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Pronouns are words that take the
place of a noun within a sentence. The pronoun must always agree
with its antecedent (the noun or phrase it replaces) in both number
and gender. Making sure that the sentence agrees can be tricky when
the subject of the sentence is an indefinite pronoun, which is a
pronoun that does not specify a distinct item.
Today’s grammar tip is designed to
help you choose the correct pronoun in these situations.
Even though many of the indefinite
pronouns may appear to be plural, most of them are treated as
singular in formal English.
The indefinite pronouns each,
one, everybody, everyone, no one, and anyone are
singular. Any pronoun used in a sentence that has one of these
words as the antecedent must also be singular in form.
Ex. Everyone should have
his or her textbook on the first day of class.
Ex. One can choose
the option that is best for one's degree plan.
Ex. Each of the
classes has its own teaching assistant. |
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The
Author
Amy Hatmaker
earned her BA at the University of Houston-Victoria and
is pursuing graduate studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi. She has worked as a writing tutor at the Academic
Center for two years.
References
Hodges, J.C.,
Horner, W.B., Webb, S.S., & Miller, R.K. (1998) Harbrace
College Handbook. (13th Ed.) Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt
Brace College Publishers.
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