Согласование местоимения с антецедентом
Pronoun-antecedent agreement is a fundamental rule in English grammar. It means that a pronoun must agree with the noun or noun phrase it refers to (its antecedent) in terms of number (singular or plural), gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter), and person (first, second, or third).
1. Согласование в числе
Это наиболее распространенная проблема согласования. Антецедент в единственном числе требует местоимения в единственном числе, а антецедент во множественном числе требует местоимения во множественном числе.
- The student finished their homework. (Correct, as 'their' is widely accepted as a singular gender-neutral pronoun)
- The students finished their homework. (Correct)
The student finished their homeworks.(Incorrect: plural pronoun 'theirs' is wrong with singular noun 'homework')
2. Согласование с неопределенными местоимениями
This is a common source of confusion. Many indefinite pronouns (e.g., everyone, somebody, each) are grammatically singular, even though they may seem to imply a group of people. Therefore, they require a singular pronoun.
- Each of the employees must submit their report by Friday. (Correct, again, 'their' is now the standard for this)
Each of the employees must submit their reports by Friday.(Incorrect, plural 'reports' is wrong with 'each')- Somebody left their keys on the desk.
Using their as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun is now standard practice to avoid the awkward he or she.
3. Согласование с собирательными существительными
Collective nouns (e.g., team, family, committee) can be either singular or plural, depending on the context. If the group is acting as a single unit, use a singular pronoun (it). If the individuals within the group are acting separately, use a plural pronoun (they).
- The team celebrated its victory. (The team acted as one unit.)
- The team put on their shoes before the game. (Each member of the team is acting individually.)