Pronoun Antecedent Agreement with Or: What You Need to Know
As a copy editor, it`s important to pay attention to pronoun antecedent agreement. This means making sure that the pronoun matches the noun it`s referring to in terms of number and gender. However, when it comes to using the conjunction “or,” things can get a bit tricky.
In general, when “or” is used to join two nouns, the pronoun that follows should agree with the noun that comes closest to it. For example:
– Either John or Jane will bring their own lunch.
In this sentence, “their” is the pronoun and it agrees with “Jane,” which is the noun closest to it.
However, there are some situations where the pronoun should be plural, regardless of the nearest noun.
– Either the parents or the children will have to bring their permission slips.
In this sentence, “their” is plural even though “children” is singular, because it refers to both parents and children as a group.
Another way to handle this situation is to rephrase the sentence to avoid the issue altogether.
– Either the parents will have to bring their permission slips, or the children will.
This version eliminates the need for a pronoun entirely.
It`s also worth noting that when “or” is used to join two pronouns, they should match in terms of person (first, second, or third) and gender if applicable.
– Either he or she will have to bring his or her own laptop.
In this sentence, both “he” and “she” are third person singular, so the pronouns that follow (“his” and “her”) match accordingly.
In summary, when it comes to pronoun antecedent agreement with “or,” the key is to pay attention to both number and groupings. By doing so, you can ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and grammatically correct.