Pronouns: Indefinite Pronoun Agreement

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Ivan Tue, Mar 01, 2022 10:58 AM UTC

Learning about the agreement of indefinite pronouns in sentences. Pronouns have to agree in number with the words they refer to (called their antecedents). That is, a pronoun must be singular when its antecedent is singular, and plural when its antecedent is plural.

1.

From the UWF Writing Lab’s
101 Grammar Mini-Lessons Series

2. Shoe nani oroun
® The following pronouns are singular:
Oeach, nobody, something, anybody, no
one, somebody, one, everybody,
someone, neither, anyone, anything,
either, nothing, everyone, everything,
and other pronouns ending in one, body,
and thing.
© Example: Everybody is going to the party.
© Example: Only one of my friends is going
to the party.
© Example: Neither of my friends is going to
the party.

3. ® The following pronouns are
O Several, few, both, and many.
© Example: Several of my
friends are going to the party.

4. Bl BD
© The following pronouns may be singular or plural depending on
either their antecedent (the word or phrase to which they refer) or
on the noun or pronoun in the prepositional phrase:
© Some, all, most, none, and any.
© Examples:
© Some of the mail has arrived. LL,
© Some of the letters have arrived.

5. Si r Plural In ite Prono
® When none is used to mean not one of, it
is construed as singular; when it tells how
many, it is construed as plural.
© Of these medicines, none is effective.
® None of the people are here.

6. oe oe)
® Everybody (love/loves) somebody.
* Everybody loves somebody.
® If either of the two students (are/is) caught
cheating again, he will be suspended for
three weeks.
° If either of the two students is caught cheating again, he
will be suspended for three weeks.

7. Brae ie er BD
® Several of the audience members at the
circus (was/were) accosted by the juggling
* Several of the audience members at the circus were
accosted by the juggling platypus.
® Both of my parents (is/are) from Kentucky.
* Both of my parents are from Kentucky.

8. @ @.e
| hope everybody has a great day!

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