What is pronoun-antecedent agreement?

• A. A pronoun must refer to a generic antecedent without specific matching.
• B. A pronoun must always precede its antecedent.
• C. Number and gender are not important for pronouns.
• D. A pronoun must refer to a specific antecedent with matching number and gender.

Answer: (D)

Pronoun-antecedent agreement means the pronoun must refer to a specific antecedent and match that antecedent in number and gender. The antecedent is the noun the pronoun stands for. For example, if the antecedent is a single girl, use she or her; if the antecedents are multiple students, use they or them. This matching keeps the sentence clear about who or what is being discussed and avoids confusion. So, a pronoun must refer to a specific antecedent with matching number and gender. The other ideas—calling for a generic antecedent, requiring the pronoun to come before the antecedent, or treating number and gender as unimportant—would lead to unclear or incorrect sentences.