How to Identify Pronouns and Their Antecedents
Knowing how to identify pronouns and their antecedents will make you a better reader. Many questions on major standardized tests (from the CRCT to the SAT) relate to pronouns and antecedents, so being able to recognize them will also help you do well on these tests
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Instructions
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Define pronouns. Pronouns are general words that can take the place of nouns. The following words are a few examples of pronouns: he, she, it, they, us, we, you, them. Pronouns can also show possession. The following words are a few examples of possessive pronouns: its, his, her, our, their.
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Define antecedents. Antecedents are the specific nouns that pronouns replace. Consider the following sentence: Marcus walks his dogs every Wednesday. In this sentence, "Marcus" is the antecedent of the pronoun "his." Now, look at this sentence: Kyra loves to laugh, and she is the most beautiful baby in the world. In this sentence, "Kyra" is the antecedent of the pronoun "she."
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After you read a sentence, look for the pronouns first. Example: The dog looks scary, but it is really very friendly. The only pronoun in this sentence is "it."
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When you have identified the pronoun in a sentence, ask yourself which word the pronoun is replacing. The word being replaced by the pronoun will be its antecedent. Example: The dog looks scary, but it is really friendly. You know that the pronoun is "it." The pronoun "it" is replacing the word "dog." Therefore, "dog" is the antecedent.
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Understand that sometimes, pronouns and their antecedents appear in different sentences. For example: Marsha went to the prom every year of high school. She is very popular. Even though there are two sentences, the process for identifying pronouns and their antecedents is the same. The pronoun is "she." The pronoun "she" replaces the word "Marsha." Therefore, "Marsha" is the antecedent.
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Resources
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