Pronoun-Antecedent agreement (singular/plural, indefinite pronouns) - Grade 8 Assessment

In the sentence, "My friend Maria loves to play video games, and she is really good at them," select the antecedent that the pronoun "she" refers to.

• games

• friend

• Maria

• them

Answer explanation

The antecedent is the noun that the pronoun replaces or refers to. In this case, 'she' is taking the place of the proper noun 'Maria'.

True or False: In grammar, a pronoun is the noun that another word refers back to.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This statement describes an antecedent. A pronoun (like he, she, it, they) is the word that takes the place of a noun.

The lost cat was finally found, and (a)   was very happy to be home. Fill in the blank with the pronoun that best fits the antecedent 'cat'.

Answer explanation

The antecedent 'cat' is a singular, non-gendered noun in this context, so the correct pronoun is 'it'.

Both Keisha and Leo finished the science project. Which pronoun best replaces the underlined words to show what _____ did next?

• He

• She

• They

• It

Answer explanation

The antecedent 'Keisha and Leo' is a compound subject, which is plural. The correct plural subject pronoun is 'they'.

The video game company released an update, and (a)   new features are awesome. Fill in the blank with the word that shows the update belongs to the company.

Answer explanation

The word 'its' is a possessive pronoun that shows ownership. The antecedent is 'company,' which is a singular thing. 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is' and would not make sense here.

True or False: The following sentence uses correct pronoun-antecedent agreement. "Each of the girls brought their own lunch to the picnic."

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The indefinite pronoun 'Each' is singular. Therefore, it requires a singular pronoun. The correct sentence would be, "Each of the girls brought her own lunch to the picnic."

In our group, everyone must do (a)   fair share of the work for the presentation. To follow the grammar rule we're studying, fill in the blank with the correct possessive pronoun.

Answer explanation

The indefinite pronoun 'everyone' is singular. To be grammatically correct, it must be paired with a singular possessive pronoun like 'his or her'.

Neither of the two boys wanted to admit that _____ forgot the map for the hiking trip. Choose the pronoun that demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement.

• he

• they

• them

• their

Answer explanation

The indefinite pronoun 'Neither' is singular. Therefore, it requires a singular pronoun like 'he' to agree with it.

The original sentence says: "When Liam told his dad the joke, he laughed out loud." This is unclear. Rewrite the sentence to clearly show that the DAD was the one laughing. Start your new sentence with 'Liam's dad...'

(a)  

Answer explanation

By starting with 'Liam's dad' as the subject who performed the action 'laughed,' you remove the confusing pronoun 'he' and make the meaning clear.

Which of the following sentences shows the MOST correct use of pronoun-antecedent agreement according to formal grammar rules?

• If a student wants to join the club, they need to sign up.

• The committee will present their findings tomorrow.

• One of the players left their helmet on the bus.

• Anybody who wants a ticket should raise his or her hand.

Answer explanation

Indefinite pronouns like 'anybody,' 'everyone,' and 'one' are grammatically singular and require singular pronouns like 'his or her'. While using 'they' as a singular pronoun is common in conversation, 'his or her' is the most formally correct choice.