This presentation is brought chomp! to you by. chomp! Grammar Bytes!, 2014 by Robin L. Simmons.

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1 This presentation is brought chomp! to you by Grammar Bytes!, chomp! 2014 by Robin L. Simmons.

2 Pronoun Agreement Everyone should know their pronouns? Or his or her pronouns?

3 This presentation covers maintaining agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent.

4 A pronoun agreement item on an objective test might look like this...

5 Sample Item Spendthrifts are quickly parted from their A money. So a person who wants to start saving B should not spend all of their his time at at the the mall. C A. his or her B. someone C. his D. No change is necessary. The Is the second first their, does a person, not agree or with the a person, second an their error a that choice problem? C fixes.

6 Agreement in a Nutshell The kangaroo carries its joey in a pouch. kangaroo = singular antecedent its = singular pronoun The kangaroos carry their joeys in pouches. kangaroos = plural antecedent their = plural pronoun

7 Know your pronouns. Singular he, she, it him, her, it his, her, hers, its himself, herself, itself Plural they them their, theirs themselves Singular! Plural!

8 Two [or more] singular things joined by and make a plur al antecedent. The new puppy and kitten have destroyed their owner s sofa.

9 W hen each or ever y precedes two [or more] singular things joined by and, you have a singular antecedent. Each Every new puppy and kitten destroys its owner s sofa.

10 In this situation, no matter how many singular nouns you join with and, the antecedent is still singular. Each new puppy, kitten, rabbit, tarantula, python, parrot, turtle, and ferret destroys its owner s sofa.

11 Use caution with these three conjunctions: either or, neither nor, and not onl y but also. Not only the Louise Smiths but also but also the Louise Smiths fixed their fixed her famous their famous squid eyeball squid eyeball stew for stew the picnic. for the picnic. If you You ll want have to use two their, you antecedents the will need to flip the Smiths andlouise but so that only the Smiths closer one are closer counts! to the pronoun.

12 T hese indefinite pr onouns are always singular [even w hen they seem plur al]. Each, either, neither Anyone, anybody, anything Everyone, everybody, everything No one, nobody, nothing Someone, somebody, something

13 Everyone on Earth = more than one person billions of people, in fact. The word everyone, however, is still singular.

14 Bewar e inter r upting phr ases. Neither of of my my two two brothers shows much much sense when they dates women. This Of sentence my two might brothers sound = prepositional right, but is phrase; neither completely = singular wrong! antecedent.

15 Wow, what a babe! Wow, what a fat wallet! Wow, what a loser!

16 Company, organization, depar tment, and school names ar e singular. One urban legend is that Tito s Taco Palace makes their its burritos with kangaroo meat. We did not! Did you know that?

17 Quick Test Directions: In the items that follow, choose the option that corrects an error in the underlined portion(s). If no error exists, choose No change is necessary. Show me what you know.

18 Item 1 Not only my brothers but also Mom loves to drench their omelets in ketchup. A. his B. her C. his and her D. No change is necessary.

19 Item 2 The students and their professor sweated in the A hot classroom. Each one of them wondered why B they she had decided to to commit to to summer school. C A. his or her B. Every C. she D. No change is necessary.

20 Item 3 Robert and Sue Ellen concentrated on the dead worm on the dissection tray. They used tweezers to pick through innards looking for the heart. A. He B. She C. He or she D. No change is necessary.

21 Item 4 The students have decided to eat at Tito s Taco Palace, where they can order the special. Their Its A BB discount burrito and soda will satisfy hunger, and its C cheap prices will help wallets! A. he or she B. Its C. their D. No change is necessary.

22 Item 5 Either of these thick books by respected authors will have the answer to your research question in their many pages. A. his B. his or her C. its D. No change is necessary.

23 Item 6 If everyone people stopped to smell to smell the the roses, roses, they they might might A B B get stung by bees and have their allergies kick in to C overdrive! A. people B. he or she C. his or her D. No change is necessary.

24 Item 7 Weaver Hill High has strange school colors. Their hot pink and bright yellow combination really stands out on the field. A. Its B. His C. His and her D. No change is necessary.

25 Item 8 Sam is starving, and his buddies have just ordered their upsized meals. Despite Sam s drooling, A neither of them will part with their his French fries. B C A. his B. him C. his D. No change is necessary.

26 Item 9 Clyde refuses to return to the weight room because its staff always pokes fun of his skinny arms and legs. A. their B. his C. her D. No change is necessary.

27 Item 10 Everyone The students should should memorize a a Shakespeare AA monologue for Mrs. Smith because the extra credit points will help them improve their averages at at B C the end of the semester. A. The students B. him or her C. his or her D. No change is necessary.

28 Grammar Bytes! chomp! provides additional handouts chomp! and exercises on pronoun agreement. Go to chompchomp.com!

29 The End.