Pronoun antecedent agreement is a crucial aspect of grammar and is taught to students as early as the seventh grade. It refers to the agreement in number and gender between a pronoun and its antecedent, or the noun to which the pronoun refers. An easy way to understand this is to ensure that when a pronoun takes the place of a noun, it accurately reflects the gender and number of the original noun.
To help seventh-grade students practice their pronoun antecedent agreement skills, teachers often use worksheets. These worksheets typically consist of several sentences with various pronouns that the student must match to their corresponding antecedents. The exercises are designed to reinforce the rules of pronoun antecedent agreement and help students identify errors in their writing.
One example of a pronoun antecedent agreement worksheet for grade 7 is as follows:
Directions: Read each sentence carefully. Identify the noun or nouns to which the underlined pronoun refers. Check the box next to the correct antecedent for each pronoun.
Example: The boy finished his homework quickly.
Antecedents: boy, homework
1. Sarah and (her/their) mother went shopping.
Antecedents: Sarah, mother
2. The cat licked (its/their) paws.
Antecedents: cat
3. The students were excited to receive (their/his) grades.
Antecedents: students
4. The teacher gave (her/his) students a pop quiz.
Antecedents: teacher, students
5. The bird built (her/its) nest in the tree.
Antecedents: bird
By completing this worksheet, students can practice their understanding of pronoun antecedent agreement and improve their writing skills. It is essential to master this grammar rule as it helps students to write more clearly and effectively, and ultimately leads to better communication.