SAT Reading & Writing – Standard English Conventions
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Ensuring pronouns match their antecedents in number, person, and gender
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement questions test your ability to identify antecedents (the nouns pronouns refer to), ensure pronouns match antecedents in number (singular/plural), person (first/second/third), and gender, and recognize when pronoun references are unclear or ambiguous. On the SAT, you'll select pronouns that correctly refer to and agree with their antecedents.
Success requires identifying what noun a pronoun replaces, determining whether that noun is singular or plural, selecting pronouns that match in all aspects, and ensuring references are unambiguous. These pronoun skills aren't just grammar rules—they represent clear reference essential for academic writing, professional communications, precise expression, and any context where unclear pronouns cause confusion about who or what you're discussing.
Understanding Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Basic Agreement Rules
Pronouns must match their antecedents in multiple ways.
Number agreement: Plural antecedent → plural pronoun (they, them, their)
Person agreement: First (I, we), second (you), third (he, she, it, they)
Gender agreement: Match gender when specified (he/him, she/her)
Antecedent: The noun the pronoun refers to/replaces
Indefinite Pronouns (The Main Trap!)
These tricky pronouns have specific number requirements.
Example: Everyone must bring HIS OR HER (not their) book
Modern usage: SAT increasingly accepts singular "they" for everyone/someone
Always plural: Both, few, many, several → use "they/their"
Context-dependent: Some, all, most, none (depends on what it refers to)
Collective Nouns
Groups treated as single units or individuals.
Treated as unit: The team won ITS game (not their)
Exception: When emphasizing individuals: The team took THEIR seats
On SAT: Usually treated as singular unless context clearly indicates individuals
Consistency: Once you choose singular/plural, stay consistent
Compound Antecedents
Multiple nouns joined by conjunctions.
"Or" or "nor": Pronoun agrees with closer antecedent
Example: Neither the teacher nor the students finished THEIR work
Example: Neither the students nor the teacher finished HIS work
Each/Every before compound: Singular (Each boy and girl brought HIS OR HER...)
Essential Pronoun Agreement Strategies
Find the Antecedent First
Ask "What does this pronoun refer to?": Trace pronoun back to its noun
Draw an arrow: Mentally connect pronoun to its antecedent
Check for clarity: Is it 100% clear what the pronoun refers to?
Look backward: Antecedent usually appears before pronoun
Check Number Agreement
Count the antecedent: One thing (singular) or multiple (plural)?
Indefinite pronouns: Apply memorized singular/plural rules
Collective nouns: Usually singular on SAT
Compound antecedents: Apply "and"/"or" rules
Watch for Ambiguous References
Multiple possible antecedents: Could pronoun refer to more than one noun?
Unclear "it/they": What exactly does it/they refer to?
Vague "this": "This" without a following noun is often unclear
If ambiguous: Replace pronoun with specific noun
Test Pronoun Substitution
Replace pronoun with antecedent: Does sentence still make sense?
Example: "The student forgot their book" → "The student forgot the student's book"
Check consistency: All pronouns referring to same antecedent should match
Listen for awkwardness: Sometimes ear catches errors logic misses
Common Pitfalls & Expert Tips
❌ Using "they/their" with singular indefinite pronouns
"Everyone needs to bring their book" is increasingly accepted, but traditional grammar requires "his or her." Check SAT answer choices for clues about which convention is expected.
❌ Treating collective nouns as plural
"The team won their game" is wrong on most SAT questions. Should be "its game" because team is treated as single unit. Watch for consistency!
❌ Missing ambiguous pronoun references
"Sarah told Maria that she passed the test." Who passed—Sarah or Maria? Ambiguous "she" needs clarification!
❌ Forgetting about compound antecedents with "or"
With "or/nor," pronoun matches the CLOSER antecedent, not both. "Neither the boys nor the girl brought her lunch" (matches "girl").
✓ Expert Tip: Memorize singular indefinite pronouns
Each, every, either, neither, one, and all words ending in -one, -body, -thing are ALWAYS singular. "Everyone has" not "Everyone have."
✓ Expert Tip: Circle pronouns and draw arrows to antecedents
Physically or mentally connect every pronoun to what it refers to. If arrow doesn't clearly point to one noun, reference is ambiguous.
✓ Expert Tip: Replace pronoun with antecedent to check
Substitute the actual noun for the pronoun and read the sentence. If it sounds wrong or changes meaning, your pronoun doesn't match correctly.
Fully Worked SAT-Style Examples
Passage:
Each of the students in the advanced mathematics course must complete ______ final project independently.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) their
B) his or her
C) its
D) our
Correct Answer: B
Antecedent identification: The antecedent is "each" (singular indefinite pronoun). "Of the students" is a prepositional phrase that doesn't affect agreement. "Each" is ALWAYS singular.
Rule application: Singular indefinite pronouns (each, every, either, neither, one, everyone, someone, etc.) require singular pronouns. Since "students" includes mixed genders, "his or her" is the singular, gender-neutral option.
Why B is correct: "His or her" is singular, matching the singular antecedent "each," and is gender-neutral, appropriate for a group of students of any gender.
Why A is wrong: "Their" is plural. Common trap—students see "students" (plural) and choose plural pronoun, but antecedent is "each" (singular), not "students."
Why C is wrong: "Its" refers to things/objects, not people. Students are people, requiring "his or her" not "its."
Why D is wrong: "Our" is first person, but the sentence uses third person ("each of the students"). Person must match.
Passage:
The committee has been meeting regularly to discuss the proposal, and ______ will announce a decision next week.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) they
B) it
C) he or she
D) we
Correct Answer: B
Antecedent identification: The antecedent is "committee" (collective noun). Collective nouns like committee, team, group, family, class are usually treated as singular units on the SAT.
Context clue: "The committee has been meeting" uses singular verb "has," indicating the committee is being treated as a single unit, not as individual members.
Why B is correct: "It" is singular, matching the singular collective noun "committee." The sentence consistently treats committee as a unit (has...it will).
Why A is wrong: "They" is plural. While collective nouns can sometimes take plural pronouns when emphasizing individuals, the singular verb "has" signals singular treatment, requiring "it."
Why C is wrong: "He or she" refers to a single person, but committee is a group/organization, requiring "it."
Why D is wrong: "We" is first person, but the sentence is in third person about "the committee." Person must match.
Passage:
Both the architect and the engineer presented ______ designs for the new building during yesterday's meeting.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) his or her
B) their
C) its
D) our
Correct Answer: B
Compound antecedent rule: When two or more antecedents are joined by "and," they form a plural antecedent requiring a plural pronoun. Here: "the architect and the engineer" = two people = plural.
Analysis: "Both" signals plurality. Two distinct people (architect + engineer) = plural antecedent → requires plural pronoun "their."
Why B is correct: "Their" is plural, matching the plural compound antecedent "the architect and the engineer." Two people have designs (plural).
Why A is wrong: "His or her" is singular. Would work if sentence were about one person, but "and" joins two people into plural antecedent.
Why C is wrong: "Its" refers to things/objects, not people. Architect and engineer are people, requiring "their."
Why D is wrong: "Our" is first person, but sentence uses third person (the architect, the engineer). Person must match.
Passage:
Neither the professor nor the teaching assistants could locate ______ copies of the exam.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) his or her
B) their
C) its
D) one's
Correct Answer: B
"Neither...nor" rule: With "neither...nor" or "either...or," the pronoun agrees with the antecedent CLOSEST to the pronoun. Here: "the teaching assistants" (plural) is closest to the blank.
Analysis: "Neither the professor (singular) nor the teaching assistants (plural)..." → The closer antecedent is "teaching assistants" (plural) → requires plural pronoun.
Why B is correct: "Their" is plural, matching "teaching assistants" which is the antecedent closest to the pronoun position. Follow the proximity rule for "or/nor."
Why A is wrong: "His or her" is singular. Would be correct if sentence were "Neither the teaching assistants nor the professor could locate his or her..." (professor closer).
Why C is wrong: "Its" refers to things/objects, not people. Professor and teaching assistants are people.
Why D is wrong: "One's" is indefinite and doesn't match the specific people mentioned (professor and teaching assistants).
Passage:
The researchers compared the new treatment to the standard protocol. ______ showed significant improvements in patient outcomes.
Question:
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Answer Choices:
A) It
B) They
C) The new treatment
D) This
Correct Answer: C
Ambiguity problem: The first sentence mentions two things: "the new treatment" and "the standard protocol." Using a pronoun like "it" or "they" creates ambiguity—which one showed improvements?
Clarity requirement: When multiple possible antecedents exist, using the specific noun eliminates confusion. Readers need to know which treatment worked better.
Why C is correct: "The new treatment" is specific and unambiguous. It clearly states which treatment showed improvements, eliminating any confusion about the referent.
Why A is wrong: "It" is ambiguous—could refer to either "the new treatment" OR "the standard protocol." Reader can't determine which showed improvements.
Why B is wrong: "They" is plural, but the context suggests one of the treatments (singular) showed improvements, not both treatments together.
Why D is wrong: "This" alone (without a following noun) is vague. This what? The comparison? A treatment? Unclear referent.
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Quick Reference
| Antecedent Type | Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular noun (person) | he, she, his, her, him | The student forgot her book. |
| Singular noun (thing) | it, its | The dog wagged its tail. |
| Plural noun | they, them, their | The students finished their work. |
| Each, every, one, everyone | his or her (singular) | Everyone brought his or her lunch. |
| Both, few, many, several | they, their (plural) | Both completed their tasks. |
| Collective noun (team, group) | it, its (usually singular) | The team won its game. |
| Compound (A and B) | they, their (plural) | Tom and Sue brought their lunch. |
Pronoun Agreement Testing Checklist
Step-by-Step Process
1. Find the antecedent (what does pronoun refer to?)
2. Determine number (singular or plural?)
3. Check person (first/second/third?)
4. Match pronoun to all aspects
Always Singular Pronouns
Each / Every / Either / Neither
One / Everyone / Someone / Anyone
Everybody / Somebody / Nobody
→ Use "his or her" or "its"
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Ensuring Clear References and Grammatical Consistency
Pronoun-antecedent agreement questions assess your ability to match pronouns correctly to their antecedents in number, person, and gender while maintaining clear, unambiguous references—a fundamental grammatical skill transcending standardized testing to become essential for clear academic writing, professional communications, precise expression, and any context where pronoun confusion creates ambiguity about who or what you're discussing. The SAT tests this competency because proper pronoun agreement represents basic writing proficiency: understanding that pronouns must align with their antecedents in all aspects, recognizing special rules for indefinite pronouns and collective nouns, knowing how compound antecedents affect pronoun choice, and developing sensitivity to how ambiguous pronoun references confuse readers about meaning. When ensuring "the text conforms to conventions of Standard English," you practice the same grammatical awareness required for academic papers where pronoun errors mark careless writing, professional documents where unclear references create misunderstandings, technical communications where precision in all details including pronouns reflects overall reliability, and any formal writing where mechanical correctness and clarity serve as baseline expectations for educated writers. Pronoun-antecedent agreement follows systematic, learnable rules: identify the antecedent by asking what noun the pronoun replaces, determine whether that antecedent is singular or plural, apply special rules for indefinite pronouns (memorizing which are always singular like each/every/everyone and which are always plural like both/few/many), treat collective nouns as singular units unless context clearly emphasizes individuals, handle compound antecedents by applying "and" (plural) versus "or/nor" (matches closer antecedent) rules, ensure person consistency (first/second/third person throughout), and eliminate ambiguous references by using specific nouns when multiple possible antecedents exist. Every time you revise writing to fix pronoun agreement errors, clarify ambiguous references, or automatically produce correct agreement in first drafts, you're exercising the grammatical awareness that enables not just error-free but professionally clear writing where proper pronoun usage signals competence and ensures readers always know exactly what or whom you're referring to without confusion or ambiguity.