Remember how we mentioned that in order to use a pronoun, you need to introduce the noun first? That noun has a name: an antecedent.
Antecedents are necessary because pronouns are versatile. Think about it—it can refer to a bike, a tree, a car, or a city, and we just used it to refer to something else entirely: pronouns’ versatility. Take a look at these examples, in which pronouns are bolded and the nouns they’re referring to are underlined, to see how antecedents and pronouns work together:
My family tests my patience, but I love them.
The sign was too far away for Jorge to read it.
Danita said she is almost finished with the application.
Antecedents aren’t necessary when the reader/listener knows who or what you’re discussing. Generally, you don’t need an antecedent for a pronoun like I, you, we, our, or me. But sometimes you do need an antecedent in this kind of situation—like when you’re giving a speech where you introduce yourself and your credentials before discussing the subject of your speech.
There are also circumstances where you might not introduce the noun first and instead reveal it only after using pronouns to refer to your subject. You might do this for dramatic or poetic effect in a piece of creative writing, for example.
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