Lesson 4: Pronoun Usage and Antecedent Agreement

🟦 Introduction

Have you ever read a sentence like “The girl took their bag” and paused in confusion? That’s because the pronoun(“their”) doesn’t agree with its antecedent (“girl”).

In English, pronouns must agree with the nouns they replace — in number, gender, and person. Getting this right helps make your sentences smooth and clear.

WAEC often tests your ability to:

• Choose the correct pronoun to match its antecedent

• Avoid confusing or vague pronoun references

• Handle tricky pronoun cases with collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and compound subjects

This lesson will guide you on using pronouns accurately and making sure they always match their referents.

🟩 Key Concepts and Explanations

1. What Is a Pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun to avoid repetition.

2. What Is an Antecedent?

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to or replaces.

Example:
Sarah loves her books.
→ “Sarah” is the antecedent. “Her” must agree in gender and number.

3. Rules of Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A. Number Agreement

• Singular noun → Singular pronoun
  The boy forgot his bag.

• Plural noun → Plural pronoun
  The boys forgot their bags.

B. Gender Agreement

• John → his

• Mary → her

• The baby → its (if gender unknown)

C. Person Agreement

Match the pronoun’s point of view with the subject:

• First person → I, we

• Second person → you

• Third person → he, she, it, they

D. Indefinite Pronouns Are Singular

Words like each, everyone, someone, anybody, nobody are singular and take singular pronouns.

Examples:

• Everyone should bring his or her pen.

• Each of the boys took his share.

🔔 In formal writing, avoid “their” for singular antecedents like “each” unless you’re referring to people whose gender is unknown or inclusive (some modern usage allows this, but WAEC prefers formal agreement).

E. Compound Subjects

• John and Mike → take they/their

• Neither John nor Mike → depends on the nearest noun:
  Neither the teacher nor the students brought their books.

F. Ambiguous Pronoun Reference

Avoid unclear references.

❌ When Lily met Sarah, she was nervous. → Who was nervous?

✔ When Lily met Sarah, Lily felt nervous.

🟨 Practice Exercises

✏️ Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Pronoun

1. If anyone calls, tell ______ I’ll call back. (him / them / her / themself)

2. The dog wagged ______ tail excitedly. (its / it’s / their)

3. Every student must bring ______ calculator. (his / their / his or her)

4. Neither the girls nor the boy remembered ______ lines. (his / her / their)

5. The teacher and the principal explained ______ decision. (his / their / her)

✏️ Exercise 2: Fix the Agreement Errors

Rewrite the sentence using the correct pronoun.

6. Everyone should finish their homework on time.

7. The committee made their final decision.

8. Sarah and Amanda forgot her bags.

9. Each of the athletes wore their medal.

10. The baby cried until they were fed.

✏️ Exercise 3: Identify the Antecedent

Underlined pronoun → Identify its antecedent.

11. The teacher told the students that he would be late.

12. When the boys arrived, they were tired.

13. Neither of the girls brought her book.

14. The school lost its funding.

15. John and I know that we need to prepare.

✅ Answers and Explanations

Exercise 1

1. him – “anyone” is singular

2. its – possessive pronoun

3. his or her – formal agreement with “every student”

4. his – nearest subject is “boy” (singular)

5. their – compound subject = plural

Exercise 2
6. Everyone should finish his or her homework.
7. The committee made its final decision.
8. Sarah and Amanda forgot their bags.
9. Each of the athletes wore his medal.
10. The baby cried until it was fed.

Exercise 3
11. he → teacher
12. they → boys
13. her → girls
14. its → school
15. we → John and I

🔁 Recap

You’ve learned:

• What pronouns and antecedents are

• The rules of agreement in number, gender, and person

• How to handle tricky cases like compound subjects and indefinite pronouns

• How to avoid confusing references in writing

🪞 Reflection Prompt

Write five sentences using a different type of pronoun in each (e.g., personal, reflexive, possessive, relative, demonstrative).
Then, underline the antecedent (if any) for each pronoun and explain the agreement.