Pronouns and Antecedents Review

Rule 2: Use a singular pronoun to refer to two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor.

Examples:

• Neither Gary nor Paul has completed his research project.

• Claire or Suzi promised to come by and lend me her notes for our civics test.

Rule 3A: Use a singular pronoun to refer to a singular indefinite pronoun.

Examples:

• Each of the women on the team has improved her batting average.

• Everyone in the boys' choir must learn his part.

Rule 3B: Use a plural pronoun to refer to a plural indefinite pronoun.

Examples:

• Some of the computer viruses do their damage slowly.

• Several girls are wearing their uniforms.

Rule 3C: The indefinite pronouns all, any, more, most, none, and some may be singular or plural, depending on their meaning in a sentence.

Examples:

Some of the test is hard, isn't it?

Some of the questions are easy. I'll do them first.

Rule 4: A collective noun is singular when it refers to the group as a unit and plural when it refers to the individual members of the group.

Example:

• Each morning, the staff check their mail and announcement bulletins.

• The new woodwind ensemble is practicing now, and I am eager to go and hear them.

Rule 5: An expression of amount may be singular or plural depending on how it is used.

Examples:

• Fifteen hundred rocks made a sturdy wall when we stacked them securely.

• This glass holds eight ounces of cool lemonade; it is enough to be refreshing.

Rule 6: Singular pronouns are used to refer to some nouns that are plural in form.

Examples:

• Is the politics of today's party really different from that of twenty years ago?

• Mumps can be a dangerous illness, especially when an adult has it.