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Agreement between pronouns and their antecedents in number, gender and person.
Pronouns should agree with their antecedents in person, number and, where appropriate, gender.
Agreement helps make sentences clear, natural and grammatically correct.
A singular antecedent normally takes a singular pronoun, while a plural antecedent takes a plural pronoun.
Compare The student forgot his notebook with The students forgot their notebooks.
Pronouns should match the grammatical person of their antecedents.
Avoid shifting unnecessarily between first, second and third person.
When the gender of the antecedent is known, the corresponding pronoun is normally used.
Modern English increasingly uses singular they when gender is unknown, irrelevant or inclusive language is preferred.
Singular they is widely accepted with indefinite antecedents and when referring to a person whose gender is unknown or unspecified.
Examples include Everyone should bring their ID and If anyone calls, tell them I will return later.
Pronoun agreement with collective nouns depends on whether the group is viewed as a single unit or as individuals.
British English allows plural agreement more freely than American English.
Most indefinite pronouns such as everyone, somebody and nobody take singular agreement, although singular they is common.
Context determines whether singular they is appropriate.
Compound antecedents joined by and usually take plural pronouns, while those joined by or or nor depend on the nearest or intended antecedent.
The grammatical structure affects both pronoun and verb agreement.
Pronoun agreement should remain consistent within a sentence and across connected ideas.
Unnecessary changes in person or number can confuse readers.
Formal and informal English sometimes differ in acceptable agreement patterns.
Modern style guides generally accept singular they in both formal and informal writing.
Careful pronoun agreement improves clarity and precision in formal communication.
Writers should ensure that every pronoun clearly matches its antecedent.
Check that every pronoun agrees correctly with its antecedent.
Common mistakes include mixing singular and plural forms, inconsistent person, incorrect gender agreement and ambiguous use of singular they.