Correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person
Key Notes:
Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and person.
Do not use a plural pronoun for a singular antecedent or a singular pronoun for a plural antecedent.
A sea urchin has long, sharp spines all over their its body.
Do not shift person within a sentence. In particular, do not use the second-person pronouns you or your to refer to a first-person or third-person antecedent.
At this school, students need to take at least three English classes before you they graduate.
Learn with an example
➡️ Find the incorrect pronoun and type it correctly.
Before a polio vaccine was invented in the 1950s, many people lived in fear of the disease, which he mistakenly thought was caused by unsanitary conditions during the summer months.
- The pronoun he is incorrect. Its antecedent, many people, is plural, so the pronoun should be plural, too. Change he to they.
- Before a polio vaccine was invented in the 1950s, many people lived in fear of the disease, which they mistakenly thought was caused by unsanitary conditions during the summer months.
➡️ Find the incorrect pronoun and type it correctly.
As part of their courtship ritual, male bowerbirds use sticks, rocks, flower petals, pieces of rubbish and other objects collected from its surroundings to construct an elaborate structure known as a bower.
- The pronoun its is incorrect. Its antecedent, male bowerbirds, is plural, so the pronoun should be plural, too. Change its to their.
- As part of their courtship ritual, male bowerbirds use sticks, rocks, flower petals, pieces of rubbish and other objects collected from their surroundings to construct an elaborate structure known as a bower.
➡️ Find the incorrect pronoun and type it correctly.
The black mamba is an extremely venomous snake in sub-Saharan Africa. When provoked, they may strike and cause a fatal wound.
- The pronoun they is incorrect. Its antecedent, the black mamba, is singular, so the pronoun should be singular, too. Change they to it.
- The black mamba is an extremely venomous snake in sub-Saharan Africa. When provoked, it may strike and cause a fatal wound.
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