ACT Preparation / Unit 3 ACT 0217 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
They or It
The idea
A pronoun-agreement question is answered in three steps. First, find the antecedent, the noun the pronoun stands for, which may sit a sentence or more back. Second, decide its number and kind: a plural noun, a single person, or a single thing or organization. Third, match: a plural noun takes they; a single person of unknown gender may take they; a single thing or organization, including a group acting as one unit, takes it.
In practice
Worked example: "The museum reopened in May. After two years of repairs, (it, they) finally displayed (its, their) full collection." The antecedent is museum, a single organization, so it and its. Second: "Every visitor received a map, and (they, it) could keep (their, its) copy." Visitor is a single person, so they and their are accepted.
Where people slip
The two examples turn on the same word, their, with opposite results. The decision rests on what the antecedent is, a person or a thing, not on the pronoun.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for ACT Preparation