Pronoun case, agreement, and reference on the SHSAT Revising/Editing — Stand-Alone section covers pronouns that are in the wrong case, fail to match an antecedent, or point to nothing clear.
Students must choose the correct subject or object form in a compound, match singular and plural, and fix a vague it, they, or this. Questions ask which edit should be made to a sentence or which numbered sentence in a short paragraph should be revised.
Common traps are using I after a verb or preposition, pairing a plural noun with a singular pronoun, and leaving they when several people could be meant. Choices are short replacements or a sentence to change.
Sample questions
Pick an answer to see whether it is right — nothing is saved, and nothing needs an account.
Question 1Easier
Which edit should be made to correct the sentence?
The costume designer measured the lead actor and I before the final fitting.
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Answer: A — Change I to me.
A compound object requires the objective pronoun “me,” so “Change I* to *me.” corrects the case error after “measured.” “Change actor to **actor’s.” creates a faulty possessive and leaves the pronoun error unchanged. “Change measured to measures.” shifts a correct past-tense verb without fixing the case. “Change fitting to fittings.” pluralizes a correctly singular noun and does not correct the pronoun.
Question 2Mid
Which sentence of the paragraph should be revised to correct a vague pronoun?
(1) Every Saturday, Maya and Tessa volunteer to inspect a wooded trail near their community. (2) They record fallen branches, faded signs, and muddy sections in a shared logbook for park staff. (3) After Maya helped Tessa update the logbook, she carried it to the ranger station. (4) The staff uses these notes to schedule repairs and keep the route safe for visitors throughout the year.
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Answer: C — sentence 3
A pronoun must have one clear antecedent. “sentence 3” should be revised because she could mean Maya or Tessa after both names appear in the same clause. “sentence 1” uses their to refer clearly to Maya and Tessa together, and “sentence 2” uses They the same way. “sentence 4” has no pronoun problem: these notes points back to the logbook entries, and the sentence is otherwise grammatical.
Question 3Easier
Which edit should be made to correct the sentence?
The gardenersplanted six saplings and later watered it before sunset.
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Answer: C — Change it to them.
A pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent, so “Change it to them.” correctly uses a plural pronoun for the six saplings. “Change gardeners to gardener.” leaves the mismatched singular pronoun “it” in place. “Change planted to plant.” breaks the past-tense verb sequence. “Insert a comma after saplings.” incorrectly splits the compound predicate.
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