Writing @ Conestoga

The antecedent is the noun or pronoun your new pronoun has replaced. When you use a pronoun, it must agree with its antecedent in

1. number (plural or singular)
2. gender (masculine, feminine, generic), and
3. person (human or nonhuman)

With that being said, when discussing human antecedents avoid gendered bias and always use a person's self-identified pronouns:

• Use "they" as a generic third-person singular pronoun when referring back to a person whose gender is not known or if gender is not relevant in the text.
• Use the traditional plural verb conjugation with the singular they (they are vs. they is).
• Avoid "he" or "she" as generic pronouns because these two pronouns both convey gendered meaning about the antecedant.
• Avoid combos like s/he or she/he if you are trying to be generic or gender neutral. Instead, use they.

For more on using the singular "they" see the APA style manual.

Example with Correct Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement	Pronoun	Antecedent
The tree extended its roots.	its (singular, generic, nonhuman)	tree (singular, generic, nonhuman)
Elliot Page, my favourite Canadian celebrity, starred in a new show, and their acting was amazing.	their (singular, generic, human)	Elliot Page (singular, uses he/they pronouns, human) In 2020, Elliot Page specified their pronouns as he/they after announcing that they are both transgender and nonbinary.

In other cases, it can be more difficult to decide on the correct pronoun.

Example of a Pronoun-Antecedent Error	Pronoun	Antecedent
A nurse should consider the needs of her patients.	her (female)	nurse (generic)

Not all nurses are female. This sentence could be made more inclusive as

• A nurse should consider the needs of their patients. (they/their can be singular, it is generic, and used for humans)

Pronouns also need to have a clear antecedent. However, sometimes a sentence seems to have two possible antecedents. If this is the case, rewrite the sentence. Take a look at the following incorrect sentence that has an unclear pronoun reference:

Example	Pronoun	Antecedent
After Japan's forward Mina Tanaka collided with Canada's keeper Stephanie Labbé, she had to go to the hospital.	she	unclear (Who went to hospital? Tanaka or Labbé?)

Since it is unclear who had to go to the hospital, the sentence should be rewritten:

• After Japan's forward Mina Tanaka and Canada's keeper Stephanie Labbé collided, Labbé had to go to the hospital.
• Canada's keeper Stephanie Labbé had to go to the hospital after Japan's forward Mina Tanaka collided with her.
   

Vague Pronouns
There has to be a noun or pronoun within the sentence that can act as an antecedent. The pronouns it, this, that, and which can lead to a vague pronoun reference when they refer to something mentioned earlier in a different sentence:

Example	Pronoun	Antecedent
When the race organizers realized there was construction on the main street, they changed the route. It created chaos on race day.	it	vague (What created chaos? The construction or the changed route?)

In the above example, the pronoun "It" in the second sentence is vague because it has no antecedent. However, there are possible antecedents in the first sentence. To fix the sentence, replace the pronoun:

• When the race organizers realized there was construction on the main street, they changed the route. This change created chaos on race day.

Implied Pronouns
Another situation to watch out for is implied pronouns. Remember, the antecedent needs to be present in the sentence. Here's an example of a sentence with no antecedent for the pronoun:

Example	Pronoun	Antecedent
Since the weather forecast is routinely wrong, people often get frustrated with them.	them	implied (Who do people get frustrated with? Meterologists)

The sentence needs to be rewritten by replacing the pronoun with a noun:

• Since the weather forecast is routinely wrong, people often get frustrated with meteorologists.