Here's a breakdown:
* Antecedent: The word or phrase that a pronoun refers to.
* Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they, etc.).
Example:
"The dog chased the ball and then brought it back to its owner."
* Antecedent: "the ball"
* Pronoun: "it"
The pronoun "it" refers back to the antecedent "the ball".
In summary: While an antecedent doesn't have to be a noun, it always refers to a noun or noun phrase.