- The movie is about a boy who/whom wants to become a dancer.
Answer: who. Who is the subject of the verb wants. (Rephrased: The boy wants to become a dancer; he wants to become a dancer.)
- Did you like the tamales which/that/who(m) I made?
Answer: either which or that. Who(m) is incorrect because it can refer only to people.
- Have you met the manager who/whom Mr. Hernandez hired?
Answer: whom. Whom is the object of the verb hired. (Rephrased: Mr. Hernandez hired the manager; Mr. Hernandez hired him.)
For each sentence, supply the correct relative pronoun.
- Michelle likes the ring _____ she saw in the store window.
Answer: That or which (relative pronouns referring to things)
- The boy _____ arm was broken is wearing a bright purple cast.
Answer: Whose (relative pronoun indicating possession)
- The trees _____ grow in this forest are more than 400 years old.
Answers: That or which (relative pronouns referring to things)
- The dancers ____ passed the audition performed onstage.
Answers: Who (subject of the verb passed; that would also be correct, but not which because it cannot refer to people)
- The piano teacher _____ you recommended is not taking new students.
Answers: Whom (object of the verb recommended; that would also be correct, but not which because it cannot refer to people)
Can the relative pronoun be omitted from these sentences? Yes or no:
- The salesperson whom you spoke to no longer works there.
Answer: Yes, because whom is the object of the relative clause.
- The assembly instructions that came with the bicycle are difficult to understand.
Answer: No, because that is the subject of the relative clause.
- I would like to meet the architect who designed this building.
Answer: No, because who is the subject of the relative clause.
- The storms which struck the area caused extensive damage.
Answer: No, because which is the subject of the relative clause.
- The advice that she gave me turned out to be useful.
Answer: Yes, because that is the object of the relative clause.
Select the correct demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- With this/these problems solved, the rest of the project was easy.
Answer: these. (It modifies the plural noun problems.)
- Do you want to take that/those bag, or this/these?
Answer: that, this. (Both refer to the singular noun bag.)
- That/those sort of behavior will not accomplish anything.
Answer: that. (Sort is singular; it agrees with the singular noun behavior.)
Supply the correct possessive pronoun form.
- For a woman: This is ___ flute; it is ______.
Answer: her (adjective form), hers (pronoun form)
- For a group of people: This is _____ house; it is ______.
Answer: their (adjective form), theirs (pronoun form)
- For me: These are _____ shoes; they are ______.
Answer: my (adjective form), mine (pronoun form)
Choose the correct possessive pronoun form.
- Her/hers leadership style has its/it’s advantages.
Answer: Her, its. Her modifies leadership style, and its modifies advantages. “It is advantages” would not make sense.
- I prefer my/mine method, but their/they’re method also works.
Answer: My, their. My and their are possessive adjectives modifying method. “They are method” would not make sense.
- If your/you’re going to the park, can you take her/hers dog for a walk?
Answer: You’re, her. “You are going” is required for the sentence to make sense. Her is a possessive adjective modifying dog.
- Its/it’s a long way to the museum.
Answer: It’s. A possessive would not make sense in this context; the verb in “it is” is required.
- Are these recommendations your/yours or their/theirs?
Answer: Yours, theirs. Both are possessive pronouns referring to recommendations.
- Their/they’re not finished with the exercise yet.
Answer: They’re. A possessive would not make sense in this context. The verb in “they are” is required.
- My/mine pencil is broken. May I borrow your/yours?
Answer: My, yours. My is a possessive adjective modifying pencil; yours is a possessive pronoun referring to pencil.
- I fear our/ours best effort is not enough, but its/it’s all we can do.
Answer: Our; it’s. Our is a possessive adjective modifying best effort. It’s is a contraction of it is: “it is all we could do.” The possessive its would not make sense in this case.
- I liked your/you’re proposal, but others questioned its/it’s feasibility.
Answer: Your, its. Your is a possessive adjective; “I liked you are proposal” would not make sense. Its is a possessive adjective modifying feasibility. “Questioned it is feasibility” would not make sense.
- Some people like their/theirs/they’re coffee with cream and sugar, but for me, its/it’s best black.
Answer: Their, it’s. Their is a possessive adjective modifying coffee. It’s includes the personal pronoun it, referring to the antecedent coffee: “for me, it (coffee) is best black.”
Supply the correct reflexive, intensive, or reciprocal pronoun.
- After the little girl had learned to tie her shoes, she always wanted to do it _____.
Answer: herself (intensive, emphasizing that the girl did not want help)
- Watch out! You might hurt _____.
Answer: yourself (reflexive, because the subject and object are the same)
- Whenever those two start talking to _____, I cannot get a word in edgewise.
Answers: each other or one another (reciprocal). “Talking to themselves” would mean that each person was not speaking to the other person.