Review: Pronoun agreement

What is a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun, such as he, she, it, they.

Examples of personal pronouns

I, you, he, she, it, we, they.

True or false: Pronouns must match nouns in number.

True, because if a noun is singular, the pronoun must also be singular.

Difference between 'he' and 'they'

'He' is singular and masculine; 'they' can be singular or plural and gender-neutral.

Fill the blank: 'Everyone should bring ___ own lunch.'

'Everyone should bring their own lunch.'

What is subject-verb agreement?

It's the grammatical rule that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number.

True or false: 'The team are winning.'

False, because 'team' is a collective noun treated as singular.

What is an antecedent?

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to.

Fill the blank: 'Each student must submit ___ assignment.'

'Each student must submit their assignment.'

What is a collective noun?

A collective noun refers to a group of individuals, like 'team' or 'class'.

Difference between 'its' and 'it's'

'Its' is possessive, while 'it's' is a contraction for 'it is'.

Fill the blank: 'Neither of the dogs has lost ___ collar.'

'Neither of the dogs has lost its collar.'

What does gender agreement mean?

Gender agreement means pronouns match the gender of their antecedents.

Question: Does 'everyone' take a singular or plural pronoun?

'Everyone' takes a singular pronoun, usually 'their' in modern usage.

True or false: Collective nouns can always be treated as plural.

False, because they can be singular or plural depending on context.

What pronoun replaces 'the teacher'?

'The teacher' can be replaced by 'he', 'she', or 'they'.

Question: What is the plural of 'person'?

'People' is the plural form of 'person'.

Difference between 'who' and 'whom'

'Who' is used as a subject, while 'whom' is the object of a verb or preposition.

Question: What is the correct pronoun? 'None of the students forgot ___ homework.'

'None of the students forgot their homework.'

True or false: 'Each of the players have a trophy.'

False, because 'each' is singular, so it should be 'has'.

Fill the blank: 'Either Sarah or Lisa forgot ___ books.'

'Either Sarah or Lisa forgot her books.'

What type of pronoun is 'them'?

'Them' is a personal pronoun used for plural objects.

Question: Which pronoun would replace 'the committee'?

'The committee' can be replaced with 'it'.

Difference between 'you' and 'they'

'You' is second person, while 'they' is third person plural.