Pronoun Agreement
A pronoun takes the place of a noun. For clarity and consistency, the pronoun must " agree" with the noun it is replacing. That is, a masculine pronoun must be used to replace a masculine noun. A plural pronoun must be used to replace a plural noun.
Pronoun agreement is often a problem with indefinite pronouns, as in the following sentence:
A person needs to plan what they are going to do.
" Person" is singular, but " they" is plural. Although a sentence like this is acceptable in casual conversation, it would not be appropriate in a more formal situation.
- We can make both words singular:
You need to plan what you are going to do.
An new employee needs to plan what she is going to do.
- We can make both word plural:
People need to plan what they are going to do.
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