Which of the following sentences demonstrates proper pronoun-antecedent agreement?
A.
if people want to travel to the moon, you must get a job at a space technology station.
B.
if people want to travel to the moon, he must get a job at a space technology station.
C.
if a person wants to travel to the moon, you must get a job at a space technology station.
D.
if a person wants to travel to the moon, she must get a job at a space technology station.
The correct answer and Explanation is :
The sentence that demonstrates proper pronoun-antecedent agreement is D:
“If a person wants to travel to the moon, she must get a job at a space technology station.”
Explanation:
Pronoun-antecedent agreement refers to the rule that a pronoun must agree in number, gender, and person with its antecedent, which is the word it refers to. The antecedent in a sentence is the noun or pronoun that the other pronouns replace.
- Option A:
- Antecedent: “people” (plural)
- Pronoun: “you” (second person singular or plural)
There is no clear connection between the plural “people” and the second-person pronoun “you.” This creates confusion because “people” requires a plural pronoun like “they” instead of “you.”
- Option B:
- Antecedent: “people” (plural)
- Pronoun: “he” (singular, masculine)
This is incorrect because “people” is plural, while “he” is singular and masculine, leading to a mismatch in number and gender.
- Option C:
- Antecedent: “a person” (singular)
- Pronoun: “you” (second person singular or plural)
The antecedent “a person” is third-person singular, while “you” is second-person, creating a mismatch in person agreement. This sentence does not follow the rule that the pronoun should agree with the antecedent in person.
- Option D:
- Antecedent: “a person” (singular)
- Pronoun: “she” (third-person singular, feminine)
This sentence demonstrates proper pronoun-antecedent agreement. “A person” is a singular antecedent, and “she” is a third-person singular pronoun, which makes the sentence grammatically correct. This example assumes that “a person” could be female, and if gender is specified as female, the pronoun “she” is appropriate.
In conclusion, option D is correct because the pronoun “she” correctly matches the singular antecedent “a person,” making the sentence clear and consistent.