Skill 23 : Pronoun Reference

After you checked that the subject and object pronouns and the possessives are used correctly, you should also check of theses pronouns and possessive for agreement. The following are examples of errors of this type that you might fin on the TOEFL test.

The cookies are for you, so please take it.
Each person has to sign their application form.

In the first example, the singular pronoun it is incorrect because it refers to the plural noun cookies. This pronoun should be replaced with the plural pronoun them. In the second example, the plural possessive adjective their is incorrect because it refers to the singular each person. This adjective should be replaced with the singular his or his or her.

The following chart outlines what you should remember about checking pronoun reference.

PRONOUN AGREEMENT

Be sure that every pronoun and possessive agrees with the noun it refers  to. You generally check earlier in the sentence for agreement.