Pronoun Agreement Quiz

Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence? "Each of the students has handed in ___ homework."

• their

• his or her

• its

• our

Answer explanation

Some indefinite pronouns (each, either, neither, one, anybody, anyone, anything, everybody, everyone, everything, nobody, no one, nothing, somebody, someone, something) can cause confusion.

-These words must be paired with a singular verb (“Each person is going.”), so it makes sense that they also take a singular pronoun (he/him, she/her, it ).

-Now that “they/their” can be used as a singular pronoun, we can use they/their with these indefinite pronouns.

Example:   Each person can read his or her book. (traditional rules)

Example:   Each person can read their flight. (updated rules)

Identify the antecedent for the pronoun in the following sentence: "The committee reached its decision after much debate."

• decision

• debate

• committee

• much

Answer explanation

Antecedent (ante=before- comes before the pronoun).

Choose the sentence that demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement. (Traditional rules)

• Everyone forgot their password.

• Each of the dogs has its own collar.

• Somebody left their umbrella.

• None of the players like their coach.

Which sentence has an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement? (Traditional rules)

• The jury reached its verdict.

• The team celebrated their victory.

• The teacher gave her instructions.

• The company announced its new product.

Answer explanation

Reminder: The team- collective noun= It= its

Collective nouns, like team, family, class, group, and host, take a singular verb when the entity acts together and a plural verb when the individuals composing the entity act individually.

For more info: https://style.mla.org/verbs-with-collective-nouns/

Identify the pronoun in the following sentence: "Before the exam, she was very nervous."

• Before

• exam

• she

• very

Choose the sentence that correctly matches the pronoun with its antecedent in number. (Traditional rules)

• Each of the children must take off their shoes.

• The group decided to change its meeting time.

• None of the cakes have their icing yet.

• Somebody left their jacket in the classroom.

Which sentence demonstrates correct agreement in gender? New grammar rules

• The teacher said every student should do their best.

• The actress forgot her lines during the play.

• A student should always do their homework on time.

• The cat lost its collar again.

Choose the sentence that demonstrates correct agreement in person.

• If one wants to succeed, you have to work hard.

• When a person studies hard, they can pass any exam.

• If students want to pass, they should study.

• Everyone should do their best if you want to succeed.

Answer explanation

If students want to pass, they should study.

They/plural

Which sentence has an error in pronoun-antecedent agreement? (Traditional rules)

• Neither of the girls brought her umbrella.

• Each student answered the question in his or her own way.

• The team played their best game yet.

• The teacher shared her notes with the class.

Identify the pronoun in the following sentence: "They didn't believe it was possible until it actually happened."

• They

• it

• possible

• happened