Pronouns and Agreement

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

Pronouns and Agreement — Quick Facts A pronoun replaces a noun to avoid repetition. Subject-verb agreement means the verb form matches its subject in number and person.

Types of Pronouns

• Personal: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
• Object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
• Possessive: my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, its, our/ours, their/theirs
• Reflexive: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves
• Demonstrative: this, that, these, those
• Relative: who, whom, whose, which, that
• Indefinite: someone, anyone, everyone, nobody, each, every, either, neither
• Interrogative: who, what, which, whose, whom

⚡ Exam Tip: JAMB commonly tests subject-verb agreement with collective nouns. “The team is” (viewed as unit) vs. “The team are” (viewed as individuals). In Nigerian English, both are acceptable — JAMB usually accepts either with collective nouns, but context determines.

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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

Subject-Verb Agreement Rules

1. Singular subject → singular verb The student is present. / She reads every day.

2. Plural subject → plural verb The students are present. / They read every day.

3. Compound subjects joined by AND → plural verb Ada and Chidi are friends. (But: “The CEO and secretary is…” treated as one role)

4. Subjects joined by OR/NOR → verb agrees with the nearest subject Either the teachers or the student is responsible. (student = singular → is) Either the student or the teachers are responsible. (teachers = plural → are)

5. Indefinite pronouns — Singular: everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, one → singular verb Everyone is here. / Each of the boys is present.

6. Indefinite pronouns — Plural: both, few, many, several, others → plural verb Few were present. / Several have completed the form.

7. Indefinite pronouns — Variable: all, any, most, none, some → verb agrees with the noun it refers to Most of the water is gone. / Most of the students are ready.

8. Neither/Neither of/Neither…nor → singular verb in formal English Neither of them is attending. / Neither the teacher nor the students were… (informal)

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the noun it replaces) in:

• Number: The boy lost his book. (singular → his) / The boys lost their books. (plural → their)
• Gender: Ada brought her notebook. / Chidi brought his notebook.
• Person: When using second-person, be consistent: ✗ “When you have finished your homework, I should check it.” ✓ “When you have finished your homework, you should review it.”

⚡ JAMB Trap: “Each of the students ___ a textbook.” → Answer: “has” (each = singular even though of the students follows). Students often wrongly choose “have” because of “students.”

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🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

Relative Pronouns — Who vs. Which vs. That

Pronoun	Use for	Example
Who / Whom	People	The student who passed / The man whom I saw
Which	Animals, things	The book which I read / The dog which barked
That	People, animals, things (restrictive clauses)	The man that called / The book that was new

Note: “Who” is preferred for people even when “that” is grammatically possible.

Special Agreement Cases

1. Either…or / Neither…nor / Not only…but also → verb agrees with the nearer subject Neither the principal nor the teachers were informed. (teachers = plural → were) Not only the manager but also his assistants is responsible. (manager = singular → is)

2. Units of measurement (treated as singular) Five thousand naira is too much. / Two weeks is enough time.

3. Titles, names, countries (treated as singular) “The United Nations was founded in 1945.” (one entity)

4. Gerund as subject → singular verb Swimming is good exercise. / Reading helps my vocabulary.

5. “None” — historically singular; modern English accepts both: None of them was/were present. (JAMB accepts either)

Pronoun Errors in JAMB

Error	Correction
Between you and I	Between you and me (object of preposition)
It is me	It is I (predicate nominative — formal)
Whoever told him	Whomever told him (whoever = subject of “told”)
The team has finished their work	The team has finished its work (collective singular)
Everyone should do their best	Everyone should do his/her best (singular)

⚡ Previous Year JAMB Focus: Pronoun-antecedent agreement and subject-verb agreement together account for 4-6 questions per Use of English paper. Key patterns: indefinite pronouns with singular verbs (everyone, someone, each), collective nouns, and compound subjects with OR/NOR. Questions also test pronoun case (I vs. me, who vs. whom) in formal writing contexts.