American Diploma · ACT · English: Usage

ACT Pronoun Agreement and Clear Reference

Matching pronouns to singular and plural antecedents, keeping one/you consistent, and fixing ambiguous, missing and vague references (they say, this, which) — with worked examples and an ACT-style quiz.

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A pronoun (it, they, its, their, this, which…) is a short word that stands for a noun. That noun is called its antecedent. Every pronoun must do two things: agree with its antecedent in number (singular or plural) and person, and point clearly to one antecedent that is actually in the passage. ACT English tests both. The errors are easy to miss because, when you read quickly, your brain fills in the meaning for you.

What this question type tests

Pronoun agreement and reference belong to Conventions of Standard English, which is 38–43% of the 40 scored English questions (shared with punctuation, sentence structure and the other usage topics). An underlined pronoun has choices such as it / they / its / their / this / the museum. Very often one choice replaces the pronoun with a noun — that choice is the correct one when the pronoun is unclear.

For every underlined pronoun, do two checks:

Find the antecedent. Go back in the sentence (or the sentence before) and point to the exact noun the pronoun replaces.
Check the match. Singular noun → it / its / he / she / this. Plural noun → they / them / their / these. If you cannot point to one noun — because there are two possibilities or none at all — the pronoun is wrong, and the answer is usually the choice that names the noun.

Rule 1: Singular antecedents take singular pronouns

The commonest ACT error is their or they used for a singular thing. Look especially for these singular antecedents:

Singular antecedent	✗ Wrong	✓ Right
a company, a school, a university, a museum	The company raised their prices.	The company raised its prices.
a team, a committee, a band, a family, a government	The committee announced their decision on Monday.	The committee announced its decision on Monday.
a city, a country, a river	Egypt depends on the Nile for most of their water.	Egypt depends on the Nile for most of its water.
each / every / either / neither + thing	Each of the bridges has their own name.	Each of the bridges has its own name.
one of the + plural noun	One of the old trams still has their wooden seats.	One of the old trams still has its wooden seats.

These words agree with the verb too: if the sentence says “the team is”, the pronoun must be “its”, not “their”. The ACT is written in American English, where a group acting as one unit is singular.

People words such as everyone, anybody, each student, a person: modern Standard English often uses “they/their” for one person whose gender is not stated (✓ Each student must bring their own calculator). Traditional style uses “his or her”. Because both are accepted today, the ACT does not normally make that the only difference between choices. What it does test is a singular thing or organisation with “they/their” — that is always wrong.

Plural antecedents take plural pronouns: ✗ The pyramids are famous for its size. ✓ The pyramids are famous for their size. Two nouns joined by and are plural: ✓ The mosque and the church kept their old doors. With or / nor, the pronoun agrees with the nearer noun: ✓ Neither the teachers nor the principal gave her opinion.

its / it’s and their / they’re / there

Agreement questions often mix in apostrophe traps. its = belonging to it; it’s = it is / it has. their = belonging to them; they’re = they are; there = a place / there is. Choose the right number first (its vs their), then the right spelling.

Rule 2: Stay consistent — one, you, we

When a passage talks about people in general, it may use one, you or we. Whichever it starts with, it must keep. Switching person in the middle of a sentence or paragraph is an error.

✗ Wrong (shift)	✓ Right
If one practises every day, you will improve quickly.	If one practises every day, one will improve quickly. / If you practise every day, you will improve quickly.
When we visit the desert at night, you can see thousands of stars.	When we visit the desert at night, we can see thousands of stars.
A student should check your answers twice.	A student should check his or her answers twice. / Students should check their answers twice.

To choose, look at the rest of the passage, especially the non-underlined pronouns. The underlined pronoun must match the ones you cannot change.

الضمير لازم يرجع على اسم واحد

اسأل نفسك: الضمير ده راجع على أنهي اسم بالظبط؟ لو الاسم مفرد (الشركة، الفريق، المدينة، المتحف) يبقى it / its مش they / their. ولو الجملة بدأت بـ you كمّل بـ you، ولو بدأت بـ one كمّل بـ one — ماينفعش تغيّر في نص الكلام.

Rule 3: Ambiguous pronouns — two possible antecedents

If a pronoun could refer to two different nouns, the reader cannot be sure who or what is meant. Grammar is not enough here; the meaning must be clear. The fix is to replace the pronoun with the noun it means.

✗ Unclear	Why	✓ Clear
When Mona showed her sister the photograph, she started to cry.	Mona or her sister?	When Mona showed her sister the photograph, her sister started to cry.
The engineers argued with the builders because they wanted to finish early.	engineers or builders?	…because the builders wanted to finish early.
The cup fell off the shelf, and it broke.	the cup or the shelf?	The cup fell off the shelf and broke.
Sami told Ali that his bike had been stolen.	Sami’s bike or Ali’s?	Sami told Ali, “Your bike has been stolen.” / Sami told Ali that Ali’s bike had been stolen.

Notice that the ACT’s correct answer is often longer than the pronoun. Usually a shorter answer is better on this test, but clarity beats length: choose the noun when the pronoun is ambiguous.

Rule 4: Pronouns with no antecedent

A pronoun needs a real noun in the passage. These are the patterns the ACT uses:

“They say / they told me” with no group named. ✗ At the clinic, they told me to rest. ✓ At the clinic, a nurse told me to rest. ✗ They say the old bridge will be closed. ✓ City officials say the old bridge will be closed.
“It says” for a written source. ✗ In the article, it says the river is cleaner. ✓ The article says the river is cleaner.
The antecedent is only an adjective or a possessive. ✗ In Nadia’s report, she argues for more parks. (“Nadia’s” describes “report”; it cannot be the antecedent.) ✓ In her report, Nadia argues for more parks. ✗ I visited a pottery workshop, and now I want to learn it. (“pottery” is only describing “workshop”.) ✓ …and now I want to learn pottery.
The noun is only implied. ✗ My uncle is a doctor, so I want to study it. (“it” = medicine, which is not in the sentence.) ✓ My uncle is a doctor, so I want to study medicine.

Rule 5: “This” and “which” for a whole idea

Writers often use this, that or which to point back to a whole action or idea instead of a single noun. When only one idea could be meant, the reader understands. When two or more ideas come before it, the reference is vague, and the clear choice adds a noun: this delay, this change, this decision.

✗ Vague	✓ Clear
The city cut the number of buses on our route and raised the ticket price. This made many students late for school.	…This reduction in buses made many students late for school.
Laila missed the bus, and the exam started early, which meant she arrived after the first question.	Laila missed the bus, and the exam started early. These two problems meant she arrived after the first question.
The scientists collected the samples. These shows the water is safe.	The scientists collected the samples. These samples show the water is safe.

Also check agreement: this / that for one idea or a singular noun; these / those for plural nouns. ✗ “This results” ✓ “These results”.

this لوحدها ممكن تبقى مش واضحة

لو الجملة اللي قبل كده فيها فكرتين، كلمة This لوحدها مش هتوضح بنتكلم عن أنهي فكرة. الحل: حط اسم بعدها، زي This decision أو This delay. وفي الامتحان، الاختيار اللي بيكتب الاسم بدل الضمير غالبًا هو الصح لما الضمير يكون مش واضح.

Worked examples

Each example is part of an ACT-style essay. The underlined portion is shown in bold.

Worked example 1. “The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir reopened last month after two years of repairs, and their new lighting makes the gold masks glow.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) its
C) it’s
D) they’re

Answer: B.

B is correct. The new lighting belongs to the museum (singular), so the singular possessive “its” is needed.
A is plural; it seems to agree with “years” or “repairs”, the nearest plural nouns, but the lighting belongs to the museum. The trap is the nearest plural noun.
C means “it is”. D means “they are”. Neither is a possessive.

Worked example 2. “When Mona showed her younger sister the old photograph of their grandfather, she started to cry.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) her sister
C) they
D) it

Answer: B.

B is correct. “She” could mean Mona or her sister — two possible antecedents. Naming the person removes the ambiguity.
A is the ambiguous pronoun.
C is plural and still unclear.
D refers to the photograph, which cannot cry.

Worked example 3. “My first visit to the eye clinic was confusing. At the reception desk, they told me to wait, but nobody explained for how long.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) a receptionist
C) it
D) she

Answer: B.

B is correct. “They” has no antecedent: no group of people has been named. “A receptionist” gives the action a clear subject.
A is a pronoun with no antecedent (“the clinic” is one place, not “they”).
C would make the desk or the clinic speak.
D is also a pronoun with no antecedent: no woman has been mentioned.

Worked example 4. “If one wants to learn Japanese, you should begin with the two simple alphabets before studying the Chinese characters.”

Question: Choose the best version of the underlined portion. If the original is best, choose NO CHANGE.

A) NO CHANGE
B) they
C) one
D) we

Answer: C.

C is correct. The sentence begins with “one”, which is not underlined and cannot change, so the pronoun must stay “one”.
A and D shift from “one” to another person (you, we).
B is plural and refers to no one in the sentence.

Classic traps

their / they for one organisation or thing: the company, the team, the city, the museum, each bridge → it / its.
Nearest plural noun: “the museum … after two years of repairs … their lighting” — find the real owner, not the closest noun.
Two possible antecedents: he, she, they or it could mean two nouns → name the noun.
They say / it says / at the clinic they…: a pronoun that refers to no one in the passage.
Possessive or adjective as antecedent: “In Nadia’s report, she…”, “a pottery class … learn it”.
Person shift: one → you, we → you in the same sentence or paragraph.
Vague this / which: two ideas before it → add a noun (this delay).

Fast strategy for test day

Put your finger on the antecedent. Can’t find exactly one? Choose the answer that names the noun.
Singular thing or group → it / its / this. Plural → they / their / these.
Check the pronouns you cannot change (not underlined) and match the underlined one to them.
If the choices are NO CHANGE, a pronoun and a noun, ask whether the original is really clear before choosing the shorter answer.

Practice

Two ACT-style essays with 5 questions each, all on pronoun agreement and clear reference. The numbers in brackets match the question numbers.

Remember

Every pronoun needs one clear antecedent and must match it in number: company, team, city, museum → it / its.
Keep the same person all the way through: one … one, you … you, we … we.
Two possible antecedents? Replace the pronoun with the noun, even if the answer is longer.
“They say”, “it says”, and pronouns pointing to a possessive or an adjective have no real antecedent.
Vague this / which after two ideas → add a noun: this delay, this decision.

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