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Difficulty: HardPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence below in accordance with standard formal English rules of pronoun-antecedent agreement?

"Every member of the parliamentary committee, regardless of political affiliation, expressed _____ dissatisfaction with the proposed fiscal bill."

  1. his or herAnswer
  2. B
    their
  3. C
    its
  4. D
    they

Answer

The pronoun that correctly completes the sentence is 'his or her'.
The sentence requires a singular possessive pronoun to agree with the grammatically singular subject antecedent 'Every member'. In standard formal English, 'his or her' maintains precise agreement in both number and gender for human antecedents.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the missing pronoun.
The subject head noun is 'member', modified by the singular quantifier 'Every'.
The intervening phrase 'of the parliamentary committee, regardless of political affiliation' does not alter the grammatical number of the true subject head noun.
2
Determine the grammatical number and person required for the pronoun.
A third-person singular possessive pronoun is required.
'Every member' denotes individuals evaluated singular by singular.
3
Select the option that provides a singular third-person possessive pronoun suitable for human subjects.
'his or her' correctly fulfills all grammatical agreement requirements.
In standard formal examination English, 'his or her' is used to agree with singular gender-neutral human antecedents.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Singular Indefinite Qualifiers
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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