thing
performing the action) of a sentence, as in “I am happy to be here.” The pronoun “me” is
used as an object (person, place or thing being acted upon) in several ways, as in “The dog bit
me” (direct object), “Sam gave me a dollar” (indirect object), or “Bring this to me” (object
of preposition). The pronoun “my” is used to indicate possession, as in “My car is blue.”
The same is true of the other personal pronouns (see the matrix which follows).

Demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those, and such) have two modes of behavior.
They can function either as pronouns or as determiners. As pronouns, they identify or relate
to nouns. Thus, when we say “That is cool!”, we are referring to something we just saw or
experienced perhaps in the preceding sentence. In similar fashion, when we say “Such is
life”, we are referring to a recent event or experience. As determiners, the demonstratives
function as adjectives and modify the nouns following them: “Those (steaks on the grill)
look delicious”; “This (term paper in my hand) is well-written”; ”Such (behavior being
demonstrated by one and observed by another) is nonsense”.

Relative pronouns (who, whoever, which, and that) relate groups of words to nouns or other
pronouns. In the sentence, “The laborer who works most diligently usually earns the most”,
the pronoun “who” ties together the subject (laborer) with the verb (works). An expanded
form of the relative pronoun “whoever” is known as an indefinite relative pronoun. It’s
considered indefinite because it does not connect with a specific noun or other pronoun.
Consider this sentence: “Whoever leaves early receives no credit.” You can see the pronoun
“whoever” has no noun/pronoun connection. Use the pronoun “that” to begin restrictive
(essential to the meaning of the sentence) clauses and the pronoun “which” to begin nonrestrictive (nonessential to the meaning of the sentence) clauses. Use the pronoun “who” to
refer to people and animals with names.

Indefinite pronouns (everybody/everyone, anybody/anyone, somebody/someone, all, each,
every, some, one, and none) function as nouns and do not substitute for specific nouns.
“Everybody” is always used with a singular verb and “some” and “none” may be used with
either singular or plural verbs. The sentence “Everybody was hoping that none is/are lost”
provides an example.

Intensive pronouns (myself, yourself, herself, oneself, ourselves, and themselves) consist of a
personal pronoun with either “self” or “selves” tacked onto the end. They serve to emphasize
a noun or pronoun, such as “I, myself, could care less.”

Reflexive pronouns have the same forms as the intensive pronouns and indicate that the
subject of the sentence also receives the action of the verb. “Jack, Jill and I have dedicated
ourselves to supplying the village with drinking water” uses the word “ourselves” to
emphasize the subjects. Be careful not to use reflexive and intensive forms when they are
inappropriate and/or unnecessary. It’s proper to say “Tom and I…”; it’s improper to say
“Tom and myself…”.

Interrogative pronouns (who, which, and what) introduce questions, such as “What do you
want?”; “Who do you trust?”; or “Which way is up?” Interrogative pronouns can also act
as determiners, as in “Which sweater do you plan to wear?”

Reciprocal pronouns (each other and one another) combine ideas. “Pete and Paul keep each
other laughing” shows the proper use of “each.” “Tom, Dick, and Harry give one another a
hard time” shows the proper use of the pronoun “one another” when there are more than two
subjects. Reciprocal pronouns can also take possessive forms, as in “The airline pilots often
fly one another’s planes.”
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender (masculine, feminine or neuter), number
(singular or plural), and case (subject, possessive, or object). Pronouns display case according to
their function in a sentence. If subjective, they serve as the subject of a dependent or
independent clause; if possessive, they indicate possession of something else; and if objective,
they function either as the recipient of an action or the object of a preposition.
Improper use of pronoun/antecedent agreement can often result in gender confusion or
frustration. Consider the potential dilemma if the following written order was issued to a mixed
group (male and female) of students: “Each candidate must speak with his flight instructor
weekly during Phase One of the training cycle.” Aside from its political incorrectness, it’s also
likely that the female students will feel awkward, isolated and perhaps even insulted. A possible
fix for this problem is to reword the order. One could include both genders by saying: “Each
candidate must speak with his or her flight instructor weekly during Phase One of the training
cycle” or “Candidates must speak with their flight instructors during Phase One of the training
cycle.” The first example specifies each gender, while the second combines them via
pluralization.
Pronoun Gender, Number and Case Matrix
Personal Pronouns
Singular:
Plural:
Subject Form
I
you
he
she
it
Possessive Form
my, mine
your, yours
his
her, hers
its
Object Form
me
you
him
her
it
we
you
they
our, ours
your, yours
their, theirs
us
you
them
Relative & Interrogative Pronouns
Singular:
Subject Form
who
whoever
which, that, what
Possessive Form
whose
Object Form
whom
whomever
which, that, what
Plural: (same as singular)
Indefinite Pronouns
Singular:
Subject Form
everybody
Possessive Form
everybody’s
Object Form
everybody
Plural: (none)
This concludes the reading assignment portion of the PT on pronoun/antecedent agreement.
Now that you’ve had an opportunity to review pronouns along with their various forms and uses,
it’s time for you to take it to the next level! The following series of questions will reveal
whether you have achieved the desired level of expertise with pronoun/antecedent agreement or
if you need further study in this area. As explained in the introduction, the correct answer and
rationale for each question is located at the back for your ready reference. Consult the answer
bank only after you have completed all questions. If you miss a question, read the provided
rationale and go back over the corresponding section of the reading assignment if necessary. Do
your best to thoroughly understand this material. If anything is not clear to you, ask your
instructor for assistance. Good luck!
REVIEW QUESTIONS
Select the response that MOST CORRECTLY completes each sentence below.
1.
Neither Mike nor __________ enjoy chocolate chip cookies.
a. I
b. me
2.
This is a choice for you and _______ to ponder.
a. I
b. me
3.
No one on the tour knew __________ way from the bus station to the hotel.
a. their
b. his or her
4.
Everybody in the training squadron successfully passed ________ final exams.
a. his or her
b. their
5.
He agonized so much about _________ he should support in the election, that he forgot to
vote.
a. who
b. whom
6.
Uncle Phil loved Jacob. He left his entire estate to his niece Alexis and _______.
a. he
b. him
7.
A goalie in the all-boy’s Saturday Mud League need not be concerned about _________
appearance.
a. his
b. their
8.
_________ bicycle is that?
a. Whose
b. Who’s
9.
Everybody _______ agreed that none ________ to be forgotten.
a. has; is/are
b. have; are
c. have; is
10. The basketball team was excited to find out _________ they would face next.
a. whom
b. who
c. whoever
11. The teacher played an April Fools practical joke on __________ was participating in her
class.
a. who
b. whoever
c. whomever
12. The teacher played an April Fools practical joke on ___________ she met in the cafeteria.
a. whomever
b. whoever
c. whom
13. Either his shirt or his service dress jacket must have _________ sleeves taken in.
a. its
b. their
14. _______ instructors must adhere to the principles of grammar.
a. Us
b. We
15. As the home team’s field goal cleared the uprights, the visiting crowd expressed ________
dismay.
a. their
b. its
16. I was going to split the muffin between Tom and _____, but I ended up giving it all to
_________.
a. myself, me
b. me, myself
c. I, me
17. Jim prefers to listen to music ______ makes him want to dance.
a. that
b. which
18. She wanted to purchase a buffet server ________ would complement her dining room set.
a. that
b. which
19. The students ______ had the highest grades also took time to socialize after class.
a. which
b. who
c. that
20. The test answers, _________ immediately follow below, are always correct.
a. who
b. that
c. which
ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
1.
a. The subjective form of the pronoun is needed.
2.
b. The pronoun is the object of a preposition, therefore the objective form is needed.
3.
b. Since “no one” is singular, “his or her” is the correct response.
4.
a. “Everybody” is singular.
5.
b. The pronoun is the object of a preposition, therefore the objective form is needed.
6.
b. Although compounded with something else, the pronoun is still the object of a
preposition.
7.
a. The singular noun “goalie” requires a singular pronoun.
8.
a. The possessive form of “who” is needed. Remember that “who’s” means “who is”?
9.
a. The indefinite pronoun “everybody” always takes a singular verb. The indefinite pronoun
“none” may take either a singular or plural verb.
10. a. The objective form of the pronoun is needed.
11. b. We would normally say “…he or she was participating in her class”, so we need the
subjective form of the pronoun. Since there is no specific antecedent, the indefinite
“whoever” is best.
12. a. We would say “she met him or her in the cafeteria”, so we need the objective form of the
pronoun. Since there is no specific antecedent, the indefinite “whomever” is best.
13. a. The pronoun here needs to refer to the subject closest to the verb. In this case, it is the
noun “service dress jacket” which is singular.
14. b. The subjective form of the pronoun must be in agreement with the plural subject
“instructors.”
15. b. The crowd is acting together as one. Therefore, it is appropriate to refer to it with a
singular pronoun.
16. b. In the first clause, the objective form is needed since it serves as the object of a
preposition. In the second clause, the objective form of the reflexive pronoun is correct
since it is the recipient of an action.
17. a. The clause introduced by this relative pronoun is restrictive (essential to the meaning of
the sentence).
18. a. The clause introduced by this relative pronoun is restrictive (essential to the meaning of
the sentence).
19. b. Use the pronoun “who” to refer to a “people-type” antecedent.
20. c. The clause introduced by this relative pronoun is non-restrictive (not essential to the
meaning of the sentence). Non-restrictive clauses are usually set off by commas and
always begin with the pronoun “which.”