Identify all of the possible antecedents

key notes :

📚 Identify All of the Possible Antecedents

What is an Antecedent?

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to.

It comes before the pronoun in the sentence.

Example:

• 🌟 Sarah loves her dog.
• “Sarah” → antecedent of “her”

Why Identify All Possible Antecedents?

Sometimes a pronoun can refer to more than one noun.

To understand the sentence correctly, you must find all possible nouns it could refer to.

Example:

🐶 Tom gave Jake his ball.

• “his” could refer to:
• Tom
• Jake

Steps to Identify All Antecedents

• Find the pronoun in the sentence. 🔍
• Look for nouns before the pronoun. ✏️
• Ask yourself: “Which noun could the pronoun be talking about?” 🤔
• List all possible nouns if it’s unclear. ✅

Common Pronouns and Examples

Pronoun	Example Sentence	Possible Antecedents
he	🏀 John saw Peter. He ran fast.	John, Peter
she	👩‍🎓 Maya met Anika. She smiled.	Maya, Anika
it	🐱 I saw the cat and the dog. It was sleeping.	cat, dog
they	🏫 The boys and girls went to school. They were happy.	boys, girls

Tips to Remember

• Antecedents usually come right before the pronoun. ⏮️
• If multiple nouns are mentioned, check all of them. 📝
• Sometimes, the context helps to know the correct antecedent. 🌈

Fun Trick

Replace the pronoun with each possible noun to see if the sentence makes sense.

Example:

👟 Alex saw Brian. He was running.

• Test:
• Alex was running. ✅
• Brian was running. ✅

Colourful Reminder Emoji Key

🔍 → Look carefully

✏️ → Write/identify

🤔 → Think about possibilities

✅ → Correct answer

🌟 → Important rule

🐶/👩‍🎓 → Example nouns

Let’s practice!✒️