Question

parts of speech
pronouns and antecedents
recall that a pronoun is used to replace a noun to avoid unnecessary repetition. the word that the pronoun replaces is called its antecedent.
example: veronica loves her new mp3 player. she uses it at the gym every day.
(veronica is the antecedent for her and she. mp3 player is the antecedent for it.)
as you can see in the example above, the antecedent can be in the same sentence as the pronoun, or it can be in the previous sentence.
read the following sentences. underline the pronouns, and circle their antecedents.

1. mrs. edwards always writes her comments at the end of the essays.
2. jorge and derek said they need a ride to school in the morning.
3. the gym was decorated more than it had been in previous years.
4. the mother woke up her children before they could wake up on their own.
5. miranda failed her math test, so she will retake it next week.

Explanation:

1. In the first sentence, "her" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "Mrs. Edwards".
2. In the second sentence, "they" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "Jorge and Derek".
3. In the third sentence, "it" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "The gym".
4. In the fourth sentence, "her" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "The mother", "they" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "children", "their" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "children".
5. In the fifth sentence, "her" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "Miranda", "she" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "Miranda", "it" is a pronoun and its antecedent is "math test".

Answer:

1. Underline "her", circle "Mrs. Edwards".
2. Underline "they", circle "Jorge and Derek".
3. Underline "it", circle "The gym".
4. Underline "her", circle "The mother"; underline "they", circle "children"; underline "their", circle "children".
5. Underline "her", circle "Miranda"; underline "she", circle "Miranda"; underline "it", circle "math test".