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Difficulty: Very hardPronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Complete the passage by entering the pronoun that correctly agrees with its antecedent under standard written English conventions.

Answer:While each of the newly established research laboratories in the biotechnology corridor boasts state-of-the-art gene-sequencing equipment, neither of the two facilities, despite receiving substantial initial funding from private investors, has yet finalized 【its】 application for the federal development grant.

Answer

its
The correct pronoun is 'its'. The subject of the main clause is the singular indefinite pronoun 'neither'. Even though it is followed by the plural prepositional phrase 'of the two facilities' and the parenthetical modifier 'despite receiving substantial initial funding from private investors', the antecedent remains singular. Therefore, it requires the singular possessive pronoun 'its' to maintain correct grammatical agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the main clause and its grammatical subject.
The subject of the main clause is the indefinite pronoun 'neither'. The plural noun 'facilities' is contained within the modifying prepositional phrase 'of the two facilities' and is not the subject.
Identifying the true subject is critical because the possessive pronoun must agree with this antecedent in number.
2
Determine the grammatical number and person of the subject 'neither'.
Under the rules of standard written English, the indefinite pronoun 'neither' is singular. Because it refers to inanimate facilities, it is third-person and neuter.
Establishing the singular nature of 'neither' dictates that the corresponding pronoun must also be singular.
3
Determine the correct possessive pronoun form.
The singular neuter possessive pronoun 'its' is selected.
The singular possessive 'its' agrees with 'neither'. Using the plural 'their' creates a pronoun-antecedent agreement error.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns
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Topics

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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