Antecedent, << `an` tuh SEE duhnt, >> is a word or group of words to which a pronoun refers in a sentence. An antecedent may come before or after the pronoun. In the sentence Venice is famous for its canals, the antecedent Venice comes before the pronoun its. In the sentence At her best, Jill was unbeatable, the antecedent Jill comes after the pronoun her.
Personal pronouns, such as I, you, he, she, and it, must agree with their antecedents in gender, number, and person. The pronoun’s case is determined by its use in the sentence. For example, the sentence The children, after seeing the movie, were asked what they remembered about it contains two personal pronouns, they and it. The pronoun they agrees with its antecedent children in gender (common), number (plural), and person (third). They is the subjective case because the pronoun is the subject of the verb remembered. It agrees with its antecedent movie because both are neuter in gender, singular in number, and in the third person. But it is the object of about and so is in the objective case.
Special problems in agreement arise in cases where the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun, such as all, each, none, and some. Some indefinite pronouns, such as everyone and somebody, have a singular form but are plural in meaning. In formal usage, singular pronouns are used: Everyone did his or her share. Informal usage, especially in speaking, favors the plural: Everyone did their share.
The pronouns all, any, each, none, and some can be either singular or plural, depending on their use. For example, Some of the crop is now at its best (singular); Some of the apples are now at their best (plural).
Agreement problems may develop when the antecedent is a collective noun, such as crew or jury. The use of singular or plural pronouns with collective nouns depends on the intention of the speaker or writer. The use of the singular emphasizes the entire unit: The jury was unanimous in its decision. The use of the plural stresses the parts of the unit: The judge told the jury they were dismissed.
Confusion can result from the careless use of relative pronouns–that, what, which, or who. In the sentence The club adopted a new constitution, which we thought was a good idea, the relative pronoun could refer either to adopted or to constitution. For clarity, the statement should be divided into two sentences: The club adopted a new constitution. We thought the adoption was a good idea.
