Pronoun questions are among the most common on ACT English. You need to ensure pronouns agree with their antecedents in number and case, and avoid ambiguity.
Core Rules
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
A pronoun must match its antecedent in number (singular/plural).
- ✗ "Each student should bring their book." (Each = singular)
- ✓ "Each student should bring his or her book."
Pronoun Case
- Subject: I, he, she, we, they, who.
- Object: me, him, her, us, them, whom.
- Possessive: my, his, her, our, their, whose.
Test: remove the other person. "Sarah and I went" (not "me went"). "They gave it to Sarah and me" (not "I").
Ambiguous Pronouns
A pronoun must clearly refer to one antecedent.
- ✗ "John told Mike that he was wrong." (Who is "he"?)
- ✓ "John told Mike that Mike was wrong."
Who vs. Whom
Who = subject (he/she). Whom = object (him/her).
"The teacher who inspired me" (she inspired me). "The teacher whom I admire" (I admire her).
Its vs. It's
Its = possessive (belonging to it). It's = it is.
Practice Problems
- "Everyone should do (their/his or her) best."
- "Between you and (I/me), the test was hard."
- "The dog wagged (its/it's) tail."
Want to check your answers and get step-by-step solutions?
Key Takeaways
Pronouns must agree in number with antecedents.
Subject vs object case: remove the other person to check.
Who = subject, whom = object.
Avoid ambiguous pronouns.