Here's a breakdown:
* Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they, this, that).
* Antecedent: The noun or noun phrase that the pronoun refers to.
Examples:
* "Sarah went to the store. She bought some milk."
* "Sarah" is the antecedent of the pronoun "She."
* "The dog wagged its tail happily."
* "The dog" is the antecedent of the pronoun "its."
* "The students turned in their assignments."
* "The students" is the antecedent of the pronoun "their."
Key Points:
* Agreement: Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine/neuter).
* Clarity: A pronoun's antecedent should be clear from the context to avoid confusion.
* Ambiguity: If there are multiple potential antecedents, the sentence can be ambiguous.
Example of Ambiguity:
* "The boy gave the girl his toy."
* It's unclear who "his" refers to – the boy or the girl.
To avoid ambiguity:
* Rewrite the sentence: "The boy gave the girl *his* toy."
* Use a noun: "The boy gave the girl *the boy's* toy."
Understanding antecedents is essential for writing clear and grammatically correct sentences.