Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement - Free Printable

Let's solve this step-by-step. The task has two parts:

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Part 1: Fill in the blank with the correct pronoun or pair of pronouns

We need to choose the correct pronoun(s) that agree with the underlined antecedent (the noun or noun phrase before the blank). The pronoun must match in number (singular/plural), person, and gender if applicable.

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#### 1. The siblings planned a surprise getaway for _________ parents' anniversary.
- Antecedent: *The siblings* (plural)
- We need a possessive pronoun to show ownership of "parents' anniversary."
- Answer: their
✔ *Their* refers to the siblings’ parents.

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#### 2. The cow raised _________ voice in a surprised moo.
- Antecedent: *The cow* (singular, animal, but treated as singular)
- We need a reflexive or possessive pronoun.
- "Raised its voice" is correct — animals use its.
- Answer: its

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#### 3. The captains of each team accepted _________ award.
- Antecedent: *The captains* (plural)
- But note: “each team” implies individual teams → each captain received their own award.
- So we use their (plural possessive, used inclusively).
- Answer: their

> Note: While some grammar purists might prefer "his or her," their is now widely accepted as the plural possessive form in modern English.

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#### 4. Jessica was proud of _________ older sister and brother.
- Antecedent: *Jessica* (singular, female)
- She is proud of her siblings → possessive pronoun
- Answer: her

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#### 5. The young girl told _________ not to be afraid of the dark.
- Antecedent: *The young girl*
- She told someone — likely herself? But “told _______” needs an object pronoun.
- If she’s telling herself, then it's herself.
- But if it's someone else, it could be “him/her,” but the sentence structure suggests reflexive.
- Most logical: herself (she told herself not to be afraid)
- Answer: herself

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#### 6. Everybody in the class wanted _________ own microscope.
- Antecedent: *Everybody* (singular indefinite pronoun)
- "Everybody" is singular, so use his or her or their.
- Modern usage accepts their as singular.
- Answer: their (or *his or her*, but their is more natural)

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#### 7. Few of the photographers developed _________ own film.
- Antecedent: *Few of the photographers* → plural
- "Few" means several → plural subject
- So possessive pronoun: their
- Answer: their

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#### 8. Brian or Michael will lend _________ microscope to the class.
- Antecedent: *Brian or Michael* → two people, but "or" makes the subject singular
- So we need a singular pronoun
- Since both are male, use his
- But grammatically, when choosing between two people, we use the pronoun matching the first (Brian), so his
- Answer: his

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#### 9. Brian and Michael will lend _________ microscope to the class.
- Antecedent: *Brian and Michael* → compound subject, plural
- Need plural possessive pronoun
- Answer: their

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#### 10. Jackson and Mia said that _________ will be here by 2:00 PM.
- Antecedent: *Jackson and Mia* → plural
- They’re saying something about themselves → subject pronoun
- "They will be here..." → they
- Answer: they

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#### 11. Neither Sophia nor Lucy finished _________ sculpture.
- Antecedent: *Neither Sophia nor Lucy* → two singular subjects, but "neither...nor" takes singular verb
- So pronoun should be singular
- Both are female → her
- Answer: her

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#### 12. Both Paul and Tanesha finished _________ sculpture.
- Antecedent: *Both Paul and Tanesha* → plural
- So possessive pronoun: their
- Answer: their

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#### 13. The audience took _________ seats before the start of the play.
- Antecedent: *The audience* → collective noun, usually treated as singular
- But "audience" can be plural depending on context
- However, “took _________ seats” implies multiple people → plural
- So we use their
- Answer: their

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#### 14. The pack hunted on _________ own occasionally.
- Antecedent: *The pack* → collective noun, often treated as singular
- "Hunted on its own" = independently
- Answer: its

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#### 15. The committee of workers gave _________ raises for the coming new year.
- Antecedent: *The committee of workers* → collective noun
- The committee is acting as a group → singular
- But they're giving raises to themselves?
- Actually, the sentence says: "gave _________ raises"
- The committee gave their raises (to themselves) — but wait: does the committee give raises to itself?
- More likely: themselves? But that would be reflexive.
- Wait: "gave themselves raises" — yes, possible.
- But the blank is for a pronoun to replace the antecedent.
- The antecedent is *committee*, which is singular.
- So if the committee gave itself raises, then itself.
- But "committee" is a group — so themselves is better.
- However, collective nouns can take either:
- Singular: "The committee gave itself raises." (if seen as one unit)
- Plural: "The committee gave themselves raises." (if seen as individuals)
- In modern usage, themselves is common here.
- But since the antecedent is *committee*, and it's a single entity, itself is technically correct.
- But "workers" is plural inside the committee → themselves is acceptable.
- Best answer: themselves (since "workers" is plural)
- Answer: themselves

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✔ Part 1 Answers Summary:

| # | Sentence | Answer |
|---|--------|--------|
| 1 | their |
| 2 | its |
| 3 | their |
| 4 | her |
| 5 | herself |
| 6 | their |
| 7 | their |
| 8 | his |
| 9 | their |
| 10 | they |
| 11 | her |
| 12 | their |
| 13 | their |
| 14 | its |
| 15 | themselves |

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Part 2: Use each pronoun correctly and circle the antecedent

Now we must write a sentence using each pronoun and circle the antecedent.

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#### 16. its
- Sentence: The dog wagged its tail happily.
- Circle: *dog*

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#### 17. her
- Sentence: Sarah finished her homework early.
- Circle: *Sarah*

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#### 18. their
- Sentence: The students submitted their projects on time.
- Circle: *students*

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#### 19. himself
- Sentence: John hurt himself while climbing the tree.
- Circle: *John*

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#### 20. they
- Sentence: They arrived late to the meeting.
- Circle: *They* (but since "they" is the subject, we need to identify what "they" refers to — say: "The teachers came late. They arrived late.")
- Better: The children were excited. They arrived late.
- Circle: *children*

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✔ Final Answers:

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Part 1: Pronouns for Antecedents

1. their
2. its
3. their
4. her
5. herself
6. their
7. their
8. his
9. their
10. they
11. her
12. their
13. their
14. its
15. themselves

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Part 2: Use Pronouns & Circle Antecedent

16. The cat licked its paws.
→ Circle: *cat*

17. Maria left her book on the table.
→ Circle: *Maria*

18. The team celebrated their victory.
→ Circle: *team*

19. He broke his arm and injured himself.
→ Circle: *He*

20. The students studied hard, and they passed the test.
→ Circle: *students*

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