All SAT Writing Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #561 : Identifying Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
When he saw the perfect gift for his mom at the mall, he decided to buy it for them. No error
When
them
decided
No error
at
them
The antecedent of the word "them," a plural pronoun, is the word "mom," a singular noun. Pronouns need to match their antecedents' gender and number, so the singular feminine pronoun "her" should be used instead of the plural pronoun "them."
Example Question #562 : Identifying Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
New York and Los Angeles have experienced a cultural boom in the past decade, as its restaurant scenes have been booming with new talent. No error
and
No error
past decade
its
cultural boom
its
Given that the subject of the sentence is "New York and Los Angeles," which is plural, the pronoun "its" should also be plural. Therefore, "its" should be "their."
Example Question #5 : Correcting Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Small in size, the mongoose may not seem like an imposing creature, but when threatened they can fight off and even slay a large predator such as the king cobra. No error
Small in size
they
fight off and even slay
an imposing creature
No error
they
"They," a plural pronoun, is used in the sentence to refer to "the mongoose," a singular subject. So, "they" should be changed to "it."
Example Question #302 : Correcting Word Usage Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
An actress who struggles with memorization should study their lines daily. No error
daily
No error
who
their
memorization
their
"Their" is a possessive pronoun that indicates that an object belongs to several owners. However, this sentence refers to a single actress, so the lines only belong to one person. Therefore, the best pronoun to use is "her" because it matches the singular nature of the subject: she should study her lines. The correct sentence would be "An actress who struggles with memorization should study her lines daily."
Example Question #13 : Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
A professor who assigns an unreasonable amount of reading for their students may never earn the class's approval. No error
No error
class's
who
may
their
their
"Their" is a possessive pronoun that indicates that someone belongs to several people. This sentence, however, refers to a single subject (a professor), so the best pronoun to use is one that signifies that an object belongs to one person: in this case, his students. Even though "students" is plural, the plurality of the object does not impact the possessive pronoun. Only the plurality of the subject matters, so "his" is the correct pronoun, making the corrected sentence "A professor who assigns an unreasonable amount of reading for his students may never earn the class's approval."
Example Question #11 : Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Penelope always thought of the most fabulous witty comebacks two hours after the situation in which she could have used it. No error
the most
No error
two hours after
thought
it
it
In this sentence, the pronoun “it” (singular) refers to “witty comebacks” (plural). These words should agree in number. The corrected sentence reads, "Penelope always thought of the most fabulous witty comebacks two hours after the situation in which she could have used them."
Example Question #12 : Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The queen and king agreed that no merchant should ever be knighted, no matter how great a difference they made for the country. No error
The queen
that
be knighted
No error
they
they
In the above sentence, the clause "no merchant should ever be knighted" is being modified by the phrase "no matter how great a difference they made for the country," which means that the pronoun "they" has the antecedent "merchant." Since "merchant" is singular, the pronoun(s) used to replace "merchant" should also be singular—in this case, "he or she."
Example Question #13 : Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The threat of the winter storm caused Bob to delay his flight to New York to visit their family for Christmas. No error
to visit
to delay
caused
their
No error
their
In this sentence, an error occurs when the possessive plural pronoun "their" is used to refer to a singular masculine antecedent, "Bob." Instead of using the plural possessive pronoun "their," one should use the singular masculine possessive pronoun "his."
Example Question #14 : Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The toucan is primarily recognized by its bright colors; they are painted a vibrant mixture of red, yellow, and blue. No error
No error
they are
red, yellow, and blue
primarily
its
they are
The plural pronoun "they" refers back to the subject of the first part of the sentence, "The toucan." Since this noun is singular, the pronoun should be too. Changing "they" to "it" corrects the sentence's error. The corrected sentence reads, "The toucan is primarily recognized by its bright colors; it is painted a mixture of vibrant red, yellow, and blue."
Example Question #15 : Identifying Pronoun Antecedent Agreement Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
After days of deliberation, the hiring committee has decided to interview their three most promising candidates for the executive director position. No error
their
No error
executive director
has decided
deliberation
their
"Their" should be changed to "its." The pronoun must agree with the noun that precedes it, and in this case the noun, "committee," is singular.
Note: Standardized tests in the United States tend to treat collective nouns (such as "committee," "team," or "jury") as singular. While it is grammatically correct to treat them as plural if all members of the collective are doing different things, they are treated as singular if all group members are doing the same thing (as in this case, all on the committee are deciding to interview), which is usually the case on standardized tests.