Pronouns are tiny words doing big work — *he*, *she*, *it*, *they*, *which*, *who*. The SAT tests whether each pronoun has a clear antecedent and matches it in number.
A pronoun replaces a noun. The noun it replaces is the antecedent. Three things matter:
1. Number agreement. Pronoun number must match antecedent number.
Each student (singular) → his or her (not their under strict SAT rules).
The students (plural) → they / their.
Either Sara or Lisa → singular reference.
2. Case (subject vs. object).
Subject pronouns:I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who. Use as the subject of a sentence or clause.
Object pronouns:me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom. Use as the object of a verb or preposition.
"My brother and I went to the store." (Subject — I.)
"They invited my brother and me." (Object — me.)
Quick test: drop the other person and see what fits. "They invited me" feels right; "They invited I" feels wrong.
3. Clarity / unambiguous reference. Every pronoun must clearly refer to ONE antecedent.
"When Sara met Lisa, she was nervous." — Who's nervous, Sara or Lisa? Ambiguous. The SAT will flag this.
The right answer typically rephrases: "When Sara met Lisa, Lisa was nervous" — or restructures to remove the ambiguity.
Common SAT pronoun traps:
Who vs. whom:who is subject (Who is at the door?), whom is object (Whom did you see?). Quick test: substitute he/him. If he fits, use who. If him fits, use whom.
Which vs. that vs. who:
That for restrictive clauses (essential info, no comma): "The book that I borrowed is overdue."
Which for non-restrictive (extra info, with commas): "The book, which I borrowed last week, is overdue."
Who/whom for people: "The student who borrowed the book."
Pronoun-shift errors: don't switch person within a sentence. "When you study hard, one will succeed" mixes you + one. Pick one and stick with it.
Reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, themselves) — only use them when the subject and object are the same person. "I cut myself" (correct). "Send the report to myself" is wrong — it should be "to me".
Choose the correct pronoun.
The committee had to decide whether to award the grant to my colleague or ____.
Choose the option that creates a clear, grammatically correct sentence.
When Maria spoke with the manager, she explained the new policy.
"They invited my brother and I" is wrong — me is the object. "My brother and me went to the store" is also wrong — I is the subject. Drop the other person to test.
"He told her the news, which surprised her" — does which refer to the news or his telling her? When which / this / that could mean two things, the SAT treats it as wrong. The fix usually restates.
Myself, himself, themselves are ONLY for when subject = object. "Please send the report to myself" is wrong (should be to me). "I hurt myself" is correct (subject = object).
Each, every, anyone, no one are SINGULAR. "Each student should bring their book" is technically wrong on the SAT — though it's accepted in modern usage. Use his or her, or rewrite with a plural subject.
Every pronoun needs a clear, unambiguous antecedent.
Match pronoun NUMBER to antecedent: each / every / no one are singular.