Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Quiz with Answers: Test Your Knowledge

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🔍 Definition: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the word it refers to) in number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine/neuter).
• 💡 Singular Antecedents: Use singular pronouns (he, she, it, him, her, his, hers, its) with singular antecedents. Example: *The dog wagged its tail.*
• 📝 Plural Antecedents: Use plural pronouns (they, them, their, theirs) with plural antecedents. Example: *The students finished their exams.*
• 👥 Indefinite Pronouns: Singular indefinite pronouns (each, everyone, somebody, nobody, etc.) take singular pronouns. Example: *Everyone should bring his or her lunch.* (Or, to be more inclusive: *Everyone should bring their lunch.*)
• 🤝 Compound Antecedents: Antecedents joined by 'and' usually take a plural pronoun. Example: *John and Mary brought their books.*
• 🤔 Compound Antecedents (or/nor): When antecedents are joined by 'or' or 'nor', the pronoun agrees with the antecedent closest to it. Example: *Neither John nor his brothers finished their homework.* *Neither his brothers nor John finished his homework.*
• 🏢 Collective Nouns: Collective nouns (team, committee, family, etc.) can be singular or plural, depending on whether they are acting as a unit or as individuals. Example: *The team celebrated its victory.* (acting as a unit) *The team argued among themselves.* (acting as individuals)

Practice Quiz

1. Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?
   1. The cat licked their paws.
   2. Each of the boys did his best.
   3. Someone left their umbrella.
   4. The team is proud of it's accomplishments.
2. The students appreciated ________ teacher's help.
   1. his
   2. her
   3. their
   4. its
3. Neither John nor Mary could find ________ keys.
   1. his
   2. her
   3. their
   4. its
4. Every employee should ensure ________ workspace is tidy.
   1. his
   2. her
   3. their
   4. its
5. The committee made ________ decision.
   1. his
   2. her
   3. its
   4. their
6. The dog buried ________ bone in the yard.
   1. his
   2. her
   3. its
   4. their
7. Someone needs to take ________ trash out.
   1. his
   2. her
   3. their
   4. it's