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Difficulty: HardPronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence below to ensure proper pronoun-antecedent agreement?

Answer:Each of the candidate countries, in order to comply with the new environmental treaty, must submit 【its】 national carbon emissions report by the end of the fiscal year.

Answer

its
The correct pronoun is 'its'. Under standard written English rules, the indefinite pronoun 'Each' is singular and requires a singular pronoun for agreement. The plural noun 'countries' in the prepositional phrase 'of the candidate countries' does not change the singular nature of the subject. Because countries are non-human entities, the singular, gender-neutral possessive pronoun 'its' is correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the true grammatical antecedent of the missing pronoun.
The antecedent is the singular indefinite pronoun 'Each'.
The prepositional phrase 'of the candidate countries' is an intervening modifier and does not affect the grammatical number of the subject 'Each'.
2
Select the pronoun that agrees in number and gender with the antecedent.
Use the singular, gender-neutral possessive pronoun 'its'.
Since the antecedent 'Each' is singular and refers to nations (neuter/inanimate entities), it requires the singular pronoun 'its' to ensure grammatical agreement.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
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Topics

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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