Pronouns and Antecedents

What is a pronoun?

• A pronoun takes the place of another noun or pronoun.

• Subject pronouns: I, we, you, she, he, it, they

• Object pronouns: me, us, you, her, him, it, them

• Possessive pronouns: My, your, her ,his, its, their

What is an antecedent?

• An antecedent is the noun a pronoun replaces.

• Make sure that the antecedent is clearly stated in writing so that readers know to which pronoun they refer.

• When it isn’t clear which noun the pronoun replaces, it is called a missing antecedent.

This shows why a clear antecedent is important.

More examples of a missing antecedent:How can we write these better?