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Difficulty: MediumPronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Every delegate attending the international summit was instructed to submit _____ official credentials to the secretariat before the opening session. Which pronoun correctly completes the sentence in standard formal English?

  1. his or herAnswer
  2. B
    their
  3. C
    its
  4. D
    themselves

Answer

his or her
The correct answer provides the singular possessive form necessary to agree with the singular antecedent 'delegate' modified by 'Every'. In standard formal English, singular subjects require singular pronouns.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent in the main clause
The subject noun phrase is 'Every delegate', where the head noun is the singular 'delegate'.
Determining the head noun and its number (singular or plural) is essential for selecting the corresponding pronoun.
2
Apply standard rules for singular indefinite modifiers
Quantifiers like 'every', 'each', and 'everybody' render the noun phrase grammatically singular.
In formal written English, singular antecedents must be paired with singular pronouns.
3
Select the grammatically aligned possessive pronoun
'his or her' correctly provides gender-inclusive singular possessive agreement for a human antecedent.
Plural pronouns like 'their' are considered informal or grammatically mismatched in traditional JAMB UTME assessment contexts.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Singular Indefinite Modifiers
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Topics

Pronouns and Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

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