Just as subjects and verbs must agree, pronouns must agree with their antecedents. A pronoun is a word that substitutes for a previously mentioned noun. If that noun (called the antecedent) is plural, the pronoun standing-in for it must also be plural. If the antecedent is singular, so must the pronoun be.
| Change: | My club is having a bake sale. These should help our finances. |
to:
| My club is having a bake sale. This should help our finances. |
In the first example, "these" refers back to the antecedent "bake sale," but because "these" is plural and its antecedent is singular, an agreement problem results. Making both pronoun and antecedent singular solves the problem.
The person/number chart below will help you determine whether a pronoun is singular or plural.
Person/Number Chart
Singular Plural 1st person I, me we, us 2nd person you you 3rd person* he; him; she; her; it; this; that; or any noun representing ONE person, place, or thing, as: a table. they; them; these; those; or any noun representing MORE THAN ONE person, place, or thing, as: some tables.
*All nouns—words such as table, cat or frog—should be considered 3rd person.
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