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1 Here’s the Idea
●
An indefinite pronoun does not refer to a specific
person, place, thing, or idea.
Indefinite pronouns often do not have antecedents.
Everyone should know about the men of the Endurance.
Anybody would be amazed by the story of this shipwreck.
Indefinite pronouns can be singular, plural, or either
singular or plural.
CHAPTER 3
Indefinite Pronouns
Plural
Singular
neither
nobody
no one
nothing
one
somebody
someone
something
another
anybody
anyone
anything
each
either
everybody
everyone
everything
both
few
many
several
Singular
or Plural
all
any
most
none
some
Pronouns containing -one, -thing, or -body are always singular.
Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Use a singular personal pronoun to refer to a singular
indefinite pronoun.
RS T O
REFE
Anyone in trouble depends on his or her friends.
(Anyone could be masculine or feminine.)
S TO
REFER
On the Endurance, everybody had to keep up his spirits
while waiting for rescue. (There were only men on the ship.)
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Plural Indefinite Pronouns
Use a plural personal
pronoun to refer to a plural indefinite pronoun.
FE RS TO
RE
Many shared their food and clothing.
FE RS TO
RE
None realized they would not return home for 20 months.
Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns
Some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural.
Most of the mast had lost its sail.
SINGULAR INDEFINITE PRONOUN
SINGULAR PERSONAL PRONOUN
Most of the masts had lost their sails.
PLURAL INDEFINITE PRONOUN
PLURAL PERSONAL PRONOUN
2 Why It Matters in Writing
●
Agreement can help keep your facts and ideas clear. Make
sure that all pronouns agree with their indefinite antecedents
in number.
they
Many wonder how well he would do in a crisis. The
men aboard the ship Endurance had a chance to find out.
his
Everyone did their best to keep up hope.The leaders and
crew battled wind, ice, and darkness. No one wanted to let
his
their friends down.
Pronouns 73
PRONOUNS
Often the phrase that follows the indefinite pronoun will tell
you whether the pronoun is singular or plural.
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3 Practice and Apply
●
A. CONCEPT CHECK: Indefinite-Pronoun Agreement
Choose the pronoun that agrees with the indefinite pronoun
antecedent.
The Ordeal of the Endurance
1. In 1915, all of the men became trapped with (his, their)
●
ship in the Antarctic ice.
2.
● No one could send (his, their) family a message.
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3. Few of them were able to avoid sleeping on the ice in
(his, their) wet clothes.
4. When spring came, all the men had to board three
lifeboats. (He, They) sailed toward a splinter of land.
5. Each was relieved when (he, they) reached the land safely.
6. Shackleton chose a few of the men and asked (him,
them) to row 800 icy miles to get help.
7. Each was chosen for (his, their) special courage.
8. One used (his, their) carpentry skills to make new boat
parts from packing crates!
9. Some of the waves were 50 feet high. The men had to
face (it, them) in only a lifeboat!
10. Incredibly, nobody in Shackleton’s crew lost (his, their) life
during the voyage.
For a SELF-CHECK and more practice, see the EXERCISE BANK, p. 538.
B. PROOFREADING: Agreement Errors
This paragraph contains four pronoun-antecedent errors.
Rewrite the sentences to correct the errors.
their
his
his
their
Rescue in the Antarctic!
Ernest Shackleton chose five men to sail with him on a
fearsome journey to find help. Many left on the island had
his troubles too. Everyone had to eat penguins and seals
for their daily diet. Several men had frostbite. One needed
medical attention for his infected wound. Everyone in the
remaining crew anxiously awaited their rescue. Nearly five
months after Shackleton left, all of the men had his dream
come true. Shackleton and the others came back for them!
74 Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics