16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsMediumPronoun-antecedent agreement

Standard English Conventions practice question

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Each of the researchers submitted ____ own findings before the shared report was compiled.

  1. A. their
  2. B. they're
  3. C. his or herCorrect
  4. D. its

Answer: C. his or her

The antecedent is 'each', an indefinite pronoun that is grammatically singular, so it requires the singular 'his or her'. 'Their' (A) is plural and does not agree; 'they're' (B) is a contraction of 'they are'; 'its' (D) refers to things, not people.

Why the other answers are wrong

A. their
'Their' is plural, but the subject is 'each,' which is grammatically singular and needs 'his or her.'
B. they're
'They're' means 'they are,' which makes no sense before 'own findings' — you need a possessive pronoun.
D. its
'Its' is possessive, but it refers to things, not to the people named as researchers.

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