An antecedent is a word or group of words that gives a pronoun its reference. In Mina found the map. She unfolded it., Mina is the antecedent of she, and the map is the antecedent of it.
How to find an antecedent
Start with the pronoun and ask who or what it refers to. The antecedent often appears earlier in the same sentence or in the previous one. In The visitor who found the map called the office, the visitor is the antecedent of who.
In Someone left their coat, someone is the antecedent of their. This use of singular they and its forms can refer to one person. In the weather expression It is raining, it fills the subject position without an antecedent.
How to fix unclear pronoun reference
In When Ava called Nina, she was at the station, she could refer to either person. If Ava was at the station, write Ava called Nina from the station. Naming the person or choosing a clearer sentence structure makes the reference easy to follow.
