Understanding antecedents

What is an antecedent?

An antecedent is an important device in English grammar designed to clarify who or what a pronoun refers to in a sentence. If you know your etymology, you’ll recognize that the prefix “ante-” means “before.” That’s just what antecedents do most of the time: they appear before the pronoun to give it context.

Read this example for reference:

“Jiseo said she got good grades last semester.”

In this sentence, “Jiseo” is the antecedent to clarify the pronoun “she.” Without the antecedent, the audience may not know what the pronoun “she” refers to. A quick name drop clears it all up.

Sometimes, antecedents appear after the pronoun instead of before. These are technically known as postcedents, but grammar scholars often lump them together in the same category for practicality. Here’s an example:

“For her final trick, the magician will pull a rabbit out of a hat.”

Here, “the magician” is the antecedent that clarifies who “her” is. It appears after the pronoun but still clarifies it all the same.

Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of using antecedents in no time.

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Using antecedents in your writing

You can use antecedents to clarify a pronoun and avoid repetition. That said, you don’t need to use them all the time. For instance, you don’t need to use an antecedent in every sentence when the whole paragraph refers to the same person. Just use it at the beginning. Similarly, if you’re writing a dialogue between a man and a woman, you may not need to use an antecedent when the “he” and “she” pronouns make the exchange clear enough on their own.

Now what do you do when a pronoun refers to multiple singular nouns? For example:

“Jen and Ben went to their lockers for more school supplies.”

Since the two singular nouns are joined by a conjunction, that makes it plural. Therefore, you also make the pronoun plural with “their.”

With that said, it’s appropriate to use “they,” which can be singular or plural, when referring to some singular nouns. If you don’t know someone’s gender or they identify as non-binary with “they” or “them” pronouns, it’s grammatically and socially correct to use “they” or “them.”

Examples of antecedents

These examples demonstrate how to use antecedents correctly.

• Let Camille do the work herself.
• Please hide these from Sean.
• Contrary to popular belief, creativity has its boundaries.
• Holland has its windmills.
• Vera and Tony achieved their dream of becoming homeowners.
• Maria saved herself time for a spa day.

Notice how every sentence reads clear and you have no doubt in your mind who or what the sentence is about. That’s good writing. Antecedents aided in the clarity.

Fix uncertain antecedents

Some sentences with antecedents leave readers stumped on what’s really going on—even after rereading it a few times. In many cases, a quick rewrite can clear that right up. Check out some sentences with vague antecedents and see if we can clear them up.

“Hannah confronted Jade about her big mistake.”

Who made the big mistake? Is it Hannah or Jade? Both names could be the antecedent, but the pronoun “her” could refer to either one of those people. Change the sentence structure to clarify what’s going on.

“Hannah’s big mistake weighed on her mind, so she confronted Jade about it.”

When written a little more clearly, readers can understand “Hannah” is the antecedent to the pronoun “her” and understand what’s going on.

Let’s look at one more common uncertain antecedent and learn how to fix it.

In common speech, we often use “it,” “they,” and “you” with an implied antecedent. While it works in everyday conversation, it does not work in formal writing. Take a look at this example:

“They say the Summer Olympics will start in June next year.”

Who or what does “they” refer to? A group of psychics? A baseball team? Or a reputable news source? The vagueness is not just grammatically poor, but it’s also detrimental to your credibility. Here’s a better way to write this:

“According to the channel 7 broadcast, the Summer Olympics will start in June next year.”

With this detailed clarification, your sentence holds more authoritative weight—especially important with persuasive pieces.

Now you know how to identify antecedents and use them correctly in your work. Remember to avoid uncertain antecedents as well. This will make you a stronger writer who produces clear and concise work.