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Difficulty: HardPronoun Case and Person

During the rehearsals for the symphony, the conductor insisted that the cues for the solo violinist and he, because they're timing had to be absolutely flawless, would be signaled by a slight nod of the head.

Which choice is the correct pronoun case and spelling for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    he, because they're
  2. him, because theirAnswer
  3. C
    he, because their
  4. D
    him, because they're

Answer

him, because their
The correct choice uses the objective pronoun 'him' because it acts as part of the compound object of the preposition 'for' ('for the solo violinist and him'). It also uses the possessive pronoun 'their' to show ownership over the noun 'timing.' The contraction 'they're' means 'they are,' which is grammatically incorrect in this context.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the syntactic role of the pronoun in the underlined compound construction.
The pronoun follows the preposition 'for' in the phrase 'for the solo violinist and [pronoun].'
Determining the correct case depends on whether the pronoun acts as a subject or an object.
2
Determine the correct case for the pronoun.
The pronoun is part of a compound object of a preposition, which requires the objective case 'him' rather than the subjective case 'he.'
Prepositions must be followed by object pronouns.
3
Determine the correct spelling for the word modifying 'timing.'
The possessive pronoun 'their' is correct, whereas the contraction 'they're' (meaning 'they are') is grammatically incorrect.
The sentence requires a possessive modifier for the noun 'timing.'

Key Concept

Pronoun Case in Compound Objects and Homophone Distinctions
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Topics

Pronoun Case and Person

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