These questions require you to identify a mismatch between a noun and a possessive pronoun, usually “its” and “their”.

“Its” matches only with singular nouns.

“Their” matches only with plural nouns.

When you see “its” or “their” on the test, your first task is to find the noun with which it matches.

For example, "She has not seen the mouse since last Tuesday, when it waved goodbye and boarded a bus."

SAMPLE PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR NOUN-POSSESSIVE PRONOUN AGREEMENT

        Regardless of their impact on the environment, plastic
                                  (A)         (B)
        will not be banned because of the benefits it provides in everyday life. No Error
              (C)                                                            (D)                                              (E)

When you see “their” in choice (A), start searching for a plural noun with which it could match. Here, you see that no such noun exists. The sentence incorrectly attempts to match “their” with the singular noun “plastic”. Thus choice (A) is incorrect.

        That the system has flaws is beyond dispute, but their
         (A)                                      (B)                                   (C)
        improvement is not the topic of our current discussion. No Error
                                                    (D)                                                 (E)

Choice (C) forces you to ask “What’s improvement?”. Answering this question shows you that the sentence incorrectly attempts to link “system” and “their”.

SAT Writing: Noun - Pronoun Agreement

Lesson Includes:

—Explanation of Noun - Pronoun Agreement

—Sample Practice Questions

—Practice Questions

NOUN-PRONOUN AGREEMENT REVIEW QUIZ

 

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