ACT English : Usage Errors
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT English
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : 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."
no change
his
one's
theirs
mine
mine
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."
Example Question #4 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
If anyone does not follow the rules, his or her life may be in danger.
no change
their
our
her
his
no change
Anyone is a singular pronoun; therefore you need to use a singular possessive pronoun (in this case, his, or her). Because "anyone" is also not a gendered pronoun, you must use "his or her."
Example Question #5 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
Treat Mother well; you never know when you will need her help.
our
their
one's
your
no change
no change
In this sentence, the second part of the sentence is clearly referring to needing help from "Mother." Mother is a third person, feminine noun, so the correct possessive pronoun is "her."
Example Question #6 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
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
their
his or her
his
one's
In this sentence, the subject is the pronoun, "one." When the antecedent is the word, "one," the correct possessive pronoun is always one's.
Example Question #7 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
Employees must wash his or her hands before returning to work.
your
their
no change
theirs
our
their
The subject of the sentence is the word "employees," which is plural. It is also third person; therefore, you must you use the possessive pronoun their.
Example Question #1 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence below:
The virus was very successful at reproducing quickly in it's natural habitat: the human brain.
our
his
their
her
its
its
In this sentence, "the virus" is our subject. "Virus" is an ungendered third-person noun, so its proper possessive pronoun is "its." Watch out for it's: that is a contraction of "it is."
Example Question #2 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
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
his
one's
their
no change
ours
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."
Example Question #11 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
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.
his
my
no change
our
their
our
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."
Example Question #12 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
Adapted from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley (1855)
If he had frankly said to Eustace, "I feel for you; and if your desires are reasonable, or lawful, or possible, I will help you with all my heart and soul," he might have had the young man's secret heart, and saved himself an hour's trouble; but, of course, he took instinctively the crooked and suspicious method, expected to find the case the worst possible—as a man was bound to do who had been trained to take the lowest possible view of human nature, and to consider the basest motives as the mainspring of all human action—and began his moral torture accordingly by a series of delicate questions, which poor Eustace dodged in every possible way, though he knew that the good father was too cunning for him, and that he must give in at last. Nevertheless, like a rabbit who runs squealing round and round before the weasel, into whose jaws it knows that it must jump at last by force of fascination, he parried and parried, and pretended to be stupid, and surprised, and honorably scrupulous, and even angry; while every question as to she being married or single, Catholic or not, English or foreign, brought his tormentor a step nearer the goal. At last, when Campian, finding the business not such a very bad one, had asked something about her worldly wealth, Eustace saw a door of escape and sprang at it.
Choose the answer that best corrects the bolded and underlined portion of the passage. If the bolded and underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
NO CHANGE
hers
if she
her
whether she
her
The word "being" is a gerund, which means that it no longer functions as a verb but rather as a noun. The modifier before the gerund must be possessive in order to be grammatically correct. Pronouns can be classified into three cases (subjective, objective, and possessive). Any forms using "she" are considered subjective.
Example Question #12 : Possessive Pronoun Errors
Choose the answer that best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence. If the underlined portion is correct as written, choose "NO CHANGE."
A panicked Pedro barged into the room, a look of concern on his face. "Who's car is parked on the front lawn?" he shouted.
Who is car is parked on the front lawn
Whose car is parked on the front lawn
Whom's car is parked on the front lawn
NO CHANGE.
Whose car is parked on the front lawn
A possessive pronoun is needed here, to indicate possession of the car. "Who's" is a contraction meaning "who is," which is not appropriate in this sentence. "Whose" is the possessive, the correct choice in this instance.
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