1. Number Agreement:
* Singular antecedents require singular pronouns:
* "The dog wagged its tail."
* Plural antecedents require plural pronouns:
* "The dogs wagged their tails."
2. Person Agreement:
* First person (I, we):
* "I lost my keys."
* "We went to our favorite restaurant."
* Second person (you):
* "You should take care of your health."
* Third person (he, she, it, they):
* "He lost his keys."
* "She is going to her office."
* "The cat is playing with its toy."
* "The children are playing with their toys."
3. Gender Agreement:
* Masculine pronouns (he, him, his): used for male antecedents.
* Feminine pronouns (she, her, hers): used for female antecedents.
* Neuter pronouns (it, its): used for inanimate objects, animals (unless their gender is known), and collective nouns.
4. Clarity and Ambiguity:
* Avoid ambiguity:
* "The student told his teacher that he had finished the assignment." (Who is "he" referring to?)
* Solution: "The student told his teacher that the student had finished the assignment."
* Use pronouns that clearly refer to their antecedents.
* Incorrect: "The car was parked in the garage, and it was covered in dust." (What is "it" referring to?)
* Solution: "The car was parked in the garage, and the car was covered in dust."
5. Collective Nouns:
* Collective nouns (e.g., team, group, committee) can take singular or plural pronouns depending on the intended meaning.
* Singular: "The team played its best game." (team acting as a unit)
* Plural: "The team were arguing amongst themselves." (team members acting individually)
6. Indefinite Pronouns:
* Singular: "Everyone should bring their own lunch." (Everyone refers to individuals, so "their" is correct)
* Plural: "Both of the students forgot their homework."
7. Special Cases:
* "None" can be singular or plural depending on the context:
* "None of the students was ready for the exam." (Singular because "none" refers to "no one")
* "None of the apples were ripe." (Plural because "none" refers to "no apples")
* "Each" and "every" are always singular:
* "Each student brought his own book."
* "Every person has their own opinions."
Additional Tips:
* Read your writing carefully to check for pronoun agreement.
* If you're unsure, rewrite the sentence to avoid pronoun use.
* Pay attention to the context and the meaning you want to convey.
By following these rules, you can ensure that your writing is clear, accurate, and grammatically correct.