ACT English › Possessive Pronoun Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
Francis was frustrated at being accosted about a bag of his own groceries. "You are mistaken, Officer," said Francis. "Those fruits and vegetables are ours."
mine
no change
his
theirs
one's
Based on the context given in the first sentence, Francis is clearly carrying a bag of his own property; therefore, when he speaks to the police officer, he is referring to his property. Because he is speaking in the first person, and is alone, the correct possessive pronoun is
"mine."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
Who's coat is that?
Whose
NO CHANGE
Whom's
Who is
The possessive form of who is "whose." In this sentence the author is wondering who the coat belongs to, or who possesses the coat. "Who's" is only used to mean "who is" and "whom" is the objective form of "who."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
One does not get as much out of college if one does not do your homework.
one's
no change
his or her
their
his
In this sentence, the subject is the pronoun, "one." When the antecedent is the word, "one," the correct possessive pronoun is always one's.
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
The lizard bobbed it's head up and down in a mating display.
bobbed its head
NO CHANGE
bobbed their head
bobbed they're head
was bobbing it's head
The possessive form of "it" does not have an apostrophe (but you still need to use the singular "it" to modify "lizard").
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
If they do not do their job, we cannot do theirs; we need them to finish before we can start.
ours
no change
his
their
one's
You know from the context in the last part of the sentence, that there are two groups of people. The first group, of which the speaker is not a part, and is therefore a third person plural group. The second is clearly a first-person plural group; therefore, when referring to the job that that group has to do, the correct pronoun is "ours."
Over winter break, our AP Spanish class took a trip to South America to practice the language and learn more about different Spanish-speaking cultures. Before we left, every student had to get their vaccinations for yellow fever and typhoid. Our first stop was Bolivia. When we landed at El Alto airport the highest in the world, we could see the city of La Paz sprawling up the hillsides in the shadow of the Andes. The first day in La Paz, we went to the Witches’s Market, run by local yatiri. The yatiri are medical practitioners who perform healing rituals in they’re communities. At the market, we saw dried frogs, llama fetuses, herbs, and seeds, used in various rituals. After we visited La Paz, we traveled to Cochabamba. Cochabamba is Bolivia’s culinary capital, with delicious specialties such as salteñas and rellenos. In Cochabamba, we also climbed 1400 steps to see the Cristo de La Concordia statue, the tallest of it’s kind in South America. Next, we visited the salt flats of Uyuni. Several lagoons dotted the high desert landscape, some of who were full of flamingos!
On our way out of Bolivia, we stopped at Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian border. Because the lake’s elevation is over 12,000 feet, some of my classmates experienced a bit of altitude sickness. Despite the altitude sickness, everyone said they loved seeing the beautiful scenery and visiting the mysterious “floating islands” made of reeds. When we crossed the border into Peru, one of my classmates thought she had lost her passport. I would of had a panic attack! She ended up finding it buried in a pocket of her backpack and we were on our way.
My favorite part of Peru was our trek to the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. We spent four days hiking in the Andes on a trail to the ruins. Our guides, whom spoke Spanish, English, and Quechua, were very knowledgeable about the history, flora, and fauna in the region. Upon waking up the next morning, a beautiful sunrise greeted us and cast the mountains in its soft pink glow. After we explored the ruins, we took a train ride back to Cuzco. The next day, we flew to Lima and prepared to return home. I was sad to leave, but I know I would be back some day!
Select the answer choice that best corrects the bolded, underlined portion of the passage. If the sentence is correct as written, select NO CHANGE.
healing rituals in their communities
NO CHANGE
healing rituals in there communities
healing rituals in its communities
healing rituals in it's communities
Yatiri is plural, so it needs the possessive plural pronoun "their." The incorrect answer choices are either singular pronouns, or incorrect spellings/usage of "their" in the possessive form ("there" implies location and "they're" means "they are").
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
If you don't start playing better, we're going to lose, and I am going to regret picking you for your team.
our
no change
their
his
my
Here, due to the context of the sentence, we know that the speaker of the sentence is on a team with the person with whom they are speaking. As such, the correct way to refer to the team that they are both members of is "our."
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, select “NO CHANGE.”
Did you get your ice cream yet? I am still waiting to get my one.
mine
it
NO CHANGE
my
mine one.
This question asks you about the correct use of a possessive pronoun. In this sentence, the pronoun is replacing the noun group, "my ice cream." The correct possessive first-person pronoun is "mine." The use of "my one" in the original sentence is awkward. Using "it" rather than a possessive pronoun is confusing in this context, incorrectly suggesting that the narrator is waiting for the other person's ice cream.
Jeremy had no luck convincing the members of the orchestral committee about his suggestions. He pleaded, cajoled, was begging, and even threatened the committee at various times, but yet despite being the conductor, he couldnt get them to agree to his requests. Despite many attempts, the committee would not listen to him. In the end, he decided to go through with the Christmas concert despite him not having his favorite composer on the program. Afterward, one of his friends, whom was in the audience, came up and asked him why was there no Handel on the program? "I did try" Jeremy replied "but the committee were unanimously against me. I nearly begged them all day to put one piece on the program. But try as I might I could not get a Handel on it."
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded portion of the passage. If the bolded portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
his not having
NO CHANGE
him having not
the fact that
A possessive pronoun is used before gerunds like "having;" thus "his not having" would be appropriate here.
Josh suffered from a fear of dogs ever since he is a little boy. He would shiver in his boots thinking of a dog barking at him, biting him, or that could chase him. He had never met a single dog he liked. The scarier dog he had ever seen was Mr. Green’s dog, whom he had to pass every day. On his way to school. This dog barked so loudly it made Josh’s hairs stand on end.
She said that there was no need to be afraid. Josh’s mom told him that dogs only barked because they were excited to see him. She told him that he just needed to be confident and not act afraid of this dogs’ barking, and speak in a reassuring tone. Then the dog would quiet down and act more friendly.
Josh felt that neither confidence or a reassuring tone would make any difference. He didn’t think he would ever get over his fear. However, one day he had enough. Barking for hours, he realized the dog was bored and just needed a friend. He wasn’t sure if his mother’s advice would prove true? Hiding his fear, he approached the dog and spoke to it in a reassuring tone. To his surprise, the dog wagged it’s tail and quieted down right away.
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
its
his
her
NO CHANGE
its'
This question asks you about the correct possessive form of a pronoun. In this passage, we do not know the gender of the dog, so it is correct to use a neutral pronoun, "it," rather than the possessive forms "his" or "hers." The correct possessive form of the pronoun "it" is "its." The form "it's" should only be used as a contraction of "it is," and "its'" is not a word at all.