What is an antecedent?

the adjective that the pronoun describes

an adjective that describes a noun

the word that comes directly before a pronoun

the noun that the pronoun replaces

The noun that the pronoun replaces.

The antecedent is the noun that the pronoun replaces. It is the word that comes directly before the pronoun.

The correct answer is: the noun that the pronoun replaces.

To understand what an antecedent is, we need to understand pronouns. Pronouns are words that are used to replace nouns in sentences, such as "he," "she," "it," "they," and so on. The antecedent, on the other hand, is the noun that the pronoun refers to or stands in place of.

For example, in the sentence "John ate an apple. He enjoyed it," the pronoun "he" refers back to the antecedent, "John." Similarly, the pronoun "it" refers back to the antecedent, "apple."

So, in summary, an antecedent is the noun that a pronoun replaces. It is important to have clear antecedents to avoid confusion in writing and ensure that pronouns have a clear referent in the sentence.