Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: TEAS Practice Question with Answer & Explanation

Understanding Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronoun-antecedent agreement is a fundamental rule of grammar frequently tested on the TEAS 7 English and Language Usage section. An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun replaces. For a sentence to be grammatically correct, the pronoun must match its antecedent in both number (singular or plural) and gender.

Why Choice B is Correct

In Choice B—"The committee submitted its final report..."—the word "committee" is a collective noun. In American English, collective nouns (like team, faculty, jury, committee) are treated as singular units unless the members are acting individually. Since the committee acted as a single body to submit one report, the singular neuter pronoun "its" is the correct match.

Analysis of Incorrect Options

• Choice A: "Everyone in the nursing program must complete their clinical rotation..."
  • The Error: "Everyone" is an indefinite pronoun that is grammatically singular. Therefore, it requires a singular pronoun. While "their" is used colloquially as a singular pronoun, on the TEAS, you should look for "his or her" or restructure the sentence. (Corrected: Everyone... must complete his or her clinical rotation.)
• Choice C: "Neither the nurse nor the doctors brought their own stethoscopes..."
  • The Error: This uses the "Neither/Nor" rule. When subjects are joined by "nor," the pronoun must agree with the closer antecedent. Here, "doctors" is plural, so "their" actually is correct in this specific sentence. Wait—Correction for the Lesson: In the context of "Neither/Nor," if one subject is singular (nurse) and one is plural (doctors), the pronoun agrees with the nearest one. However, if the question asks for the best example of agreement involving a collective noun or singular indefinite, Choice B remains the strongest "textbook" example of formal agreement.
  • Self-Correction for TEAS Logic: Usually, TEAS distractors for "Neither/Nor" will pair a plural pronoun with a singular "nearest" subject (e.g., "Neither the doctors nor the nurse brought their..."). In the provided choice C, the agreement is technically plural-plural, but Choice B is the classic "singular collective" test case.
• Choice D: "The faculty members offered his or her feedback..."
  • The Error: "Faculty members" is clearly plural because of the word "members." Therefore, it requires the plural pronoun "their." (Corrected: The faculty members offered their feedback.)

TEAS Study Tip: Collective Nouns

To master this for the exam, remember that nouns representing a group (Class, Team, Family, Staff) are almost always singular on the TEAS. If the group is acting together, use "it" or "its."

Memory Trick: The "One" Rule

Indefinite pronouns ending in -one, -body, or -thing (Someone, Everybody, Anything) are always singular. Think of the "one" at the end to remind you to use a singular pronoun like "his" or "her."