Antecedent: Meaning, Definition, Usage and Examples

Have you heard of the term ‘antecedent’? Do you know what it means? The term generally means something that comes before something else. In grammar also, it has a similar meaning. This article will teach you the meaning, definition and usage of antecedents in sentences. Go through the multiple examples given to comprehend the function of antecedents.

Table of Contents

• What Is Antecedent? – Meaning and Definition
• Role and Usage of Antecedents in Sentences
• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
• Examples of Sentences with Antecedents
• Check Your Understanding of Antecedents
• Frequently Asked Questions on Antecedents

What Is Antecedent? – Meaning and Definition

An antecedent is a noun or noun phrase that precedes the pronoun in the sentence. It informs the reader what or whom the pronoun is referring to. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines the term ‘antecedent’ as “a word or phrase to which the following word, especially a pronoun, refers”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an antecedent is defined as “a substantive word, phrase, or clause whose denotation is referred to by a pronoun that typically follows the substantive (such as John in “Mary saw John and called to him”)”.

Role and Usage of Antecedents in Sentences

The main function of antecedents is to let the readers know what the pronoun in the sentence is substituting. In a sentence such as ‘It was wonderful’, you would not be able to understand what ‘it’ refers to. To avoid such a situation, you have to mention the antecedent. For example, ‘My friend and I watched a movie yesterday; it was wonderful.’

In some cases, pronouns come before the noun in the sentence. In other words, antecedents are placed in the latter part of the sentence, thereby functioning as a postcedent. Take a look at the following sentence, for instance. ‘For his parents’ 25^th wedding anniversary, Dawson bought them a BMW car.’ Here, the possessive pronoun ‘his’ is followed by the postcedent ‘Dawson’ to clarify to the readers that ‘Dawson’ is the noun substituted by ‘his’. The antecedent in the sentence is ‘parents’, substituted by ‘them’ in the latter part of the sentence.

There can be more than one antecedent in sentences or contexts that presents a comparison. Let us look at how that works. Here is an example. ‘Melvin and Praveen watch horror movies, but their sister, Judy, prefers watching comedy movies. Because of their varied interests, every time they plan to watch a horror movie, she does not accompany them.’ Here, ‘Melvin and Praveen’ and ‘their sister, Judy’ are the antecedents. ‘Their’, ‘they’ and ‘them’ are pronouns referring to ‘Melvin and Praveen’, and ‘she’ refers to ‘their sister, Judy’.

Another characteristic of antecedents is that they need not necessarily appear in the same sentence as the pronoun. For example, ‘Serah has a brother. She picks him up from school every evening on her way back home.’ The antecedents in the example are ‘Serah’ and ‘brother’, and the pronouns that substitute them are ‘she/her’ and ‘him’.

It is not always necessary that pronouns replace antecedents. Nouns and noun phrases can substitute antecedents. Let us look at the following example. ‘Rayner is Sasha’s cousin’. Here, ‘Rayner’ is the antecedent that gives meaning to the noun phrase ‘Sasha’s cousin’.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns are of different types – relative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, indefinite pronouns, reciprocal pronouns, reflexive pronouns, etc. Antecedents are different for each of these types of pronouns. Just like a subject should agree with the verb in the sentence, an antecedent and pronoun must agree with each other. In order to achieve this, you ought to have a thorough knowledge of which pronouns can substitute the particular antecedent.

Here is a list of possible types of antecedents and their corresponding pronoun substitutes.

There are some other pronouns that are used to refer to nouns. They include this, that, these, those, myself, yourself, himself, herself, themselves, ourselves, itself, anyone, everyone, none, everybody, nobody, everything, nothing, etc.

Go through the examples given below to further understand how antecedents are used.

Examples of Sentences with Antecedents

• Sasha loves her new bike.
• Harshitha and Selva went for dinner. They had a good time.
• Dasan and Vijayan were childhood friends. They went to America when they were thirty-five years old.
• The television is not working again; it has been causing problems every now and then.
• Balu likes fishing; he goes every once in a while.
• Rani, Kabeer and Tanya work at TCL Technologies. They have been selected to go for the International Conference on Advancements in Technology.
• Let Priya know when you reach Bangalore; she will pick you up.
• Raam and Ravi helped each other climb the mountain.
• Sunny learnt to drive the car himself.
• Reshma, my friend’s niece, is doing her MBA at PSE University.

Check Your Understanding of Antecedents

Having gone through the rules of usage and examples of antecedents, you would have learnt what antecedents are. Here is an exercise to check how far you have understood antecedents and their use in sentences.

Go through the following sentences. Identify the antecedents and the pronouns/nouns/noun phrases that substitute them.

1. Sheema is a final year student who has already secured a job at one of the country’s topmost companies.

2. The students were asked to leave class only after the four o’clock bell, but they left ten minutes earlier.

3. Are Suresh and Preetha your parents?

4. Vasuki and her friends participated in the literary competition; they came first in the ‘Sing the Rhyme’ competition.

5. Ajay invited his colleagues to the reception.

6. The dog goes all around the house but sleeps only in its kennel.

7. The book that I read last week has been nominated for the Booker Prize.

8. Brinda and Surya haven’t serviced their vehicle yet.

9. The cooker’s handle is broken; it is difficult to hold it when it is hot.

10. Yaami, the photographer from Ernakulam, has taken up a project in Maldives.

Check the answers given below to find out if you have identified the antecedents and their corresponding pronouns/nouns/noun phrases correctly.

1. Sheema is a final year student who has already secured a job at one of the country’s topmost companies.

Sheema – antecedent

Who – relative pronoun

2. The students were asked to leave class only after the four o’clock bell, but they left ten minutes earlier.

The students – antecedent

They – pronoun

3. Are Suresh and Preetha your parents?

Suresh and Preetha – antecedent

Your parents – noun phrase

4. Vasuki and her friends participated in the literary competition; they came first in the ‘Sing the Rhyme’ competition.

Vasuki and her friends – antecedent

They – pronoun

5. Ajay invited his colleagues to the reception.

Ajay – antecedent

His – possessive pronoun

6. The dog goes all around the house but sleeps only in its kennel.

The dog – antecedent

Its – possessive pronoun

7. The book that I read last week has been nominated for the Booker Prize.

The book – antecedent

That – relative pronoun

8. Brinda and Surya haven’t serviced their vehicle yet.

Brinda and Surya – antecedent

Their – possessive pronoun

9. The cooker’s handle is broken; it is difficult to hold it when it is hot.

The cooker’s handle – antecedent

It – pronoun

10. Yaami, the photographer from Ernakulam, has taken up a project in Maldives.

Yaami – antecedent

The photographer from Ernakulam – noun phrase