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Difficulty: MediumPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Complete the sentence below by filling in the blank with the correct pronoun that maintains proper pronoun-antecedent agreement in standard formal English.

Answer:Neither the principal nor the teachers realized that 【their】 actions would have such a profound impact on the school's reputation.

Answer

their
In standard formal English, when antecedents are joined by correlative conjunctions like 'neither... nor' or 'either... or', the pronoun must agree in number and person with the antecedent closest to the pronoun slot. In this sentence, the plural noun 'teachers' is closer to the blank than the singular noun 'principal', requiring the plural possessive pronoun 'their'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the compound antecedent and its connecting structure in the sentence.
The subjects 'the principal' (singular) and 'the teachers' (plural) are joined by the correlative conjunction 'neither... nor'.
Recognizing correlative conjunctions is essential for applying the correct grammatical rule.
2
Apply the rule of proximity for pronoun-antecedent agreement.
The pronoun must agree in number with the antecedent closest to it, which is the plural noun 'teachers'.
When subjects are joined by 'neither... nor', the pronoun agrees with the nearer antecedent, not the farther one.
3
Select the appropriate third-person plural possessive pronoun.
The correct possessive pronoun is 'their'.
'Their' correctly agrees in number with the plural antecedent 'teachers'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Correlative Conjunctions
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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