What you'll learn
Pronoun reference and agreement is tested directly in CXC CSEC English Language Paper 1 and indirectly throughout Paper 2, where unclear pronouns are one of the commonest causes of lost communication marks. A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun, and it only works if the reader can tell instantly which noun it stands for. Two things can go wrong: the pronoun may not match its noun in number, person or gender, which is an agreement error; or the reader may not be able to tell which noun it refers to at all, which is a reference error. By the end of this guide you should be able to identify the antecedent of any pronoun, apply agreement with indefinite pronouns and collective nouns, choose correctly between subject and object pronoun forms, avoid ambiguous, vague and missing references, use who and whom accurately, and handle gender-neutral reference in a way that is both correct and natural.
Key terms and definitions
Pronoun — a word used in place of a noun, such as he, she, it, they, this, which or who
Antecedent — the noun that a pronoun refers back to and stands in for
Pronoun agreement — the match between a pronoun and its antecedent in number, person and gender
Subject pronoun — a pronoun performing the action: I, he, she, we, they, who
Object pronoun — a pronoun receiving the action or following a preposition: me, him, her, us, them, whom
Possessive pronoun — a pronoun showing ownership: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Reflexive pronoun — a pronoun ending in -self or -selves, used when the subject and object are the same
Ambiguous reference — a pronoun that could refer to more than one antecedent
Vague reference — a pronoun, often this, that, which or it, that refers to a whole idea rather than a specific noun
Shift in person — an inconsistent movement between one, you, we and they within a passage
Core concepts
Pronouns and their antecedents
Every pronoun must have a clear antecedent, and the two must agree. Marcia collected her certificate works because her clearly refers to Marcia, and both are singular and feminine.
Agreement operates on three dimensions at once. Number: a singular antecedent takes a singular pronoun. Person: a first-person antecedent takes a first-person pronoun, and so on. Gender: masculine, feminine or neuter as appropriate.
The antecedent normally comes before the pronoun, which is what the ante in antecedent means. A pronoun that appears before its antecedent forces the reader to hold meaning in suspense, and while this is occasionally used deliberately for effect, it is rarely a good idea in exam writing.
Agreement with indefinite pronouns
Indefinite pronouns cause more pronoun errors than any other single category, because the singular ones are so often followed by plural-sounding phrases.
Singular indefinite pronouns include each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody, no one and nobody. Each of these takes a singular pronoun: Everyone must bring his or her own calculator.
Plural indefinite pronouns include both, few, many and several: Several of the candidates collected their results.
Variable indefinite pronouns — all, any, most, none, some — take their number from the noun that follows of: Most of the syllabus has been covered, and its final section will be taught next term but Most of the students have collected their books.
Gender-neutral reference
When the antecedent could be of any gender, there are three acceptable approaches, and knowing all three lets you choose the least clumsy in context.
You may use his or her: Each student must sign his or her name. This is correct but becomes heavy if repeated.
You may rewrite in the plural, which is usually the most elegant solution: All students must sign their names.
You may rewrite to avoid the pronoun entirely: Each student must sign the register.
Singular they — Each student must sign their name — is now widely accepted in general usage and is increasingly acknowledged by examiners. However, since CSEC rewards demonstrable control of formal Standard English, the plural rewrite is the safest choice under exam conditions because it is unambiguously correct by every standard.
Collective nouns as antecedents
A collective noun takes a singular pronoun when the group acts as one unit and a plural pronoun when the members act individually.
The choir performed its final piece treats the choir as a single body. The choir collected their music folders treats the members separately, since each has an individual folder.
The critical rule is consistency. The team has announced their squad mixes a singular verb with a plural pronoun and will be marked wrong. Choose one number and carry it through the sentence.
Subject and object pronoun forms
Subject pronouns perform the action; object pronouns receive it or follow a preposition.
The rule is straightforward alone — nobody writes Her went to the shop — but errors appear as soon as the pronoun is part of a compound. Sanjay and me collected the equipment is wrong; Sanjay and I collected the equipment is right.
The test is to remove the other person and read the sentence again. Me collected the equipment is obviously wrong, so I is required. Conversely, The teacher thanked Sanjay and I fails the same test, because The teacher thanked I is wrong; it should be Sanjay and me.
Note that a pronoun after a preposition always takes the object form: between you and me, never between you and I. This particular error is extremely common precisely because writers over-correct, believing I always sounds more educated.
Reflexive pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object are the same person: She taught herself to play the guitar. They are also used for emphasis: The Minister himself opened the centre.
They must never be used simply as a substitute for an ordinary pronoun. Please send the forms to myself is wrong; it should be to me. There is also no such word as hisself or theirselves in Standard English; the correct forms are himself and themselves.
Ambiguous and vague reference
A reference is ambiguous when a pronoun could point to more than one antecedent. Karen told Denise that she had won the prize leaves the reader unable to tell who won. The fix is either to repeat the noun — Karen told Denise that Denise had won the prize — or to recast the sentence: Karen congratulated Denise on winning the prize.
A reference is vague when the pronoun refers to a whole idea rather than a specific noun. The bus was late and the rain was heavy, which made us miss the ceremony. There is no single noun that which replaces. The fix is to supply one: The bus was late and the rain was heavy, a combination that made us miss the ceremony.
A reference is missing when the antecedent is only implied. In the article it says that tourism has grown has no noun for it; the sentence should read The article says that tourism has grown.
Shifts in person
Within a single piece of writing, keep the person consistent. A frequent error is beginning in the third person and sliding into the second: A student should revise regularly if you want to succeed. Either A student should revise regularly if he or she wants to succeed or, better, Students should revise regularly if they want to succeed.
Who and whom
Who is a subject pronoun and whom is an object pronoun. The reliable test is to answer the clause with he or him: if he fits, use who; if him fits, use whom. Both whom and him end in m, which makes the pairing easy to recall.
The teacher who marked the scripts — he marked them, so who. The candidate whom we selected — we selected him, so whom. After a preposition, whom is always used: to whom it may concern.
Worked examples
Example 1: Correcting an agreement error (2 marks)
Correct this sentence: Everybody on the girls' team collected their trophy.
Everybody is a singular indefinite pronoun, so it requires a singular pronoun, not their. Since the context specifies the girls' team, the gender is known and the neatest correction is Everybody on the girls' team collected her trophy. Alternatively, the sentence could be recast in the plural: All the girls on the team collected their trophies.
Example 2: Resolving an ambiguous reference (3 marks)
Rewrite to remove the ambiguity: When Andre met Rohan at the stadium, he told him that his ticket was missing.
There are three unclear pronouns and the reader cannot tell whose ticket is missing or who spoke. The sentence must be recast so each reference is unmistakable. One correct version is: When Andre met Rohan at the stadium, Andre told him that Rohan's ticket was missing. Another is: Meeting Rohan at the stadium, Andre pointed out that Rohan had lost his ticket. Any version that makes both the speaker and the ticket's owner explicit is acceptable.
Example 3: Choosing the correct form (3 marks)
Select the correct pronoun in each case and justify your choice: The prizes were shared between Melissa and (I / me). It was (she / her) who organised the evening. The committee thanked (whoever / whomever) had helped.
First, between is a preposition, so the object form is required: between Melissa and me. Removing Melissa and gives between me, which confirms it. Second, the pronoun follows the linking verb was and renames the subject, so the subject form is needed: It was she who organised the evening. Third, the pronoun is the subject of the clause had helped, so the subject form applies: whoever had helped. Substituting he had helped confirms it.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The most frequent error is treating singular indefinite pronouns as plural. Everyone, each and somebody are singular no matter how many people they describe.
Over-correction with I is almost as common. Between you and I and He gave it to John and I are both wrong. Remove the other person and the correct form becomes obvious immediately.
Vague this, that and which referring to a whole preceding idea is a major cause of lost communication marks in Paper 2. If you find yourself writing which after a comma, check that it replaces a specific noun and not a general situation.
Students often slide between one, you and they within a paragraph. Decide on your person before you begin and hold it throughout.
Finally, hisself and theirselves are not Standard English forms. Use himself and themselves.
Exam technique for "Pronoun Reference and Agreement"
In Paper 1 items, locate the antecedent before you look at the options, and underline it if you are permitted to write on the paper. Almost every distractor is designed to catch a candidate who agreed with the nearest noun instead.
For subject and object questions, always apply the removal test. It takes two seconds and is more reliable than deciding what sounds right, because the incorrect forms are so common in speech that they often sound perfectly natural.
In Paper 2, do a dedicated proofreading pass for pronouns. Read each pronoun and ask yourself, out loud if you can, exactly which noun it replaces. If you hesitate for even a moment, your reader will too, and the sentence needs rewriting.
When a pronoun creates any risk of ambiguity, repeat the noun. Repetition is a very minor stylistic cost; confusion is a marking one.
Quick revision summary
A pronoun replaces a noun called its antecedent, and the two must agree in number, person and gender. Singular indefinite pronouns include each, either, neither, everyone, somebody and nobody; plural ones include both, few, many and several; all, any, most, none and some follow the noun after of. For gender-neutral reference, the plural rewrite is the safest exam choice. Collective nouns take singular pronouns when the group acts as a unit and plural when members act individually, but must stay consistent. Subject pronouns perform the action and object pronouns receive it or follow a preposition, so use between you and me; test compounds by removing the other person. Reflexive pronouns are used only when subject and object are the same, or for emphasis, and hisself is not a word. Avoid ambiguous references with more than one possible antecedent, vague this or which referring to whole ideas, and missing antecedents. Keep person consistent, and use who where he fits and whom where him fits.