A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in number (singular/plural), gender (masculine/feminine/neuter), and person (first/second/third).
Number Agreement
Singular antecedent → singular pronoun.
- The dog wagged its tail.
- Maria said she would come.
Plural antecedent → plural pronoun.
- The students said they were ready.
- The dogs wagged their tails.
Compound Subjects with "And"
Compound subjects joined by "and" are plural.
- John and I finished our homework.
- The cat and the dog share their food.
Compound Subjects with "Or / Nor"
The pronoun agrees with the closest noun.
- Neither John nor his friends brought their books.
- Either the students or the teacher will present her lesson.
Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns (everyone, somebody, nobody, each, either) are grammatically singular.
- Everyone should bring his or her laptop.
- Somebody left their bag. (singular "their" is now accepted)
The Singular "They"
When gender is unknown or irrelevant, use they/them/their as a singular pronoun.
- A person should do their best.
- Someone left their phone.
Gender Agreement
Match the pronoun to the gender of the antecedent.
- My father loves his job. (masculine)
- My mother loves her job. (feminine)
- The table has lost its leg. (neuter)
Common Agreement Errors
| Incorrect | Correct | | -------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | Every student must bring their own book. | Every student must bring his or her own book. (formal) | | The team played its best game. | ✅ (collective noun, singular) | | The team celebrated their victory. | ✅ (collective noun, focusing on members) | | Someone forgot their coat. | ✅ (singular they, widely accepted) |