SAT Grammar 5: Pronouns and ApostrophesSAT Grammar 5: Pronouns and Apostrophes

S A T R E A D I N G A N D W R I T I N G · GRAMMAR

Pronouns and Apostrophes

SAT Grammar Guide 5

Goal: Choose pronouns that agree with their antecedents and use apostrophes only for possession and contractions. Original study notes on standard SAT grammar and punctuation rules, with original examples. Not copied from any prep book.

Big Picture

Pronouns and apostrophes are small words that carry big points. Check the noun each pronoun refers to, and check whether an apostrophe means possession or a contraction.

Pronoun Agreement and Clarity

Number: a singular noun takes it/its/he/she; a plural noun takes they/their. A company, school, or government is singular: "The company raised its prices."

Clear reference: each pronoun must point to one clear noun. If "it" or "they" could mean two things, replace with the noun.

No shifts in person: do not switch among you, one, and they in the same sentence.

Pronoun Case

Subject (doer) Object (receiver) Possessive

I, he, she, we, they, who me, him, her, us, them, whom my, his, her, our, their, whose After prepositions use the object case: "between you and me."

Who vs. whom: if you can answer with he/she/they, use who; if the answer is him/her/them, use whom. Test compound pronouns by removing the other person: "Maya and (I/me) went" becomes "I went." Apostrophes

Singular possessive: noun + 's: "the student's notebook."

Plural possessive ending in s: add the apostrophe after the s: "the students' notebooks." Irregular plurals: "the children's toys."

Possessive pronouns never take apostrophes: its, hers, yours, theirs, ours, whose.

Contractions: it's = it is, who's = who is, they're = they are, you're = you are.

No apostrophe for plain plurals: "two dogs," "the 1990s."

Pair Meaning

its / it's its = belonging to it; it's = it is / it has

their / they're / there their = belonging to them; they're = they are; there = place

whose / who's whose = belonging to whom; who's = who is

your / you're your = belonging to you; you're = you are

Key Terms

Term / Actor What it is and why it matters

Antecedent The noun a pronoun replaces.

Subject case I, he, she, we, they, who.

Object case me, him, her, us, them, whom.

Contraction Shortened word pair with an apostrophe (it's).

Possessive Shows ownership (the dog's bone, its bone).

Making This Essay-Ready

Shortcut: Try replacing it's with it is. If it does not fit, the word should be its. Trap: Organizations are singular: a pronoun for them is it/its, not they/their. SAT Grammar Guide 5 · Original SAT grammar study notes