Definition.  An antecedent is the word or group of words to which a pronoun refers.  One way to look at this is:  A pronoun is a form of shorthand that we use instead of repeating a certain word or group of words; the word or phrase that the pronoun replaces is a duplicate of the word or phrase that is the pronoun's antecedent.

EXAMPLE:    We may write "Our company makes commitments, and our company follows through on commitments" as "Our company makes commitments, and it follows through on them."  The pronouns it and them represent, respectively, company and commitments.  The antecedent of it is company, and the antecedent of them  is commitments. 

            Every pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender.

            All pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and gender.*

Singular antecedents such as man, person, customer, employee, everybody, one, anyone, and each are referred to by a singular pronoun.

            Each of these ideas has its merits.
            Any student who wants to change a course must first consult his or her advisor.
            Everyone with an expense account must present receipts for all of his or her expenses.

            As a person grows up, he or she must assume more responsibility.

Two or more antecedents joined by and are referred to by a plural pronoun.

            Mr. Jones and his assistant are examining their options.

With two or more antecedents joined by or or nor, the pronoun agrees with the nearer antecedent.

            Neither the package nor the letters reached their destination.  (Pronoun agrees with letters.)

[NOTE:  Such constructions often become awkward.  Consider:  "Neither the employees nor the boss has abandoned his position in the dispute."  Rephrasing is the answer:  "The employees have not abandoned their position in the dispute; neither has the boss."]

Collective nouns are referred to by singular or plural pronouns, depending upon whether the sense of the collective noun is singular or plural.

            The committee has submitted its proposals.  (The committee acts as a singular unit – it)

            The group have been arguing among themselves.  (The sense is "group members have been arguing"; the sense is plural.)

[NOTE:  The verb is often a clue to the appropriate pronoun.  Above, "has" treats "the committee" as a singular entity; hence, the proper pronoun is singular.  In the second sentence, "have" treats "the group" as a plural; hence, themselves is the appropriate plural pronoun.  This latter sentence would be better if rewritten:  "Group members have been arguing among themselves."  Note that the verb and pronoun must be consistent when both relate to the same noun.]

Avoiding Sexist Pronouns

When the pronoun refers to a singular person – for example, a manager, a doctor, a student, an employee, or just a person – grammar requires a singular pronoun.  However, if this person could be a male or a female, it is improper to arbitrarily use a masculine or a feminine pronoun.  Do not write, for instance, "Each student is responsible for planning his own schedule."  The pronoun is sexist because it assumes that all students are male.  Unless this is clearly the case (as with, for example, an all-male school), such an assumption will offend some readers.

The obvious solution is to write he or she, him or her, his or her (avoid using he/she and certainly do not use the abomination s/he).  The double pronoun becomes tedious, however; use it only when no other option is possible.  Two other alternatives are:

      >  Recast the sentence so that the pronoun's antecedent is plural.

      >  Recast the sentence so that a pronoun is not needed.

Examples

      Problem Sentence:  Every doctor prepares diligently for his or her career.

      Solutions:  Plural antecedent – All doctors prepare diligently for their careers.

            Avoid pronoun altogether – Every doctor prepares diligently for a medical career.

      Problem Sentence:  Each child must bring a note from his or her parents.

      Solutions:  Plural antecedent – All children must bring a note from their parents

            Avoid pronoun altogether – Each child must get written parental permission.

      Problem Sentence:  A person who plans his work is successful in his job.

      Solutions:  Plural antecedent – People who plan their work are successful in their jobs.

            Avoid pronoun altogether – People who plan work are successful on the job.

Caution:  When making such revisions, be careful.  Changing the number of the antecedent often requires changing the number of the verb.

NOTE:  This author believes that the use of "he or she," "him or her," and "his or her" is essentially silly – a point of view expressed in an essay in the Essays and Articles section, entitled Every Writer Should Choose His Pronouns Carefully.

*The principles for pronoun-antecedent agreement parallel those for subject-verb agreement.  In determining the singularity or plurality of the antecedent, apply the principles stated in the lesson on subject-verb agreement.