Pronoun and its Antecedent

 Pronoun and its Antecedent

Pronoun and its Antecedent tailored for IOE (Institute of Engineering) competitive exams, including definition, uses, tips, strategies, and 20 practice MCQs with answers and short reasons.

1. Definition

Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they, who, which).

Antecedent: The noun or noun phrase to which a pronoun refers (literally "goes before").

Example: Ramesh lost his wallet.
— Ramesh = antecedent; his = pronoun.

---

2. Uses of Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Use	Explanation
Number agreement	Singular antecedent → singular pronoun (he/she/it); plural → plural (they).
Person agreement	First person (I/we), second (you), third (he/she/it/they) must match.
Gender agreement	Masculine (he/him), feminine (she/her), neutral (it/they).
Clarity	Pronoun must clearly refer to only one possible noun.
Avoid repetition	Replace repeated nouns for fluency.

---

3. Common Errors in IOE Exams

Error	Example	Correction
Vague pronoun	The teacher told the student he failed. (Who failed?)	The teacher told the student, "You failed."
Number mismatch	Everyone should bring their book. (Traditionally his; now their accepted in modern usage but check exam preference)	Everyone should bring his or her book.
Ambiguous antecedent	The car hit the truck, but it wasn't damaged. (Which one?)	The car hit the truck, but the car wasn't damaged.
Remote antecedent	The book was on the table. John read it. (OK) But: The book on the table near the window that my uncle bought was old. It was torn. (What was torn?)	Rewrite.

---

4. Useful Tips & Strategies for IOE

✅ Agreement Rules

• Indefinite pronouns (everyone, someone, nobody, each, either, neither) are singular.

❌ Everyone brought their lunch. (Informal)

✅ Everyone brought his or her lunch. (Formal/Exam standard)

• Collective nouns (team, committee, family) → singular if acting as one unit, plural if members act individually.

The team won its first game. (One unit)

The team went to their homes. (Individuals)

• Compound subjects with or/nor → pronoun agrees with the nearer antecedent.

Neither the teacher nor the students did their homework. (Students = plural)

• Relative pronouns (who, whom, which, that) → antecedent determines which to use.
• who/whom → people
• which → things or animals
• that → people or things (restrictive clauses)

🔍 Clarity Strategies

• Repeat the noun if two possible antecedents exist.
• Place pronoun close to its antecedent.
• Avoid it, they, this, that without a clear noun reference.

📝 Exam Strategy

• First, identify the pronoun. Then, find its antecedent.
• Check number, person, gender.
• If ambiguous → error.

---

5. Practice Questions (MCQs) with Answers & Reasons

Q1. “Each of the students must submit ______ assignment by Friday.”

A) his
B) their
C) our
D) your

Answer: A) his (or his or her; in traditional IOE exams, singular his is preferred for each).

Reason: Each is singular indefinite pronoun → singular pronoun his (or his or her). Their is plural and not accepted in formal writing.

---

Q2. “The jury reached ______ verdict after three hours.”

A) its
B) their
C) his
D) our

Answer: A) its

Reason: Jury as a collective noun acting as one unit → singular neuter its.

---

Q3. “Neither Ramesh nor Suresh brought ______ laptop.”

A) his
B) their
C) our
D) its

Answer: A) his

Reason: With neither...nor, pronoun agrees with the nearest antecedent (Suresh) → singular masculine his.

---

Q4. “The committee members have submitted ______ reports.”

A) its
B) his
C) their
D) it's

Answer: C) their

Reason: Members is plural → plural pronoun their.

---

Q5. “Someone left ______ umbrella in the library.”

A) their
B) his or her
C) its
D) our

Answer: B) his or her (or his in traditional exams).

Reason: Someone is singular indefinite → singular pronoun required. Their is increasingly common but may be marked incorrect in formal IOE.

---

Q6. “The book, which has a red cover, is mine.” — The antecedent of which is:

A) book
B) red
C) cover
D) mine

Answer: A) book

Reason: Which is a relative pronoun referring to the nearest possible noun (book).

---

Q7. Identify the sentence with correct pronoun-antecedent agreement:

A) Everybody must bring their own pen.
B) Everybody must bring his own pen.
C) Everybody must bring our own pen.
D) Everybody must bring your own pen.

Answer: B) Everybody must bring his own pen.

Reason: Everybody is singular → singular his (traditional). Their is informal.

---

Q8. “The team celebrated ______ victory loudly.”

A) its
B) their
C) our
D) your

Answer: A) its

Reason: Team as unit → singular its. If individuals, their possible but less common in single-sentence IOE items.

---

Q9. “If anyone calls, tell ______ I’ll be back soon.”

A) them
B) him or her
C) him
D) her

Answer: B) him or her (or him as default masculine in older exams)

Reason: Anyone is singular indefinite → singular pronoun needed. Them is plural.

---

Q10. Which sentence has a vague pronoun?

A) John told Peter that he was late.
B) When the car hit the tree, it broke.
C) Both A and B.
D) Neither A nor B.

Answer: C) Both A and B.

Reason: In A, he could be John or Peter. In B, it could be car or tree → ambiguity.

---

Q11. “None of the food was eaten, so ______ was thrown away.”

A) it
B) they
C) them
D) we

Answer: A) it

Reason: Food is uncountable singular → singular neuter it.

---

Q12. “Either the manager or the assistants will give ______ approval.”

A) his
B) her
C) their
D) its

Answer: C) their

Reason: With either...or, pronoun agrees with nearer antecedent assistants (plural) → their.

---

Q13. “Each boy and each girl received ______ certificate.”

A) his
B) her
C) their
D) his or her

Answer: D) his or her (or his as default)

Reason: Each...and each is singular → singular pronoun. Their is incorrect in formal English.

---

Q14. “The dog wagged ______ tail happily.”

A) its
B) it's
C) their
D) his

Answer: A) its

Reason: Dog is singular neuter (unless specified male) → its. It's = it is.

---

Q15. “One should always do ______ best.”

A) his
B) their
C) one's
D) our

Answer: C) one's

Reason: When one is the antecedent, the pronoun should be one's (or his in older style, but one's is most consistent).

---

Q16. Which pronoun correctly completes: “The United Nations has ______ headquarters in New York.”

A) its
B) their
C) our
D) your

Answer: A) its

Reason: Organization names are singular → its.

---

Q17. “Everybody I met today was friendly, and ______ offered to help.”

A) they
B) he
C) she
D) we

Answer: B) he (traditional) or A) they (modern). For IOE, B is safer.

Reason: Everybody is singular → singular pronoun he (generic masculine in traditional grammar).

---

Q18. Identify the correct sentence:

A) Everyone should mind their own business.
B) Everyone should mind his own business.
C) Everyone should mind our own business.
D) Everyone should mind your own business.

Answer: B) Everyone should mind his own business.

Reason: Traditional formal English requires singular his for everyone. Their is acceptable colloquially but not in IOE exams.

---

Q19. “Neither of the cars had ______ lights on.”

A) its
B) their
C) his
D) her

Answer: A) its

Reason: Neither (singular) + cars still makes neither singular → its (each car individually).

---

Q20. “The actress who won the award gave ______ speech.”

A) her
B) his
C) its
D) their

Answer: A) her

Reason: Actress is feminine singular → her.

---

6. Summary Table for Quick Revision

Antecedent Type	Example	Correct Pronoun
Indefinite singular (everyone, someone, nobody, each, either, neither)	Each student	his / his or her
Collective noun (unit)	The team	its
Collective noun (individuals)	The team	their
Two nouns with or/nor	Neither Ram nor his friends	their (nearer = friends)
Uncountable noun	Water	it
Organization/Country	Nepal	it/its
Generic one	One	one's