This is Lesson 16 of our Basic English Series.
Parts of Speech 2.7
Pronouns Part 8 – Dual Number Pronouns
We have pronouns that can be plural or singular and this is how these are referred to in the sentence they were used. Here is the next ELGR that will explain this:
ELGR22: When the pronouns all, any, some, and none refer to number, they are generally regarded as plural. When they refer to quantity or to a mass, they are regarded as singular.
To understand this grammar rule, let us use examples.
- All test-takers are waiting for their turn. (All is plural in this example because it was referred to as number)
- There is no biscuit in the box. All of it has been eaten. (All is singular as it refers to a single package. Moreover the pronoun it in the second sentence is correct because the antecedent in the first sentence – the verb is and noun biscuit – is singular.)
Compound Antecedent
When two different nouns connected by and composed parts of the subject in a sentence (compound subject), it is considered as compound antecedent. The pronoun for such antecedent should be in the plural form.
Examples:
- The coach and the players followed their game plan.
(The Coach and players were parts of the compound antecedent in the subject of the sentence . The pronoun their in the predicate agreed with the antecedent.) - The president and the entire board of directors agreed to consolidate their resources to win in the bidding.
(The president and board of directors were parts of the compound antecedent. The pronoun their in the predicate of the sentence agreed with the antecedent.)
Here is another ELGR that relates to number 22.
ELGR23: In a compound antecedent, if both antecedents are singular and refer to different persons or things, the antecedent is considered to be plural. This is also true if at least one of the antecedents is plural. The pronoun that refers to these antecedents should also be plural.
Examples:
- The student and teacher worked hard on their presentation. [Two singular parts of a compound antecedent (student and teacher), plural pronoun.]
- The students and teacher worked hard on their presentation. [One plural and one singular parts of a compound antecedent (students and teacher, the pronoun is plural]
- The students and teachers worked hard on their presentation. [Two plural parts of a compound antecedent (students and teachers, the pronoun is plural]
Here is another rule in the antecedent principle.
ELGR24: In a compound antecedent, if both antecedents are singular and refer to the same person or thing, the antecedent is considered to be singular. This is also true if at least one of the antecedents is plural. The pronoun that refers to these antecedents should also be singular.
Examples:
- The stuntman and director worked hard on his performance to save time and cost. [Two singular parts, but the same person, of a compound antecedent (stuntman and director), singular pronoun.]
- The stuntman and the director worked hard on their performance to save time and cost. [two singular parts, and different persons, of a compound antecedent (stuntman and director), the pronoun (their) is plural. The ‘the‘ before the director indicates that it was a different person.]
Here is yet another rule under the antecedent principle.
ELGR25: Collective nouns are singular when they designate a group acting as a unit. They are plural when the members who make up the group are acting independently. The pronoun must then agree with the antecedent as to number.
Some examples of collective nouns:
crowd, gang, family, team, class, audience, congress and platoon
Examples of ELGR application.
- The team played its plan perfectly all the way to the championship. [The team is acting as single unit and therefore the pronoun its should also be singular.]
- The team are resting in their respective rooms. [Plural because the team members are acting independently]
There is one more rule on the antecedent principle that we need to consider. It’s a very short one, but equally important as the previous.
ELGR26: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person.
If we review ELGR21 (Lesson 016) , it states that “A pronoun must agree with its antecedent as to person, number and gender.” So we had covered all three and we will take a look at few examples for ELGR26.
- If anybody wants some snack, you can come to the table. (incorrect)
- If anybody wants some snack, he can come to the table. (correct)
- If one works hard, you can complete the project earlier than scheduled. (incorrect)
- If one works hard, he can complete the project earlier than scheduled. (correct)
In sentence 1 and 2 above, anybody is a third person antecedent. You is a second person pronoun and does not agree with its antecedent. The same case with examples 3 and 4. The antecedent one is in the third person and the correct pronoun should also be in the third person which was he.
This topic on pronoun may seem tough but constant practice can help, and the best way is to read and listen to how native speakers of English apply the lessons. You will be surprised that as you also practice writing and speaking while keeping all the principles learned here, you will also notice that the flow becomes more natural.
This is the end of our lessons on pronouns. The next series that deals with verbs will be longer. Take a break for now.
See you in the next lesson.
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