Noun Pronoun Agreement Exercises: How to Improve Your Writing Skills
Noun and pronoun agreement is a fundamental aspect of English grammar. As a writer, it’s crucial to ensure that your nouns and pronouns agree in terms of number, gender, and person. When your writing contains errors in noun pronoun agreement, it can cause confusion and disrupt the flow of the text. In order to avoid these mistakes, it`s essential to practice noun pronoun agreement exercises regularly.
Here are some exercises that will help you improve your noun pronoun agreement skills.
Exercise 1: Identify the Error
The first step in improving your noun pronoun agreement skills is to identify the errors in the sentence. In this exercise, you will need to identify the errors and correct them.
Example: The dog wagged it`s tail.
Corrected: The dog wagged its tail.
Explanation: “It`s” is a contraction of “it is.” The correct possessive pronoun is “its.”
Exercise 2: Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement is a crucial component of noun pronoun agreement. In this exercise, you will need to match the subject and verb in the sentences.
Example: The group of students (is/are) excited about the field trip.
Corrected: The group of students is excited about the field trip.
Explanation: The subject in this sentence is “group,” which is singular. Therefore, the verb “is” should match.
Exercise 3: Gender Agreement
Gender agreement is another essential aspect of noun pronoun agreement. In this exercise, you will need to match the pronoun with the gender of the noun.
Example: The doctor greeted his patients.
Corrected: The doctor greeted their patients.
Explanation: The pronoun “his” should be replaced with “their” to ensure gender agreement.
Exercise 4: Indefinite Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns can be tricky when it comes to noun pronoun agreement. In this exercise, you will need to match the indefinite pronoun with the appropriate noun.
Example: Everyone should bring his or her own lunch.
Corrected: Everyone should bring their own lunch.
Explanation: “Everyone” is an indefinite pronoun that refers to a group of people. The correct pronoun to use is “their” instead of “his or her.”
Exercise 5: Collective Nouns
Collective nouns refer to a group of people or things as a single entity. In this exercise, you will need to determine whether the collective noun is singular or plural.
Example: The jury (has/have) reached a verdict.
Corrected: The jury has reached a verdict.
Explanation: “Jury” is a collective noun that refers to a group of people. The correct verb to use is “has” to match the singular subject.
By practicing these exercises regularly, you will become more proficient in noun pronoun agreement and improve the overall quality of your writing. Remember to always proofread your work and check for errors before submitting it. With practice and persistence, you can become a skilled writer with excellent noun pronoun agreement skills.
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