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Difficulty: Very hardPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Complete the sentence below by filling in each blank with the grammatically correct pronoun to ensure strict formal pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Answer:Neither the lead surgeon nor the female anesthesiologists brought 【their】 specialized equipment to the operating room before the hospital board issued 【its】 official directive.

Answer

The first blank requires the plural possessive pronoun 'their' to agree with the nearer antecedent 'female anesthesiologists', while the second blank requires the singular possessive pronoun 'its' to agree with the collective noun 'hospital board' acting as a unified entity.
Formal English grammatical concord specifies that when subject elements are joined by correlative conjunctions such as 'neither... nor', the pronoun agrees with the nearest noun ('female anesthesiologists' -> 'their'). Additionally, a collective noun ('hospital board') taking unified action requires a singular pronoun ('its').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the antecedent structure for the first blank
The compound antecedent is joined by the disjunctive correlative 'neither... nor' ('the lead surgeon nor the female anesthesiologists'). Under formal rule of proximity, the pronoun must agree in number with the nearer antecedent, 'female anesthesiologists', which is plural.
When antecedents are connected by 'neither... nor', pronoun agreement is governed by the noun closest to the pronoun position.
2
Determine the correct pronoun for the first blank
Select the third-person plural possessive pronoun 'their'.
The plural noun phrase 'female anesthesiologists' requires the plural possessive pronoun 'their'.
3
Analyze the antecedent structure for the second blank
The antecedent is 'the hospital board', a collective noun functioning as a single, unified entity issuing a single official directive.
Collective nouns take singular pronouns when the group acts as a collective unit rather than as separate individuals.
4
Determine the correct pronoun for the second blank
Select the third-person singular neuter possessive pronoun 'its'.
The singular collective body 'hospital board' requires the singular possessive pronoun 'its'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-antecedent agreement governed by the rule of proximity with correlative conjunctions and collective noun unity.
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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