Study on the flySHSATRevising/Editing — Stand-AlonePronoun case, agreement, and reference

Revising/Editing — Stand-Alone

Pronoun case, agreement, and reference — SHSAT practice questions

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What this topic is

Three separate skills share this topic.

Case is about form: after a verb or a preposition the object form is needed, so the coach thanked Lena and me is correct while Lena and I is not, a fact easiest to see by dropping the other name. Agreement means a pronoun matches its antecedent in number, so several bikes need they or them, never it.

Reference asks whether the pronoun points to exactly one noun; in a sentence about two girls, she can be vague. Pronoun case, agreement, and reference items ask for the single edit that fixes a sentence, or which sentence in a short paragraph has an unclear pronoun.

Sample questions

Pick an answer to see whether it is right — nothing is saved, and nothing needs an account.

Question 1Easier

Which edit should be made to correct the sentence?

The costume designer measured the lead actor and I before the final fitting.

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Answer: A — Change I to me.

A compound object requires the objective pronoun “me,” so “Change I* to *me.” corrects the case error after “measured.” “Change actor to **actor’s.” creates a faulty possessive and leaves the pronoun error unchanged. “Change measured to measures.” shifts a correct past-tense verb without fixing the case. “Change fitting to fittings.” pluralizes a correctly singular noun and does not correct the pronoun.

Question 2Mid

Which sentence of the paragraph should be revised to correct a vague pronoun?

(1) Every Saturday, Maya and Tessa volunteer to inspect a wooded trail near their community. (2) They record fallen branches, faded signs, and muddy sections in a shared logbook for park staff. (3) After Maya helped Tessa update the logbook, she carried it to the ranger station. (4) The staff uses these notes to schedule repairs and keep the route safe for visitors throughout the year.

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Answer: C — sentence 3

A pronoun must have one clear antecedent. “sentence 3” should be revised because she could mean Maya or Tessa after both names appear in the same clause. “sentence 1” uses their to refer clearly to Maya and Tessa together, and “sentence 2” uses They the same way. “sentence 4” has no pronoun problem: these notes points back to the logbook entries, and the sentence is otherwise grammatical.

Question 3Easier

Which edit should be made to correct the sentence?

The gardeners planted six saplings and later watered it before sunset.

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Answer: C — Change it to them.

A pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent, so “Change it to them.” correctly uses a plural pronoun for the six saplings. “Change gardeners to gardener.” leaves the mismatched singular pronoun “it” in place. “Change planted to plant.” breaks the past-tense verb sequence. “Insert a comma after saplings.” incorrectly splits the compound predicate.

Every question is picked for where you are right now, wrong answers come back until they stick, and it all works offline.

Practice 156 Pronoun case, agreement, and reference questions in the app

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