Agreeing Pronouns (pronoun-antecedent agreement)

Happy Friday!

I believe I left off the last blog stating I'd be writing about thesis statements this week, but based on some grading I've done lately, I think a discussion about pronoun-antecedent agreement is needed.

We know that pronouns are parts of speech that replace nouns in a sentence. Instead of saying:

Susan took Susan's children to school and then drove Susan's car to the mechanic. Bill, the mechanic, used Bill's tools to fix Susan's car.

you would probably write:

Susan took her children to school and then drove her car to the mechanic. Bill, the mechanic, used his tools to fix her car.

An exception would be if the mechanic were also female:

Susan took her children to school and then drove her car to the mechanic. Karen, the mechanic, used her tools to fix Susan's car.

The waterfall was majestic in its beauty.

The miniature horses were adorable as they
romped around the paddock.

So what's the key behind pronoun-antecedent agreement?

When you use a singular noun or pronoun, associated pronouns must also be singular.
When you use a plural noun or pronoun, associated pronouns must also be plural.

Simple? Well, not necessarily. I don't think the issues arise with regular nouns and pronouns. Most people won't argue that "Susan" is a singular noun, so any pronouns associated with that noun will be singular (i.e., "she" or "her"). Further, most people won't argue that "people" is a plural noun, so any pronouns associated with that noun will be plural (i.e., "they" or "them").

With me so far?

Indefinite pronouns, however, muddy the waters. Indefinite pronouns are pronouns that are ... well, indefinite. They refer to an undefined person(s) or thing(s). Some indefinite pronouns are singular; others are plural. When using a singular indefinite pronoun, any associated pronouns must also be singular, and plural indefinite pronouns must have associated plural pronouns.

Singular indefinite pronouns include: everyone, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, everything, nothing.

Plural indefinite pronouns include: all, many, some, few, several, both.

Examples:

Did everyone remember to bring his homework?

VERSUS

Did some of the students remember to bring their homework?

OR

Somebody forgot to call her mother.

VERSUS

A few forgot to call their mothers.

KEY: Look at the indefinite pronoun you're using. Does it have "one," "body," or "thing"? These are singular words, so you need to treat the entire indefinite pronoun as singular.

For a bit more detail, visit one of my favorite online writing resources. Come back in a couple of weeks ... I think I'll be writing on thesis statements then, but we'll see!

Keep pen to paper!

Prof. Saundra