Pronoun Agreement and Clarity

Traditional grammar rule (what SAT tests):

"A student" is singular, so the pronoun should be singular.

Fix: "When a student finishes his or her exam, he or she should turn it in to the proctor."

Better fix (restructure): "When students finish their exams, they should turn them in to the proctor." ✅ (Making both subject and pronoun plural avoids the awkward "his or her")

Note: In everyday language, singular "they" is increasingly accepted, but the SAT traditionally tests singular pronoun agreement. Follow SAT conventions on the test.

Answer: Either use "his or her" or make the subject plural ("students...their").

Error: Ambiguous pronoun — who was upset, Sarah or her mother?

"She" could refer to either "Sarah" or "her mother."

Fix 1 — Specify the noun: "When Sarah talked to her mother, Sarah was upset." ✅ "When Sarah talked to her mother, her mother was upset." ✅

Fix 2 — Restructure: "Sarah was upset when she talked to her mother." ✅ (Now "she" clearly refers to "Sarah" — the subject of the sentence)

Rule: Every pronoun must have ONE clear antecedent. If a pronoun could refer to more than one noun, rewrite the sentence.

Answer: Replace "she" with the specific noun, or restructure so the reference is clear.

SAT Tip: Ambiguous pronouns are one of the most frequently tested errors. If you see a pronoun with two possible antecedents, it's probably wrong.

"Neither" is SINGULAR.

Even though it refers to "two girls," "neither" means "not one, not the other" — it considers them individually.

Correct: "Neither of the girls remembered to bring her textbook." ✅

Rule: These indefinite pronouns are ALWAYS singular: each, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody, one

On the SAT: This is a common trick. "Neither of the boys" seems plural (there are multiple boys), but "neither" isolates each one individually.

Answer: "her" — because "neither" is singular.

Error 1: "The committee announced their decision."

• "Committee" is a collective noun — typically singular in American English
• Fix: "The committee announced its decision."

Error 2: "each member must submit their report"

• "Each" is singular → should be "his or her report"
• Fix: "each member must submit his or her report"

Error 3: "which confused everyone"

• "Which" is ambiguous — what confused everyone? The decision? The deadline? The submission requirement?
• Fix: Be specific: "a decision that confused everyone" or "This announcement confused everyone."

Corrected: "The committee announced its decision. The chair said that each member must submit his or her report by Friday, an announcement that confused everyone."

Answer: Three corrections — "its" for committee, "his or her" for each, and clarify what "which" refers to.

Error: Pronoun shift from "one" to "you"

The sentence starts with "one" (third person) and shifts to "you" (second person). This is inconsistent.

Fix 1 — Keep "one" throughout: "If one wants to succeed in college, one must develop strong study habits and manage one's time effectively." (Grammatically correct but sounds formal/stiff)

Fix 2 — Keep "you" throughout: "If you want to succeed in college, you must develop strong study habits and manage your time effectively." ✅ (More natural in American English)

Fix 3 — Use "students": "If students want to succeed in college, they must develop strong study habits and manage their time effectively." ✅

Rule: Maintain consistent pronoun person throughout a sentence and paragraph:

• First person: I, we
• Second person: you
• Third person: he, she, they, one

Don't shift between them without reason.

Answer: Change to consistently use "you" or "one" — don't mix.