Grammar and Language Workbook

Grammar
Lesson 57
Agreement in Number and Gender and 
with Collective Nouns
An 
antecedent 
is the word or group of words to which a pronoun refers or replaces. All
pronouns must agree with their antecedents.
A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number (singular or plural) and gender
(masculine, feminine, or neuter).
Consuela won her fifth spelling bee last week. (Her is a singular feminine pronoun that
agrees with the antecedent Consuela.)
Jacob took his grandfather to the doctor. (His is a singular masculine pronoun that
agrees with the antecedent Jacob.)
Carrie and Emilio studied for their science quiz together. (Their is a plural neuter
pronoun that agrees with the compound subject Carrie and Emilio.)
The opossum, carrying its seven babies, scooted under the woodpile. (Its is a singular
neuter pronoun that agrees with the antecedent opossum.)
Historically, the masculine pronoun has been used for all cases in which the gender of
the antecedent is unknown.
Each student must take the test in 
his homeroom.
Today, there are several choices for avoiding the exclusive use of the masculine pronoun.
Each student must take the test in his or her homeroom.
Students must take the test in their homerooms.
Students must take the test in homeroom.
When the antecedent of a pronoun is a collective noun, the pronoun depends on whether
the collective noun is meant to be singular or plural.
The team set in motion its last play of the game. (The collective noun team conveys
the singular sense of one unit, requiring the use of the singular pronoun its.)
The team collected their uniforms and gear and headed for the bus. (The collective
noun team conveys the plural sense of several persons performing separate acts,
requiring the use of the plural pronoun their.)
 Exercise 1