Pronoun antecedent agreement is a crucial aspect of writing that often gets overlooked. It’s a grammatical rule that states that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender, number, and person. Failure to adhere to this rule can lead to confusion and ambiguity.
One common issue that arises with pronoun antecedent agreement is the use of the pronoun “their”. “Their” is a third-person plural pronoun that is used to refer to a group of people or things. However, it is sometimes used to refer to a singular antecedent, which violates the rule of agreement.
For example, consider the sentence: “A student should be proud of their accomplishments.” The antecedent “student” is singular, but the pronoun “their” is plural. This sentence violates pronoun antecedent agreement.
To correct this sentence, one must either change the antecedent to a plural noun or change the pronoun to a singular one. A corrected version of the sentence would be: “Students should be proud of their accomplishments.” Alternatively, one could rephrase the sentence to say: “A student should be proud of his or her accomplishments.”
It is important to note that the use of gender-neutral pronouns like “they” and “them” has become increasingly popular in recent years. While these pronouns can be useful in certain situations, it is still important to maintain proper pronoun antecedent agreement. For example, the sentence “Someone left their book on the table” should be changed to “Someone left his or her book on the table” or “Someone left their book on the table” may also be changed to “Someone left a book on the table.”
In conclusion, pronoun antecedent agreement can be a tricky concept to master, especially when it comes to the use of the pronoun “their”. However, by following the rules of agreement and being mindful of gender-neutral language, writers can avoid confusing their readers and create clear and concise prose.