In this lesson we're going to cover pronoun and noun agreement which is another very common grammatical
rule that the College Board loves to use.
It's pretty simple to see as well.
So once you get familiar with this you're going to suddenly see the reason for tons and tons of errors.
OK.
So first of all know that pronouns and nouns that refer to nouns must agree.
OK what does that mean.
Well if we were to check this particular sentence here there is something that acts as a pronoun.
It's technically an adjective because it's describing the meeting but it's a form of the pronoun that
it refers to some that came before it.
OK.
So there is a pronoun functioning as a possessive adjective here.
OK but it still means something plural.
They then there.
So I know that you are linking to something plural.
The problem here is that a pronoun should have a noun that comes before it that it refers to.
We call that the antecedent but there's no plural noun here before it makes sense.
The only thing I think I see here is court the Supreme Court.
So it's incorrect to refer to the court as there because court is singular.
I wouldn't say the court as I would refer to the court as they would refer to it as it.
Similarly if I'm going to a court I wouldn't say there I should say it's the Supreme Court has decided
to end its meeting the OK in this example sentence.
We don't see any pronouns but we see two nouns which refer to each other in this case I said the children
are studying hard to become a doctor.
Well you'll notice that this non-doctor is describing the children that children are going to become
the doctor right.
But it doesn't make sense for a plural group of children to become a single doctor.
Right.
The children are studying hard so they can all become doctors right.
So it should be the children are studying hard to become doctors.
So when you have a noun referring to a price down as well if it's plural it should be plural.
And unless of course that you know it makes sense for that for it to be singling out for example maybe
the children are studying hard to become a good team.
Right because the team includes many people in it.
OK but it fits referring to them that is implying that they're all going to become those things.
Then of course it should be plural.
OK.
So children are going to become doctors.
Now just your reference here I have a list of third person pronouns.
So you know we just saw the possessive adjective form of the pronoun there versus his her and it's of
course singular has you know male female and then nuda.
So if these different forms you'll see he she it him her it his her it's his hers it's himself herself
itself and for the plural form it primarily relies on forms of the pronoun they.
They then dead as themselves.
But again this one you know here's a list for you but it's pretty common sense if you're a native English
speaker which of these is singular and which of these is plural.
OK so now that we know that.
Go ahead and try to tackle this particular example.
Press pause and when you're ready to explain or if you think if you explain to yourself why for instance
of wrong one is right press Resume
of course since we're talking about pronouns I assume that everyone here would have been very careful
to notice that a b and c all contain the pronoun so or a being e all contain the pronoun they.
There is a plural pronoun so it has to refer to something before it's plural.
So let's take a look.
Linguistic research research is singular often requires fieldwork field work is singular where they
will hang on to what they refer to.
It sounds like a group of people but I never mentioned any group of people here.
So there is no noun or antecedent to which they refers to.
So A B and B are all incorrect.
We can cross them off right away without even thinking about any else.
OK so we've eliminated these for grammatical reasons.
I'm now left with C and D.
So the question is is it.
And the linguist can study and recall the spoken dialect of a region Delex region.
Or is it true in which the linguist can study and record this book and Alex that region.
Well if you remember the lesson the lesson about joining clauses remember that I need a comma before
fanboys if I want to do clauses and here we have a clause.
Research requires joint another clause.
The linguist can study and record there's two verbs can study and record because there's no calm before
end.
Some joining these two verbs and these two verbs link to this common subject linguist but if that's
a clause linguist can study and record that I need to join this clause with a prior clause with a comma
fanboys.
And since he doesn't have the comma before it seems wrong automatically.
So I can cross it off the list.
And of course the meaning is all sort of funky too but C because it's a grammatical error with at first
we can eliminate it right away.
So I'm left with D and D here has the word which which is a pronoun here relative pronoun.
I learned about this in a last lesson as well but it does introduce new clauses.
So in this case linguistic research requires blah blah blah during which new clause the linguist subject
can study and record.
There's your verb for the subject the linguist because and doesn't have a comedy for it it's during
these two verbs together to that one subject the linguist.
OK so the answer is de.
All right.
Second example.
Go ahead try to match nouns and pronouns within each of these choices.
Press pause and resume when you're ready.
All right.
Well this one should have been a bit easier I guess because there's only really one word.
No that's not true.
There were two.
Nancy there was an observer but of course observer describes God no.
This is what we call in a positive.
We're told that later as well.
But at any rate observer is crab's Ghada they're both single-A there's no problem.
Then I see children pre-event children prevents Is that a problem children prevents.
No because the subject for the verb prevents is actually requiring requiring is a Gerontius it's a noun
because after that I knew those new claws.
So that was a new clause.
The subject was requiring this requiring this active requiring prevents prevents children then from
becoming a creative artist.
Bingo there's a problem.
The artist is singular.
But it's the children becoming an artist.
And again that's a group of people.
Hence they're going to become not a creative artist but creative artists are just free reference it's
based on the sentence in its entirety.
God no subject has though seen your singular works for me.
Gardner has questioned the view that what kind of a new clause that since now a after that this is a
subject requiring a subject.
And remember this is a Gerren.
It's a verb it's turned into a noun by adding an I N-G because it's the act of requiring the act of
acquiring and children crying is a subject.
So we had a singular verb province.
OK.
So that's how we broke down that particular example.
Let's go ahead to our final example.
Can again try to consider nouns and pronouns pause and when you're ready it I will explain this example
to you this time I'll explain this sentence from scratch.
The plans as you subject the plans proposed proposed sounds like a verb but can plans propose anything
that they can do the action right.
The plans are proposed.
Let me check.
Can I put that in front of it.
The plans that are proposed by the students.
Oh yeah I can.
So proposed is describing the plans.
Right.
So it's not a verb here it's a pop past participle.
So the plans that are proposed by the students for the homecoming celebrations are.
There's your verb for my first subject the plans for the plans.
Ah perfectly perfectly clearly and it is well within our budget.
That seemed a little weird what it referred to.
What's well within our budget.
Well it seems to refer to the plans right.
That's something that makes sense.
It's a plan that is well within our budget so it shouldn't be it is it should be well within our budget.
Now one important thing to note here.
OK.
Some of you who are paying close attention might say wait a second.
Isn't that a new clause.
Should there be a comma before and the answer is it's complicated.
It could be a list of two clauses.
But and that's actually possible sometimes because the clauses joined by a comma when this list of three
clauses if I said I like to eat fish comma he likes to eat fries comment and she likes to drink wine.
OK.
There were three clauses there.
But because they were just a list of clauses I could just use a comma to join the first two clauses.
So there are exceptions but the important to note is although you know this was an answer choice I'd
want put a comma before it.
You'll notice that I can't change it so any time this and that seems to break the rules we've learned
but it's not something that we can change.
Don't worry about it.
Ignored.
Not a problem because in the real world you know grandma doesn't follow these neat rules exactly.
And the S.A.T. the College Board pools the sentences from real sources and they just use and modify
things to insert obvious errors so ignore it when you see little things that seem to go against the
rules.
We've learned if you can't change them.
OK.
It's not being tested.
So there's no need to stress about it.
OK.
So remember now and pronouns make sure they agree to the things that point towards Here's another example.
Scientists have long known that soot particles facilitate knotting by darkening snow and ice limiting
its ability to reflect the sun's rays.
So the underlined word is it's so it's something's ability to reflect the sun's rays.
It's a possessive right.
Somebody or something's ability clearly here it's either soot particles or snow and ice.
These are the only things which are mentioned that can reflect the sun's rays.
OK.
But before we do that it's a possessive.
So we know it's not going to be a or c because those aren't possessives remember it with an apostrophe
s means it is.
It's not a possessive.
You want to use itx with no apostrophe there but this way obviously is here there everywhere.
It's not the possessive It's I call.
So the question is is it singular or plural.
Is it particles Well that's plural.
So that would be there if it's a particles but snow and ice is also plural because it's two things together.
So either way it's plural.
So the answer must be de now meaning wise is it particles or is it the snow and ice that reflects the
sun's rays.
Well probably the soot particles and the meaning of the sentence but doesn't matter.
It didn't matter grammatically because they were both plural.
Another example because today's students can expect to hold multiple jobs and dash some of which may
not even exist yet.
And Dash during our lifetime studying philosophy allows them to be flexible and optimal that or break
down the sentence conjunction.
Today's students subject can expect to hold all this during a lifetime because that clause studying
philosophy so studying allows them to be flexible so those are the two clauses but the questions are
asking about that.
I just did that one for fun but you know what the right pronoun here.
And what's the right possessive pronoun at that hour.
Is first person it's us.
But where does it mention us it's referring to remember the students.
The student is third person it's not me not you.
It's those guys over their heads.
Van the third person plural should be the very third person plural.
C may be tempting because you know students that person his or her but his or her singular.
If I said A-student because today a student can expect to hold more jobs then I would say his or her.
But because it's students and then I should be using their lifetime.