ACT English Quiz: Pronouns
20 questions · exam conditions
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PronounsQuestion 1 of 20

Neither of the students brought their homework to class. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

NO CHANGE
our
its
his or her
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ACT English Quiz

ACT English Quiz: Pronouns

Practice Pronouns in ACT English with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Pronouns, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for ACT English.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Neither of the students brought their homework to class. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. our
  3. its
  4. his or her (correct answer)

Explanation: This item tests pronoun agreement with indefinite pronouns. 'Neither' is singular, and 'of the students' is a prepositional phrase that does not change that, so formal agreement calls for the singular 'his or her homework.' Leaving the original 'their' matches the pronoun to 'students' rather than to the real subject, so it is plural. The version with 'our' shifts to first person and refers to a group the sentence never mentions, and 'its' is used for things rather than for people. With 'each,' 'either,' 'neither,' 'everyone,' and 'everybody,' ignore the 'of the  ' phrase and choose a singular pronoun.

Question 2

In a history seminar, the professor assigned a group presentation on labor movements, and Amir partnered with Nina to divide the research. Amir focused on primary sources, while Nina summarized scholarly articles, and they met twice to combine their notes. When the professor asked who would present first, Amir replied that Nina and me will introduce the topic before explaining their timeline. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Nina and myself will introduce the topic
  3. Me and Nina will introduce the topic
  4. Nina and I will introduce the topic (correct answer)

Explanation: This item tests pronoun case in a compound subject. The pronoun is part of the subject of 'will introduce,' so it needs subject case: 'Nina and I will introduce the topic.' Leaving the original wording, 'Nina and me will introduce the topic,' uses object case in a subject slot, and 'Me and Nina will introduce the topic' makes the same mistake while also putting the speaker first. The wording with 'Nina and myself' reaches for a reflexive pronoun, but reflexives are only correct when they point back to a subject already in the same clause, and here there is none. Test compound subjects by dropping the other person: you would say 'I will introduce,' never 'me will introduce' or 'myself will introduce.'

Question 3

The guests, including myself, arrived early for the event. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. us
  3. I
  4. me (correct answer)

Explanation: This item tests pronoun case and the proper use of reflexives. 'Including' functions as a preposition here, so the pronoun that follows it is an object and must be in the objective case: 'me.' A reflexive like 'myself' is correct only when it refers back to the subject of its own clause ('I surprised myself') or adds deliberate emphasis, and neither applies inside this phrase, which is why the original 'myself' is wrong even though it sounds polite. 'I' is subject case and can never follow a preposition, and 'us' is objective but plural, so it stops referring to the writer alone and claims a group the sentence never mentions. A useful check is to drop the phrase's other members and read the pronoun directly after the preposition. Reflexive pronouns need a matching subject in the same clause; when there isn't one, use plain 'me,' 'him,' or 'them.'

Question 4

Both the CEO and himself attended the conference. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. them
  3. him
  4. he (correct answer)

Explanation: This question tests pronoun case in a compound subject. The pronoun is part of 'Both the CEO and   attended,' the subject of the verb, so it needs the subject form 'he.' Keeping the original 'himself' misuses a reflexive pronoun, which can only appear when it refers back to a subject already named in the clause, never as the subject itself. The form 'him' is objective and would give you the impossible 'him attended,' and 'them' is plural, which cannot pair with the singular 'the CEO' in a two-part subject. Test any compound subject by removing the other party: if 'he attended' works and 'him attended' does not, the subject form is the one you want.

Question 5

The book on the table belongs to Laura and he. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. his
  3. him (correct answer)
  4. her

Explanation: This question tests pronoun case after a preposition. The pronoun follows 'to' in 'belongs to Laura and  ,' making it the object of that preposition, so the objective form 'him' is correct. Leaving the original 'he' uses the subject form in a slot that cannot take one; strip out 'Laura and' and 'belongs to he' is immediately wrong while 'belongs to him' is right. The form 'his' is possessive and would say the book belongs to a possessive rather than to a person, and 'her' switches the gender the original wording established. Any time a pronoun sits after a preposition such as 'to,' 'for,' 'with,' or 'between,' delete the other name in the compound and let your ear pick the objective form.

Question 6

The committee members, including myself, agreed on the plan. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. I
  3. me (correct answer)
  4. mine

Explanation: This question tests the proper use of reflexive pronouns versus regular pronouns. The reflexive pronoun 'myself' should only be used when the subject performs an action on itself or for emphasis of the subject. In this sentence, 'myself' is simply part of a list of committee members and doesn't reflect back to any subject performing the action. Choice C 'me' is the correct objective case pronoun for this prepositional phrase 'including me.' Choice B 'I' is nominative case and incorrect after 'including,' and choice D 'mine' is possessive. Reflexive pronouns like 'myself' are often misused when simple objective pronouns are needed.

Question 7

We and the neighbors are planning a block party. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE (correct answer)
  2. Us
  3. They
  4. Them

Explanation: This question tests pronoun case in compound subjects. The pronoun functions as part of the compound subject 'We and the neighbors' that performs the action of planning. Since this is a subject, the nominative case 'We' is correct. Choice B 'Us' is objective case and incorrect for subjects, choices C and D 'They/Them' change the meaning by excluding the speaker from the planning group. The nominative 'We' correctly identifies the speaker as part of the subject performing the action of planning the block party.

Question 8

In a student government meeting, the treasurer explained the budget to the president and the committee chairs, and several members asked clarifying questions. Because the conversation moved quickly, the secretary tried to capture the main points in the minutes. The draft minutes stated that them approved the new funding guidelines after a brief discussion. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. they (correct answer)
  3. him
  4. their

Explanation: This question tests basic pronoun case. The underlined pronoun "them" is incorrect because it's the object form being used as a subject of the verb "approved." The sentence needs a subject pronoun to perform the action. Choice B correctly uses "they" as the subject pronoun, indicating that the members (treasurer, president, and committee chairs) approved the guidelines. Choice C uses "him," which is singular and doesn't match the plural context, and choice D uses "their," which is possessive rather than subjective. Subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) perform actions, while object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) receive actions.

Question 9

In the debate club, Priya and Carlos reviewed a stack of articles about renewable energy and highlighted claims they could fact-check. Their coach reminded them to cite sources carefully and to keep their arguments consistent from opening statement to rebuttal. Priya drafted the introduction and wrote that you should always verify statistics before using them, even in a short speech. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. one should always verify statistics before using them (correct answer)
  3. we should always verify statistics before using them
  4. statistics should always be verified before you use it

Explanation: This question tests pronoun consistency and formality. The underlined phrase "you should always verify" creates an inconsistent shift to second person in what appears to be formal academic writing. Choice A uses informal "you," which doesn't match the formal tone of debate preparation. Choice B correctly uses "one should," maintaining formal, impersonal tone throughout. Choice C uses "we," which could work but is less formal than the context suggests. Choice D mixes "you" with "it," creating both inconsistency and a pronoun-antecedent disagreement ("statistics" is plural, not "it"). Maintain consistent pronoun perspective within formal writing contexts.

Question 10

The responsibility was shared between us and the marketing team. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE (correct answer)
  2. we
  3. our
  4. them

Explanation: This question tests pronoun case when the pronoun functions as an object of a preposition. The phrase 'between us and the marketing team' uses the preposition 'between,' which requires its objects to be in objective case. Choice A 'us' correctly provides the objective case needed for prepositional objects. Choice B 'we' is nominative case and incorrect after prepositions, choice C 'our' is possessive, and choice D 'them' would change the meaning by excluding the speaker. The preposition 'between' always requires objective case pronouns like 'us,' 'him,' 'her,' or 'them.'

Question 11

For a podcast episode about urban gardens, the host spoke with two guests: a botanist named Dr. Ruiz and a community organizer named Tara. Both guests described how volunteers maintain the plots, but they differed on which outreach methods work best. In the edited transcript, one sentence reads, She argued that flyers were less effective than door-to-door conversations, which could refer to either guest. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Dr. Ruiz argued that flyers were less effective than door-to-door conversations
  3. Tara argued that flyers were less effective than door-to-door conversations (correct answer)
  4. They argued that flyers were less effective than door-to-door conversations

Explanation: This question tests pronoun clarity and antecedent reference. The underlined phrase "She argued" creates ambiguity because "she" could refer to either Dr. Ruiz or Tara from the previous context. Both guests are female and were mentioned as having different perspectives on outreach methods. Choice C correctly specifies "Tara," eliminating confusion about which guest made the argument about flyers versus door-to-door conversations. Choice B would also provide clarity but refers to the other guest. Choice D uses "they," which doesn't match the singular context of the statement. Replace ambiguous pronouns with specific names when multiple people of the same gender are discussed.

Question 12

A student is revising a reflection about a group presentation:

Before presenting, I met with Talia and Ren to practice our transitions and decide who would answer questions. Talia created the slides, Ren gathered sources, and I wrote the introduction. During the presentation, the teacher asked Ren and myself to explain one of the graphs in more detail.

Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. I
  3. me (correct answer)
  4. mine

Explanation: This question tests the proper use of reflexive pronouns. The pronoun appears in 'asked Ren and  ,' functioning as part of the compound object of the verb 'asked.' Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself) should only be used when the subject and object refer to the same person performing an action on themselves. The correct answer is 'me' because it properly serves as the object of 'asked' without unnecessary reflexivity. Choice A incorrectly uses 'myself' when the subject (teacher) and object (me) are different people, choice B would use 'I' (subject form) in an object position, and choice D 'mine' is possessive and doesn't fit grammatically. Many people mistakenly use 'myself' thinking it sounds more formal, but simple object pronouns are correct in these contexts.

Question 13

Between you and I, the secret was safe. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. me (correct answer)
  3. myself
  4. us

Explanation: This question tests pronoun case following prepositions. The preposition 'between' requires its objects to be in objective case. The phrase 'between you and I' is a common error; the correct form uses 'between you and me.' Choice A 'I' is nominative case and incorrect after prepositions, choice C 'myself' is reflexive and inappropriate here since there's no subject to reflect back to, and choice D 'us' is plural when only two people are referenced. Choice B 'me' provides the correct objective case. To test prepositional objects, use the pronoun alone: 'between me' sounds correct while 'between I' does not.

Question 14

During a campus tour, the guide mentioned that the engineering building and the art studio both offer late-night access for students with key cards. Because both buildings have similar policies, first-year students sometimes confuse them when asking about hours. In an email to her roommate, Tessa wrote, "The studio closes at midnight, but it requires a key card after 9." Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. the art studio (correct answer)
  3. the engineering building
  4. they

Explanation: This question tests pronoun clarity and antecedent reference. The underlined pronoun "it" is ambiguous because it could refer to either "the engineering building" or "the art studio" from the previous sentence. Both buildings were mentioned as having similar policies, making the reference unclear. Choice B correctly specifies "the art studio," eliminating confusion about which building requires the key card. Choices C and D also provide specific references but don't match the context - the sentence is about the studio closing at midnight. When multiple similar nouns are mentioned, replace ambiguous pronouns with specific nouns for clarity.

Question 15

While planning a science fair project, Dina interviewed her neighbor Mr. Lee, who had worked as a meteorologist, and she also consulted her physics teacher, Ms. Grant. Dina recorded both conversations and later transcribed them, but some statements sounded similar. In her report, Dina wrote that she said the storm's path could shift quickly, which left readers unsure who made the claim. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Mr. Lee said the storm's path could shift quickly (correct answer)
  3. Ms. Grant said the storm's path could shift quickly
  4. they said the storm's path could shift quickly

Explanation: This question tests pronoun clarity and antecedent reference. The underlined phrase "she said" creates ambiguity because "she" could refer to either Ms. Grant or Dina from the previous sentences. When multiple people of the same gender are mentioned, pronouns become unclear. Choice B correctly specifies "Mr. Lee said," eliminating any confusion about who made the statement. Choice C specifies "Ms. Grant," which would also be clear. Choice D uses "they," which doesn't match the singular context of the statement. When pronoun references are ambiguous, replace the pronoun with the specific noun to ensure clarity.

Question 16

The team voted for themselves to win the best sportsmanship award. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. itself (correct answer)
  3. their
  4. them

Explanation: This question tests proper usage of reflexive pronouns and singular/plural agreement. The subject 'team' is collective and singular, so the reflexive pronoun should be singular to match. The plural 'themselves' doesn't agree with the singular 'team.' Choice B 'itself' provides the correct singular reflexive pronoun that agrees with 'team.' Choices C and D offer specific gender reflexives that don't match a team as a group entity. When collective nouns like 'team' act as single units, use singular pronouns and reflexives. The reflexive is appropriate here because the team voted for their own benefit.

Question 17

For a documentary project, Lucía interviewed two local chefs, Chef Morgan and Chef Alvarez, about how they source ingredients. Both chefs described visiting farmers' markets early in the morning, and Lucía worried that her narration might blur their distinct perspectives. In her script she wrote that he emphasized building relationships with growers, even though both chefs were mentioned in the previous sentence. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Chef Morgan emphasized building relationships with growers
  3. Chef Alvarez emphasized building relationships with growers (correct answer)
  4. they emphasized building relationships with growers

Explanation: This question tests pronoun clarity and antecedent reference. The underlined phrase "he emphasized" creates ambiguity because "he" could refer to either Chef Morgan or Chef Alvarez from the previous sentence. Both chefs are male and were mentioned in the context of describing their practices. Choice C correctly specifies "Chef Alvarez," providing clear reference and eliminating confusion about which chef made the statement. Choice B would also be clear but refers to the other chef. Choice D uses "they," which doesn't match the singular context. When multiple people of the same gender are discussed, specify names rather than using ambiguous pronouns.

Question 18

For a scholarship application, Ren typed answers while her friend Olivia proofread for clarity and tone. Ren wanted to sound confident without exaggerating, so she revised several sentences after Olivia's comments. In the final draft, one line reads, Olivia encouraged Ren and I to describe our goals specifically rather than generally. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Olivia encouraged Ren and me to describe our goals specifically (correct answer)
  3. Olivia encouraged Ren and myself to describe our goals specifically
  4. Olivia encouraged Ren and I describing our goals specifically

Explanation: This question tests pronoun case in a compound object. The underlined phrase "encouraged Ren and I to describe" contains a case error because "I" should be "me" - both pronouns function as objects of the verb "encouraged." To test this, remove "Ren and" and determine whether you'd say "encouraged I" or "encouraged me." Choice B correctly uses "me" as the direct object. Choice C incorrectly uses the reflexive "myself" when there's no subject to refer back to, and choice D creates an ungrammatical construction with "I describing." For compound objects after verbs, use the same pronoun case you'd use if the pronoun appeared alone.

Question 19

For a travel article, Jonah described a train ride he took with his cousin and his aunt through several small towns. In one paragraph, he mentioned the conductor, the passengers, and the station manager, then tried to describe who gave the best directions. The draft reads, whoever we asked, they pointed us toward the correct platform, which shifts pronouns unnecessarily. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. whomever we asked, they pointed us toward the correct platform
  3. whoever we asked pointed us toward the correct platform (correct answer)
  4. whoever we asked, he pointed us toward the correct platform

Explanation: This question tests pronoun consistency and unnecessary shifts. The underlined phrase "whoever we asked, they pointed us" creates an unnecessary pronoun shift from "whoever" (singular or plural) to "they" within the same sentence structure. The sentence would be clearer and more concise without the pronoun shift. Choice C correctly maintains consistency by eliminating the unnecessary "they" and keeping the focus on "whoever we asked pointed us." Choice B maintains the problematic shift, and choice D changes to "he," which doesn't match the inclusive "whoever." Avoid unnecessary pronoun shifts within the same sentence or clause when the meaning can be expressed more directly.

Question 20

At a robotics competition, the team's programmer, Lila, worked with the builder, Marcus, to troubleshoot a sensor that kept misreading distances. Their mentor reminded them to document each change so the judges could follow their process. In the final report, Lila wrote that Marcus and myself adjusted the code after testing three configurations. Which choice makes the sentence most grammatically acceptable?

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Marcus and myself adjusted it's code
  3. Marcus and me adjusted the code
  4. Marcus and I adjusted the code (correct answer)

Explanation: Both people are performing the action, so the two names form a compound subject and the sentence needs the subject-case pronoun: 'Marcus and I adjusted the code.' The rule is that 'myself' is a reflexive pronoun, correct only when the same person is both the subject and the object of the clause, and it is never a more polite stand-in for 'I' or 'me.' The version reading 'Marcus and me adjusted the code' uses the object case in a subject position, and the version reading 'Marcus and myself adjusted it's code' keeps the reflexive error and adds a second one, since 'it's' means 'it is.' Delete the other person and read the pronoun alone: 'I adjusted the code' works, while 'myself adjusted the code' and 'me adjusted the code' do not.