PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT

AGREEMENT

Teacher Guidelines ▶ pages 1 – 2

3-4
Instructional Pages ▶ pages 3 – 4
Activity Page ▶ page 5
Practice Page ▶ page 6
GRADE

Homework Page
Answer Key
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page 7
pages 8 – 9
 Classroom Procedure: Approximate Grade Level: 3 – 4

1. Display the following sentence: Ava took Ava’s dog for a Objectives: The students will be able to ensure
pronoun-antecedent agreement.
walk, and then Ava met Ava’s brother after school. Ask
students: What is wrong with the sentence, and how can State Educational Standards*
it be improved? LB.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1.F
None for Grade 4
2. Allow for responses and discussion. Ask students to create
Class Sessions (45 minutes):
other sentences without pronouns, and then change them At least 2 class sessions.
to sentences with pronouns. This may be done orally or
on paper. Teaching Materials/Worksheets:
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement content
3. Allow students to share the sentences. Introduce Pronoun- pages (2), Activity pages, Practice page,
Antecedent Agreement to the class. Homework page

4. Distribute Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement content pages. Student Supplies:

Scratch paper, final writing paper, handouts
Read and review the information with the students. Save
the final question for the lesson closing. Use the additional Prepare Ahead of Time:
resources to enhance understanding. Pair students for activity.
Copy handouts.
5. Distribute Activity page. Read and review the instructions.
Options for Lesson: Students may work alone
Pair students. Encourage students to make the story silly, or in groups for the activity. Include additional
which will help make it easier to use the different pronouns. pronouns for the activity. Allow students to
Allow sufficient time for the story’s completion. add other sentences without pronouns for their
stories. Students cast votes for the silliest story,
6. Once completed, each pair of students will read their stories most creative story, funniest, etc. Use current
aloud to the class. You may also choose story sharing reading content allowing students to identify
between the pairs of students. pronouns and antecedents. Students write a
story with characters and without the sue or
7. Distribute Practice page. Check and review the students’ pronouns, then rewrite it with correct pronouns
responses. use. For the closing, extend the question to an
activity, students make nametags and use their
8. Distribute the Homework page. The next day, check and “new” name throughout a school day.
review the students’ responses.
*Lessons are aligned to meet the education objectives and goals of
9. In closing, ask students: If you had to change your name most states. For more information on your state objectives, contact
your local Board of Education or Department of Education in your state.
to a pronoun, which one would you choose and why?
10. Allow for responses and discussion. Ask two students to
begin speaking to each other using their “new” names.
Allow other students to do the same.

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 Teacher Notes
The lesson reviews pronouns but the focus is on the pronoun-antecedent agreement. Students must be able
to identify the antecedent first before understanding how to use them with their own writing. Students often
use the wrong pronoun with an antecedent and must be aware of the correct use of a given pronoun. It is
recommended struggling students receive additional practice, and the lesson may be used in conjunction
with other pronoun or related language lessons.
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Pronouns and Antecedents
As you know, a pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. You have learned about pronouns and
have used them in your writing and speaking. A pronoun refers to an earlier noun or another pronoun in a
sentence. Compare the following two sentences:[Image: boy and dog walking]
Jonathon walked to school with Jonathon’s dog, and Jonathon showed the pup to Jonathon’s classmates.
Jonathon walked to school with his dog, and he showed the pup to his classmates.
The second sentence is much more effective because pronouns are used in place of the name Jonathon.
The name and person, Jonathon, is called the antecedent. The antecedent is the noun or pronoun to which
another noun or pronoun refers. The antecedent usually appears before the pronoun such as the word
Jonathon in the above two sentences.
Pronouns must agree with its antecedent in number and person. Since Jonathon is male, the pronouns he
and his are used. For a female, the pronouns she or her would be used as in the following sentence:
Jennifer walked to school with her dog, and she showed the pup to her classmates.
If two children walked to school, the pronouns would change once again as in the following sentence:
Jonathon and Andrew walked to school with their dogs, and they showed the pups to their classmates.
It is important to choose the correct pronoun for an antecedent and there are several rules to follow. The
most basic rule is this:

A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a plural noun.
Singular Pronouns Plural Pronouns

he, she, it they

him, her, it them

his, her, hers, its their, theirs

himself, herself, itself themselves

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Pronoun-Antecedent Rules
Nearly all writing concepts have rules, and identifying the correct pronoun-antecedent agreements requires
a review of the following rules and will help you to become a better writer. The antecedent is underlined,
and the pronoun is shown in bold.

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A phrase or clause between the subject and verb will not change the number of the antecedent.
The can of yellow corn is sitting on its shelf.

There are two kinds of indefinite Singular examples: each,

pronouns- singular and plural. either, nobody, anyone,
Plural examples: several, few,
Singular use the pronouns anybody, someone, somebody,
both, many
his or her, and plural uses the something, everyone,
pronoun their. everybody, and others.

2 Each of the students does a great job cleaning his or her desk.
Both do a great job counting their money.
Some indefinite pronouns modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or plural such
as some, any, none, all, most.
Some of the flour fell out of its container. (singular)
Some of the candies fell out of their bag. (plural)

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Compound subjects joined by and always use a plural pronoun.
Jacob and Zoe made their presentation to the class.

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 Compound subjects joined by or/nor, the pronoun will agree with the antecedent appearing closer
to the pronoun.
4 Neither the teacher nor the students were happy with their work.
Neither the students nor the teacher was happy with his or her work.

Collective nouns such as group, crowd, team, etc., may be singular or plural depending on the
context and meaning of the sentence.

5 The jury read its verdict. (singular)

The jury members shared their individual comments. (plural)
The jury members disagreed among themselves. (plural)

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Title of single works, books, organizations, titles etc., use a singular pronoun.
Harry Potter made its characters seem real.

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Plural form subjects with a singular meaning such as mumps, news, etc., use a singular pronoun.
The news has lost much of its interest the last couple of days.

The rules above may sometimes be confusing, but it will help your writing become more effective and smoother
for the reader. And as always, practice using the pronouns and you will become an expert.

If you had to change your name to a pronoun, which

one would you choose and why?

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 Activity Name __________________________ Date _________

With your partner write a story. Every line of the story, except the opening and closing lines, must
use one of the pronouns below. Use them in any order. However, each pronoun can only be used
once. The story can be silly but feel free to be creative too. Use the space below for the rough draft.
Edit and proofread it before writing the final copy on a separate sheet of paper.
HIS HER SHE HIM THEMSELVES
THEY HERSELF HIMSELF THEIR ITS
Use the following space for your rough draft:
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Once completed, you will share your story with the class.

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 Practice Name __________________________ Date _________

For each sentence, circle the correct pronoun and underline its antecedent.

1. Mason loaned (their - his) bike to Lee.

2. The captain of the girls’ basketball team accepted (her - his or her) award.
3. On Mother’s Day, the children performed a skit for (his - his or her) mother.
4. In the evening the birds usually return to (its - their) nests.
5. The dogs sunned (itself - themselves) peacefully on the back porch.
6. Many of the hamsters are sleeping in (their - its) cage.
7. Both of my brothers are successful in (his - their) careers.
8. All my family wants to eat a meal at (our - its) grandmother’s house.
9. All the boys helped clean (his - their) locker room.
10. Is anybody finished with (their - his or her) homework assignment yet?
11. Joe didn’t think (he - they) should have to retake the quiz.
12. The jury went (its - their) separate ways for dinner.
13. The jury argued among (itself - themselves).
14. The cleaning crew signed (their - its) timesheets.
15. The can of lima beans sits on (its - their) shelf.
16. Both workers do a great job with (their - his) responsibilities.
17. Melissa was running late for school, and (she - her) ran as fast as possible to get there.
18. Anabelle and Grace made (her - their) presentation to the class.
19. Britton lied to (he - his) parents about many things.
20. Neither the director of the movie nor the actors did (his or her - their) jobs.
21. Noah and Max promised that (he - they) would lead the parade.
22. Mom and dad called and said (he - they) will be picking up some pizza for dinner.
23. The tree was struck by lighting and (it - she) fell to the ground.
24. Ants and flies found (their - its) way to our picnic.
25. Both girls needed new shoes for (her - their) PE classes.

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 Homework Name __________________________ Date _________

For each sentence, write a pronoun or pair of pronouns for the underlined antecedent to correctly
complete the sentence.
1. The siblings planned a surprise getaway for ____________ parents’ anniversary.
2. The cow raised ____________ voice in a surprised moo.
3. The captains of each team accepted ____________ award.
4. Jessica was proud of ____________ older sister and brother.
5. The young girl told ____________ not to be afraid of the dark.
6. Everybody in the class wanted ____________own microscope.
7. Few of the photographers developed ____________ own film.
8. Brian or Michael will lend ____________ microscope to the class.
9. Brian and Michael will lend ____________ microscope to the class.
10. Jackson and Mia said that ____________ will be here by 2:00 PM.
11. Neither Sophia nor Lucy finished ____________ sculpture.
12. Both Paul and Tanesha finished ____________ sculpture.
13. The audience took ____________ seats before the start of the play.
14. The pack hunted on ____________ own occasionally.
15. The committee of workers gave ____________ raises for the coming new year.

Correctly use each of the pronouns and circle the antecedent for the pronoun.
16. its________________________________________________________________________________
17. her_______________________________________________________________________________
18. their______________________________________________________________________________
19. himself____________________________________________________________________________
20. they______________________________________________________________________________

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 Practice Answer Key
Name __________________________ Date _________

For each sentence, circle the correct pronoun and underline its antecedent.

1. Mason loaned (their - his) bike to Lee.

2. The captain of the girls’ basketball team accepted (her - his or her) award.
3. On Mother’s Day, the children performed a skit for (his - his or her) mother.
4. In the evening the birds usually return to (its - their) nests.
5. The dogs sunned (itself - themselves) peacefully on the back porch.
6. Many of the hamsters are sleeping in (their - its) cage.
7. Both of my brothers are successful in (his - their) careers.
8. All my family wants to eat a meal at (our - its) grandmother’s house.
9. All the boys helped clean (his - their) locker room.
10. Is anybody finished with (their - his or her) homework assignment yet?
11. Joe didn’t think (he - they) should have to retake the quiz.
12. The jury went (its - their) separate ways for dinner.
13. The jury argued among (itself - themselves).
14. The cleaning crew signed (their - its) timesheets.
15. The can of lima beans sits on (its - their) shelf.
16. Both workers do a great job with (their - his) responsibilities.
17. Melissa was running late for school, and (she - her) ran as fast as possible to get there.
18. Anabelle and Grace made (her - their) presentation to the class.
19. Britton lied to (he - his) parents about many things.
20. Neither the director of the movie nor the actors did (his or her - their) jobs.
21. Noah and Max promised that (he - they) would lead the parade.
22. Mom and dad called and said (he - they) will be picking up some pizza for dinner.
23. The tree was struck by lighting and (it - she) fell to the ground.
24. Ants and flies found (their - its) way to our picnic.
25. Both girls needed new shoes for (her - their) PE classes.

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 Homework Answer Key
Name __________________________ Date _________

For each sentence, write a pronoun or pair of pronouns for the underlined antecedent to correctly
complete the sentence.
1. The siblings planned a surprise getaway for their parents’ anniversary.
2. The cow raised its voice in a surprised moo.
3. The captains of each team accepted his or her award.
4. Jessica was proud of her older sister and brother.
5. The young girl told herself not to be afraid of the dark.
6. Everybody in the class wanted his or her own microscope.
7. Few of the photographers developed their own film.
8. Brian or Michael will lend his microscope to the class.
9. Brian and Michael will lend their microscope to the class.
10. Jackson and Mia said that they will be here by 2:00 PM.
11. Neither Sophia nor Lucy finished her sculpture.
12. Both Paul and Tanesha finished their sculpture.
13. The audience took their seats before the start of the play.
14. The pack hunted on its own occasionally.
15. The committee of workers gave themselves raises for the coming new year.

Correctly use each of the pronouns and circle the antecedent for the pronoun. (will vary)
16. its________________________________________________________________________________
17. her_______________________________________________________________________________
18. their______________________________________________________________________________
19. himself____________________________________________________________________________
20. they______________________________________________________________________________

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