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Difficulty: MediumPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Read the sentence below and fill in the blank with the pronoun that correctly maintains pronoun-antecedent agreement in standard formal English.

Answer:The board of directors was unanimous in 【its】 decision to expand international operations this fiscal year.

Answer

its
The collective noun phrase 'board of directors' functions as a single unified body in this sentence, as signaled by the singular verb 'was' and the adjective 'unanimous'. Consequently, it requires the singular possessive pronoun 'its' to maintain proper agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent in the sentence.
The antecedent is the collective noun phrase 'The board of directors'.
The pronoun in the blank must agree in number, gender, and person with its antecedent.
2
Determine whether the collective noun acts as a single entity or as individual members.
The singular verb 'was' and the word 'unanimous' indicate that the board is acting as a single, unified body.
When a collective noun performs an action as a single unified unit, it takes a singular pronoun.
3
Select the correct possessive pronoun.
The singular neuter possessive pronoun 'its' agrees with the singular collective noun antecedent.
Using a plural possessive pronoun such as 'their' violates pronoun-antecedent agreement rules in formal English.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Collective Nouns
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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