PRONOUNS AND THEIR ANTECEDENT

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence. Pronouns are used to avoid repeating the same nouns over and over again. For
example, "Jeremy ran so fast, you'd think his life was on the line." The pronoun "his" saved us from repeating the name Jeremy again.

Common pronouns include I, me, mine, she, he, it, we, and us. In truth, there are many different types of pronouns, each serving a
different purpose.

1. Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used as a substitute for a person's name. There are two kinds: subjective and objective pronouns. That
is, they either act as the subject of the sentence or the object of the sentence.

As the subject of a sentence, they are:

For example:
They went to the store.
I don't want to leave.
He runs a great shop in town.
You can't leave, either.

As the object of the sentence, they are:

For example:
Please don't sit beside me.
Go talk to her.
Mary put the gift under it.
Don't look at them.

2. Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession of a noun. They are:
My, our, your, his, her. its (note there is no apostrophe, their

For example:
Is that my book?
No, that's his book.
That's its shelf.
I'd like to see their bookshelves.

However, there are also independent possessive pronouns. These pronouns refer to a previously named or understood noun.
They stand alone and aren't followed by any other noun. They are:
mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, theirs

For example:
That's mine.
Wrong. It's ours.
So, I suppose those clothes are yours?
No, it's theirs.

3. Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns don't point to particular nouns. We use them when an object doesn't need to be specifically identified. As
such, it can remain indefinite. They include:
Few, everyone, all, some, anything, nobody

For example:
Most wealth is held by a select few.
Everyone is here already.
I don't have any paper napkins. Can you bring some?
He's nobody.

4. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to connect a clause or phrase to a noun or pronoun. We often see them when we need to add more
information. They are:
Who, whom, which, whoever, whomever, whichever, that

For example:
The driver who ran the stop sign was careless.
I don't know which pair of shoes you want.
Take whichever ones you want.
No, not that one.

5. Intensive Pronouns
Intensive pronouns emphasize, or intensify, nouns and pronouns. Typically, we find them right after the noun they're
intensifying. These pronouns typically end in -self or -selves. They are:
 Myself, himself, herself, themselves, itself, yourself, yourselves, ourselves

For example:
I myself like to travel.
He himself is his worst critic.
She approved the marriage herself.
We went to hear W.B. Yeats himself speak.

6. Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns take the place of a noun that's already been mentioned. They can be singular or plural. There are five
of them. They include:
These, those, this, that, such

For example:
These are ugly.
Those are lovely.
Don't drink this.
Such was his understanding.

7. Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns do just what they say. They work in sentences that are posing a question. They are:
Who, whom, which, what, whoever, whomever, whichever, whatever

For example:
Who is going to arrive first?
What are you bringing to the party?
Which of these do you like better?
Whatever do you mean?

8. Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are similar to intensive pronouns. The difference between the two is that intensive pronouns aren't
essential to a sentence's meaning. Meanwhile, reflexive pronouns are. Also, they're used when the subject and the object of a sentence
refer to the same person or thing. These pronouns end in -self or -selves. They are:
Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

For example:
I told myself not to spend all my money on new shoes.
You're going to have to drive yourself to the restaurant today.
We gave ourselves plenty of extra time.
They bought themselves a new car.

EXERCISE 1. Pick out the pronouns used in the essay then, identify which type of pronoun each one belongs.
Life is beautiful but not always easy, it has problems, too, and the challenge lies in facing them with courage, letting the
beauty of life act like a balm, which makes the pain bearable, during trying times, by providing hope
Happiness, sorrow, victory, defeat, day-night are the two sides of the me coin. Similarly, life is full of moments of joy,
pleasure, success and comfort punctuated by misery, defeat, failures and problems. There is no human being on Earth, strong,
powerful, wise or rich, who has not experienced, struggle, suffering or failure.
No doubt, life is beautiful and every moment – a celebration of being alive, but one should be always ready to face adversity
and challenges. A person who has not encountered difficulties in life can never achieve success.
Difficulties test the courage, patience, perseverance and true character of a human being. Adversity and hardships make a
person strong and ready to face the challenges of life with equanimity. There is no doubt that there can be no gain without pain. It is
only when one toils and sweats it out that success is nourished and sustained.
Thus, life is and should not be just a bed of roses; thorns are also a part of it and should be accepted by us just as we accept
the beautiful side of life.
The thorns remind one of how success and happiness can be evasive and thus not to feel disappointed and disheartened rather
remember that the pain of thorns is short-lived, and the beauty of life would soon overcome the prick of thorns.
Those, who are under the impression that life is a bed of roses are disillusioned soon and become victims of depression and
frustration. One who faces difficulties with courage and accepts success without letting it go to its head is the one who experience real
happiness, contentment and peace in life.
Those, who think, that good times last forever, easily succumb to pressure during difficulties. They do not put in required
hard work and efforts because they break down easily.
You can take the example of a student, who burns the mid night oil, makes sacrifices and resists temptations so that he can
perform well. Similarly, a successful executive has to face the ups and downs of life, not forgetting that life is a mix of success and
failure, joy and sorrow.
If he loses hope during difficult times, he would not achieve success and would be replaced by others. Even the strongest
Kings and Emperors have had their cup of woes.
Life has not been a bed of roses for them. The adage ‘Uneasy lays the head that wears the crown’ has been rightly used for
people, who are successful and are enjoying power and authority.
To sum up, life is beautiful just as roses but it has challenges which are like thorns and have to be faced and overcome by all.
Those, who accept these, challenges and succeed, are the ones, who know how to live life in its true sense. Thus, enjoy life but also be
prepared to bear the pricks of pain.

USAGE - PRONOUN-ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT

                  
We do not talk or write this way.  Automatically, we replace the noun Lincoln's with a pronoun.  More naturally, we say

                    
The pronoun his refers back to President Lincoln.  President Lincoln is the ANTECEDENT for the pronoun his. 
An antecedent is a word for which a pronoun stands.  (ante = "before")
The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number.
Rule: A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a plural noun.

                
Here are nine pronoun-antecedent agreement rules.  These rules are related to the rules found in subject-verb agreement.
1.  A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the number of the antecedent.
            Example:

2.  Indefinite pronouns as antecedents

          
            Example:

                    
 Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.
                PLURAL:  several, few, both, many
            Example:

                    
 Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either singular or plural. 
          EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL:  some, any, none, all, most

              
               Examples:

                        
                        Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.
                        

                        
                        Jewelry is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.
                

             
                Examples:
                          
                        Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.
                

                            
                        Jewels are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

3.  Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.

4.  With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the antecedent closer to the pronoun.
                    Example #1 (plural antecedent closer to pronoun):

                          
                    Example #2 (singular antecedent closer to pronoun):

                          
    Note:  Example #1, with the plural antecedent closer to the pronoun, creates a smoother sentence
               than example #2, which forces the use of the singular "his or her."   

5.  Collective Nouns  (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or plural, depending on meaning.    

                          
                In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the referent pronoun is singular.
                    

                          
                In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the referent
                 pronoun is plural.
            

                             
                  In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the referent
                  pronoun is plural.
      
              
6.  Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a singular referent.
        EXAMPLES:
                              

7.  Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent.  (news, measles, mumps, physics, etc)
        EXAMPLE:  

8.  Every or Many a before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.

9.  The number of   vs  A number of  before a subject:

                           
 A number of is plural.

Exercise 2. Copy the sentences. Underline the antecedents then supply the proper pronoun referent.
1. When the team scored a touchdown, the crowd threw __ hats in the air.
2. Neither Carmen nor her sisters have bought a gift for _____ brother.
3. Scuba divers are taught that ____ should check ___ equipment.
4. Patrick and Warren will present ____ routine before the other gymnasts do.
5. Not one hiker would set out without ____ compass.
6. Sal and Marcus shop for clothes here because ____ can find good bargains.
7. Either Debbie or Melinda will bring ____ ice skates.
8. Anyone who wants a job should bring _____ application to me.
9. Arctic explorers discover that ____ cannot expose skin to the icy air.
10. I told everyone in the boys’ choir that ____ had to bring a boxed lunch.
11. Neither Carl nor Mark asked ____ parents to chaperone the dance.
12. The town council will be presenting ____ own proposal for the new park.
13. Fran always liked walking home because ____ saved money on bus fare.
14. If ___ should fall, experienced in-line skaters know that knee and elbow pads will reduce the risk of injury.
15. Neither Kate nor Anne has had ____ vacation pictures developed yet.
NOTE: Answer on a blank sheet of paper. Take a photo of your answers.
Document yourself while answering (photo/video). Send your answers and
documentations on GC.

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