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Question

Difficulty: MediumPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Dr. Adeleke is one of those dedicated surgeons who sacrifice ________ personal time for community outreach programmes. Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence in standard English?

  1. theirAnswer
  2. B
    his
  3. C
    its
  4. D
    themselves

Answer

The correct pronoun is 'their'.
In sentences structured as 'one of those [plural noun] who...', the relative pronoun refers to the plural noun ('surgeons'), not 'one'. Therefore, the plural possessive determiner 'their' is required to maintain proper pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the relative pronoun 'who'.
In the construction 'one of those dedicated surgeons who...', the relative pronoun 'who' refers back to the plural noun 'surgeons', not to the singular subject 'one'.
Relative clauses following 'one of those [plural noun]' modify the plural noun.
2
Determine the required pronoun agreement for the plural antecedent.
Since 'surgeons' is plural, the possessive pronoun inside the relative clause modifying 'personal time' must also be plural.
A pronoun must match its antecedent in number and person.
3
Select the appropriate grammatical form.
The possessive determiner 'their' fits grammatically before 'personal time'.
'Their' is the third-person plural possessive determiner corresponding to 'surgeons'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement in 'One of those... who' constructions
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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