Lesson 4: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement B: Indefinite Pronouns, Relative Pronouns

Definition

Some indefinite pronouns are singular, and some are plural.

Explanation

Think of pronouns like everybody or each as referring to people one by one, making them singular. Use singular pronouns like his or her for them. In contrast, pronouns like many or few clearly refer to multiple things, so they are always plural. Use plural pronouns like their for them. Remembering which category a pronoun falls into is the key!

Examples

• Singular: Each of the artists submitted his or her best painting to the competition. [The antecedent Each is singular, so it requires a singular pronoun.]
• Singular: Did someone forget her phone on the counter? [The antecedent someone is singular.]
• Plural: Many of the athletes celebrated their victory after the championship game. [The antecedent Many is plural.]
• Plural: Few of the new employees knew their way around the office building. [The antecedent Few is plural.]

Explanation

The pronouns who, which, and that are called relative pronouns. To find the correct pronoun to agree with them, look at the relative pronoun's own antecedent. That's the noun that who, which, or that refers to. Make sure your pronoun agrees with that noun in gender and number.

Examples

• A doctor who treats her patients with kindness is always appreciated. [Who refers to 'doctor,' and 'her' shows the doctor is female.]
• The dog, which wagged its tail constantly, seemed very friendly. [Which refers to 'dog,' which is singular and neuter.]
• I thanked the volunteers who gave their time to help clean the park. [Who refers to 'volunteers,' which is plural.]