Exercise on Pronoun Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun antecedent agreement is an essential aspect of effective writing. It refers to the consistency between a pronoun and the noun it is referring to, also known as its antecedent. This agreement helps readers understand the message the writer is trying to convey easily. Failing to achieve this consistency can cause confusion and distract readers from the main message of the text.

This article focuses on practicing pronoun antecedent agreement in exercise writing. Exercise writing is an excellent way to sharpen your writing skills and pay attention to details you might have missed in your regular writing.

Here are some exercises to help you improve your pronoun antecedent agreement.

Exercise 1: Identify the antecedent of each pronoun.

Look for pronouns in any text you find. Identify the nouns they are referring to and note them down. Pay attention to singular and plural nouns to ensure that the correct pronoun is used. For example:

Sandra entered the room, and she smiled at the guests. (She refers to Sandra)

The team members were happy because they won the championship. (They refers to team members)

Exercise 2: Rewrite sentences to correct pronoun antecedent agreement errors.

Rewriting sentences is an excellent way to practice how to match pronouns correctly with their corresponding antecedent. Here are some examples:

Incorrect: Mary bought a car, and it was expensive. (It refers to car)

Corrected: Mary bought a car, and the car was expensive.

Incorrect: The coach told the players that he would increase their practice hours. (He refers to players)

Corrected: The coach told the players that he would increase their practice hours of the team.

Exercise 3: Check for vague pronouns

Sometimes, writers use pronouns that are not clear, thus making it difficult for readers to determine the antecedent. Here is an example:

Unclear: When James saw the dog, he started to bark.

Clear: When James saw the dog, the dog started to bark.

In the first sentence, it is not clear who started to bark, James or the dog. The second sentence is clear because it specifies that the dog started to bark.

In conclusion, practicing pronoun antecedent agreement is crucial for effective writing. The exercises given above can help you improve your writing skills by paying attention to details and ensuring consistency. As a copy editor, you must ensure that pronoun antecedent agreement is achieved in any text you edit. This will enhance clarity and readability, allowing readers to understand the intended message.