STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION SKILL 45: CHECK PRONOUN REFERENCE FOR AGREEMENT

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL TEST

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

SKILL 45: CHECK PRONOUN REFERENCE FOR AGREEMENT

The following are examples of errors of this type that you might find on the TOEFL test.

The boys will cause trouble if you let him*.

Everyone must give their* name.

In the first example, the singular pronoun him is incorrect because it refers to the plural noun boys. This pronoun should be replaced with the plural pronoun them. In the second example, the plural possessive adjective there is incorrect because it refers to the singular everyone. This adjective should be replaced with the singular his or her or her.

The following chart outlines what you should remember about checking pronoun reference:

 

EXERCISE 45: Each of the following sentences contains at least one pronoun or possessive. Circle the pronoun and the possessives in these sentences. Draw arrows to the nouns they refer to. Then indicate if the sentences are correct (C) or incorrect (I).

……………	3	Some friends and I went to see a movie, and afterwards we wrote a critique about them.
……………	4	If you have a problem, you are welcome to discuss it with me before you try to resolve them.
……………	5	I know you had a terrible time last week, but you must try to forget about it.
……………	6	At the start of the program, each student needs to see his advisor about his schedule.
……………	7	In spite of its small size, these videos recorders produce excellent tapes.
……………	8	Whatever the situation, you should reflect profoundly about them before coming to a decision.
……………	9	The people I admire most are those who manage to solve their own problems.
……………	10	If everyone stops while I am at the meeting, please take a message from them

ANSWER KEY

1	I	(they should be he/she)
2	C
3	I	(them should be it)
4	I	(them should be it)
5	C
6	C
7	I	(its should be their)
8	I	(them should be it)
9	C
10	I	(them should be him or her)