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Difficulty: MediumPronoun Case and Person

During the orientation for the wilderness survival course, the instructor told the recruits and I that if one wants to build a fire in wet conditions, you must use birch bark as a starter.

Which of the following options is the correct choice for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    I that if one wants to build a fire in wet conditions, you
  2. me that if you want to build a fire in wet conditions, youAnswer
  3. C
    me that if one wants to build a fire in wet conditions, you
  4. D
    I that if you want to build a fire in wet conditions, you

Answer

The option stating 'me that if you want to build a fire in wet conditions, you' is correct because it uses the proper objective pronoun case 'me' for the compound object and maintains a consistent second-person perspective using 'you'.
The correct option correctly uses the objective pronoun 'me' because it serves as the object of the action verb 'told' in the compound construction 'the recruits and me'. Additionally, it maintains person consistency by using the second-person pronoun 'you' throughout the dependent clause, avoiding a shift from the third-person 'one' to the second-person 'you'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the correct pronoun case for the compound construction following the verb 'told'.
The pronoun is part of the compound direct object of the transitive verb 'told' ('told the recruits and...'). Therefore, it must be in the objective case ('me'), not the subjective case ('I').
Objects of verbs must always be in the objective case.
2
Evaluate the consistency of pronoun person in the conditional clause.
The clause contains the pronouns 'one' (third-person) and 'you' (second-person). Shifting between these perspectives is grammatically inconsistent. The sentence must use either second-person ('you... you') or third-person ('one... one') consistently.
Pronoun person must remain consistent within a sentence to avoid confusing shifts in perspective.
3
Combine the correct pronoun case and the consistent pronoun person to select the correct choice.
The only choice that uses 'me' and avoids a shift in person is the one with 'me that if you want to avoid altitude sickness, you'.
This choice resolves both the case error and the person consistency issue.

Key Concept

Pronoun Case and Person Consistency
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Topics

Pronoun Case and Person

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