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SAT Reading and Writing skill page

SAT Pronoun Antecedent Practice

Match every pronoun to the noun it clearly replaces, then check number and meaning.

Practice pronoun antecedent in Dolphin SATPractice questions
10-16 min practice time2 questions on pageStandard English Conventions
Practice time10-16 min
Practice questions2 questions
Best forStandard English Conventions

What this tests

What to know for this SAT skill

Dolphin practice questions

Practice your skill

Can a singular antecedent use "their"?

Yes. Singular "they" and its possessive form "their" can refer to a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant. A singular antecedent alone does not make "their" incorrect.

Correction: the former example "Each of the researchers submitted ___ notes" offered both "their" and "his or her." Both can complete that sentence, so it does not have a unique correct answer. It has been withdrawn from the practice questions below.

Source: College Board's classroom practice guide, page 77. Correction reviewed .

Question 1 of 2Easy
Which choice correctly completes the sentence? The committee finished ___ report.
  1. their
  2. its
  3. it's
  4. they
Show answer and solution
Correct answerB. its

Solution walkthrough

  1. Committee is singular here, so the possessive pronoun should be its.
Question 2 of 2Medium
Which sentence avoids a vague pronoun?
  1. When Maya called Elena, she was relieved.
  2. Maya was relieved when she called Elena.
  3. When she called her, she was relieved.
  4. Maya called Elena because she helped.
Show answer and solution
Correct answerB. Maya was relieved when she called Elena.

Solution walkthrough

  1. This sentence makes it clear that Maya was relieved.

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes on this skill

Matching the pronoun to a nearby noun instead of its antecedent

Agreement depends on the noun the pronoun actually replaces, not simply the closest noun.

Accepting an ambiguous pronoun

A pronoun is unclear when more than one preceding noun could reasonably be its antecedent.

Study plan

How to practice this skill in Dolphin

  1. Draw a direct link from each pronoun to the noun it replaces.
  2. Check agreement in number and person.
  3. Reread for ambiguity and replace the pronoun with a noun when the reference is not unique.
Practice pronoun antecedent in Dolphin SAT

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FAQ

Questions about SAT Pronoun Antecedent Practice

What is an antecedent?

It is the noun or noun phrase to which a pronoun refers.

What makes a pronoun reference ambiguous?

Two or more nouns could fit the pronoun, so the reader cannot identify the intended referent confidently.