Question

The noun to which a pronoun refers is called the ___________ of the pronoun. What goes in the blank?
A) Antecedent
B) Dependent
C) Modifier
D) Object

Answer 1

Hint: A noun is a word that is used to identify a person, place, animal, or thing. A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun or a noun phrase and hence replaces it when the noun need not be named specifically or has already been named earlier in the sentence.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Antecedent is correct. The noun to which a pronoun refers is called the antecedent of the pronoun. Antecedent means a thing coming before. A noun is required before a pronoun can refer to it. Hence, this option is correct.
Option B) Dependent is incorrect. A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and verb but does not convey a complete meaning or thought. It is in no way related to the pronoun or noun. Hence, this cannot be filled in the blank.
Option C) Modifier is incorrect. A modifier is a word that modifies or gives information about another word in the same sentence. There are two types of modifiers namely adjectives and adverbs. This is not related to the pronoun or noun and hence cannot be filled in the blank.
Option D) Object is incorrect. In linguistics, an object is often a person or thing to which an action is done or someone who receives an action. An object can be a noun or pronoun but is not used to refer to them. Hence, this cannot be filled in the blank.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note:
i) Antecedent means going or coming before something.
ii) An antecedent is a part of a sentence that is later replaced by the pronoun in the sentence.