Pronoun Usage

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A pronoun is a substitute for a noun. It refers to a person, place, thing, feeling, or quality, but does not refer to it by name. Though useful, pronouns can also be troublesome. Because pronouns are substitutes for other words, it is important that they clearly refer to the word they replace and that they properly agree with all antecedents in person, number, and gender.

Clear Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Words that pronouns replace are called antecedents—literally, the words that go before. An antecedent is the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers, which is understood by the context.

Examples: The students ate their lunch.
Bob went to his house.

Person Agreement refers to the person talking, the person being spoken to, or objects being discussed. English falls into three persons: first person (I, we,); second person (you); and third person (he, she, one, or they). The antecedent must match the pronoun in person.

Incorrect: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, you have to know the rules of the game.
Correct: If you want to succeed in corporate life, you have to know the rules of the game.
Correct: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, he/she has to know the rules of the game.

Number agreement: The quality that distinguishes between singular and plural pronouns. Check to make sure that the pronoun and antecedent agree in number.

Incorrect: Did he remember to bring their permission slip?
Correct: Did he remember to bring his permission slip?

Gender agreement: The quality that distinguishes the entities as masculine or feminine. Some students have a tendency to use masculine pronouns—he, him, his—for nouns which may include female and male subjects.

Problematic: Each of the doctors ate his lunch outside.

The above use of pronouns should be avoided, unless the subject (in this case "the doctors") is known to be male or female. There are several alternatives. Perhaps the simplest solution is to pluralize the subject and use the neutral plural pronoun.

Example: All of the doctors ate their lunches outside.

Some professors will allow students to use plural pronouns with singular antecedents.

Example: Each of the doctors ate their lunches outside.

A third option is to use both the masculine and feminine pronouns.

Example: Each of the doctors ate his or her lunch outside.

Agreement with Verb

Pronouns need to agree in number (singular/plural) with the verb of the sentence. In most cases this matching is straightforward, but sometimes agreement is difficult, particularly when it is not readily clear whether the antecedent is singular or plural.

The following words are technically singular and should be matched with singular verbs. If you refer to one of them with a pronoun, you should generally use a singular pronoun.

another no one neither

one nobody everyone

either something anyone

everybody anything

each everything

nothing other

Example: Each of the boys is eating his sandwich.

The following words are plural and should be matched with plural verbs.

both

few

many

several

Example:  A few were chosen because they wanted to help.

Although some grammarians insist the following pronouns are strictly singular, actual usage indicates that they can be either singular or plural, depending on meaning.

anybody

everybody

somebody

anyone

everyone

someone

Examples: Everyone ought to do his or her duty.
Everyone ought to do their duty.
Anyone can play this game if they try hard enough.
Anyone can play this game if he or she tries hard enough.

If a pronoun refers to a collective noun (army, team, herd, etc.), the pronoun can either be singular or plural, depending on whether the group is acting as a unit or not.

Example: The team celebrated its victory over the Bobcats. (The victory is achieved by the team as a collective unit; therefore, the team requires singular agreement.)
The team left their uniforms in the locker room. (The uniforms were left by the individuals on the team, not collectively but individually, requiring plural agreement.)

If a pronoun antecedent is two words joined by and, the pronoun should be plural in most cases.

Example:    My brother and I ate our lunches together.

However, if two words have a singular meaning or refer to the same person, use the singular pronoun.

Example: The Stars and Stripes (meaning a single flag) rose to the top of its pole.

If the pronoun refers to a word joined by the words or or nor, choose a pronoun which agrees with the nearest noun.

Example: Choose either an apple or some grapes, but eat them outside.
Choose either some grapes or an apple, but eat it outside.

Revised by Trenton Williams, summer 2005
Norbert Kilmer, Feb. 1993