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Difficulty: MediumPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct possessive pronoun that maintains proper pronoun-antecedent agreement in standard formal English.

Answer:The parliamentary committee on ethics, after reviewing the allegations of misconduct for several months, finally released 【its】 preliminary findings to the press.

Answer

The correct pronoun to complete the sentence is 'its'.
The pronoun 'its' is correct because the antecedent 'parliamentary committee on ethics' is a collective noun operating as a single, unified body. In standard formal English, singular collective nouns acting as one unit require the singular possessive pronoun 'its'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent of the pronoun needed in the blank.
The antecedent is the noun phrase 'The parliamentary committee on ethics'.
The pronoun refers back to the entity that released the preliminary findings.
2
Determine the number, gender, and nature of the antecedent.
'Parliamentary committee' is a collective noun functioning as a single, unified entity acting in unison.
The sentence describes the committee acting as a single body publishing one set of findings.
3
Select the possessive pronoun that agrees in number and gender with the singular neuter collective noun.
The singular third-person neuter possessive pronoun 'its' is required.
In formal standard English, a collective noun acting as a single unit requires a singular neuter pronoun ('its').

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Collective Nouns
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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