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Soru

Zorluk: OrtaPronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

While the international coalition of astronomers working on the new telescope array had expected to capture high-resolution images of the newly discovered galaxy cluster during the summer solstice, _______ efforts were ultimately thwarted by a series of severe atmospheric disturbances and unexpected software anomalies that disrupted the sensitive instruments.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A
    their
  2. itsCevap
  3. C
    they're
  4. D
    its'

Cevap

its
The singular possessive pronoun 'its' correctly agrees in number with the singular collective noun antecedent 'coalition' and correctly shows possession over 'efforts'.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Identify the antecedent of the pronoun needed in the blank.
The pronoun modifies the noun 'efforts' and refers back to the subject 'the international coalition of astronomers working on the new telescope array'. The core noun of this subject is 'coalition'.
To ensure correct agreement, we must find the primary noun that the pronoun refers to, ignoring any intervening prepositional phrases.
2
Determine the grammatical number of the antecedent.
The noun 'coalition' is a singular collective noun, representing a single unified entity.
The pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent, meaning a singular pronoun is required.
3
Determine the required pronoun case and form.
The blank modifies the noun 'efforts' ('_______ efforts'), indicating ownership or possession. Therefore, a possessive pronoun is required. The singular possessive pronoun is 'its'.
Using the correct case and number ensures the pronoun conforms to the grammatical rules of the sentence.

Anahtar Kavram

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement (Collective Nouns)
Bu soruyu puanla

Konular

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement and Case

Bu konudan daha fazla soru