What Is an Antecedent (with Examples)?

What is an antecedent? And why is it important? Whether you’re a writer looking to hone your own skills or a proofreader looking to better advise your clients, understanding the nuances of grammar can help immeasurably.

Although you may not know the definition of the word, you’d definitely notice when an antecedent is absent from a sentence. Intrigued? Then keep reading! In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about antecedents (including the correct pronunciation of the term) and the way to use them in a sentence.

How to Pronounce Antecedent

Let’s start with pronunciation. The word antecedent is pronounced an-tuh-SEE-dent. Breaking it down:

• “an” sounds like the “an” in ant 
• “te” sounds like the “tuh” in teacher 
• “cede” sounds like seed, 
• “nt” sounds like dent without the “d”

What Are Antecedents in Grammar?

In grammar, an antecedent (also known as a referent) is a word or phrase that a pronoun refers back to. Antecedents add clarity to a sentence so that you don’t need to rely on repetition.

For example, in the sentence The dog chased its tail, the dog is the antecedent of the pronoun its. Without the antecedent, the sentence would have to read It chased its tail, which is unclear. Here are a few more examples of antecedents:

Quinn dropped her bag. (Quinn is the antecedent of her.)

The students finished their test early. (Students is the antecedent of their.)

I think the car needs its brakes fixed. (The car is the antecedent of its.)

As you can see in the above examples, the antecedents make clear what the pronouns in the sentences (her, their, and its) are referring to. 

How to Use Antecedents

The use of antecedents is essential to maintaining clarity in writing. However, if you use them incorrectly, you risk confusing your readers even more. The following are some key rules and examples to help you understand how to use antecedents.

1. The Pronoun and Antecedent Should Agree

The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number and gender. Keep in mind that you can use the pronouns they/their in place of he or she when the gender of the antecedent is unknown, irrelevant to the situation, or nonbinary. Here are some examples of antecedents being used correctly and incorrectly, or inclusively and non-inclusively:

Non-inclusive: Every student must submit his homework. 

Inclusive: Every student must submit their homework.

Incorrect: Glenn entered the cooking contest with its mom.

Correct: Glenn entered the cooking contest with his mom.

2. The Reference Should Be Clear

The antecedent must be clear so the writer avoids ambiguity. For example:

Correct: My cat is chasing its tail.

Incorrect: Tom called Jim while he was biking. (It’s unclear who he is here.)

Correct: Sarah went to the store, and she bought some milk. 

Incorrect: Sarah and Talia went to the store, and she bought some milk. (Without context, the reader cannot be sure whom she refers to.)

3. Avoid Vague Antecedents

When writing, make sure your antecedents are specific and easily identifiable to avoid any ambiguity, especially when using relative pronouns such as which, that, and who. For example:

Incorrect: The manager announced a new policy, which was unexpected. (It’s unclear whether the announcement or the policy was unexpected.)

Correct: The student who studied the hardest received the highest grade on the exam.

4. Avoid the Overuse of Pronouns

Also, make sure to repeat the antecedent when necessary. Overuse of pronouns without a clear antecedent can make your writing vague, leaving the reader without enough information to fully understand the context or the specifics of what’s being discussed (especially in complex sentences). For example:

Incorrect: He told her the bad news after he heard it from him, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it. (The overuse of pronouns in this sentence without a clear antecedent makes the sentence a little hard to follow.)

Correct: John told Sheila the bad news after he heard it from Mark, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

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