Dangling Modifiers

"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas," he says. "How he got in my pajamas I

don't know!"

One morning, when he was in his pajamas, he shot an elephant.

He shot an elephant while he was wearing his pajamas.

This joke is a play on a grammatical error called a misplaced modifier, where a

descriptive phrase or word is placed in the wrong part of the sentence.

The modifier errors on the SAT Writing may not be quite as funny as Groucho's, but it's
still important that you understand how they work. To that end, we'll be covering both
basic grammatical concepts behind faulty modifiers and how to apply that knowledge on
the test:

The heading says it all: the most important concept to remember when dealing with
modifiers is that they need to be next to the word they're describing.

Sometimes these types of mistakes are obvious:

Bird for sale by flightless woman.

You have to figure that the bird is flightless, not the woman. The sentence should be:

Flightless bird for sale by woman.

However, on the SAT, this kind of error is often harder to spot. Take a look at the
following sentence:

Despite having finished her test, the teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the
class was over. 
There's nothing obviously wrong with this sentence, but let's think about what it's
actually saying. It starts with the modifier "despite having finished her test." Logically,
that phrase would seem to be describing Jenna, but since it's located next to "the
teacher," the sentence is actually saying that the teacher has finished her test. That
doesn't make much sense, so we need to reorder the sentence to place the modifier
next to what it's modifying:

The teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the class was over, despite the fact
that she had finished her test.
There are two main types of faulty modifiers: dangling modifiers, which involve
phrases at the beginning of sentences (e.g. the example about Jenna), and
misplaced modifiers, which involve the order of words and phrases within sentences
(e.g. the example about the bird). Almost all of the faulty modifiers questions on the
SAT deal with dangling modifiers, so we'll cover those first.

Dangling Modifiers: Modifying Phrases at the

Beginning of Sentences
Questions about dangling modifiers only appear in the Improving Sentences section, but
they're very common. You're essentially guaranteed to see at least one and may see as
many four, so it's extremely important that you understand how to approach them.

When a sentence begins with a modifying phrase, the intro must be immediately
followed by a comma and then the noun it's describing. Incorrect sentences of this
type start with modifying phrases that describe something other than the noun
immediately following the comma. For example:

Swimming toward the shore, a little girl was building a sand castle.

The "little girl" can't be "swimming toward the shore" and "building a sand castle" at the
same time—something's missing.

There are two ways to correct this kind of error: you can either replace the incorrect
noun (in this case "little girl") with a correct one, making any changes necessary to
preserve the meaning of the sentence (fix 1), or you can turn the intro phrase into a
clause that includes the the subject the phrase is meant to be describing (fix 2). These
techniques sound more complicated than they are, so let's put them to use remedying
our issue with the little girl who is in two places at once:

Fix 1: Swimming toward the shore, I saw a little girl building a sand castle.

Fix 2: As I swam toward the shore, a little girl was building a sand castle.

Both versions of the sentence are equally correct. You won't be asked to choose

between the two options—instead, which approach makes more sense will depend on
which part of the sentence is underlined and what answer choices you're given.

Keep in mind that some sentences will use this construction without asking about it
(there will be an unrelated error instead), but look out for sentences that begin with
verb participles (verbs ending in "ing," "ed," or "en") or prepositional
phrases followed by a comma, especially if the underlined portion begins immediately
after the comma.
Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined

If only the main clause is underlined, you'll need to pick the answer with the correct
subject—what I refer to above as fix 1. For example:

Incorrect: After seven straight hours of studying, Jose's brain was fried.

Correct: After seven straight hours of studying, Jose felt like his brain was fried.

Even though the distinction may not seem important, "Jose" and "Jose's brain" aren't
actually the same—Jose's brain can't study. If only the second half of the sentence is
underlined, the best way to correct this issue is to replace the incorrect noun "Jose's
brain" with the correct one "Jose."

When you see an Improving Sentences question like this with the main clause
underlined, you must find the answer choice or choices that start with the correct
noun.

Start by ruling out any answers that don't start with a noun or pronoun or that start with
a noun other than the one the introductory phrase is meant to be describing. If there is
more than one answer choice remaining, check for other grammatical issues.

Let's work through an example question from a real SAT:

The sentence begins with the modifier "spread by rat fleas," which suggests that there
may be a dangling modifier. The first step, then, is to determine what that phrase
describes. It's definitely not "millions of people in medieval Europe," so we can know
there's a modifier error and can rule out A. 
We can also eliminate B, which begins with a conjunction instead of a noun, and C,
which begins with the unclear pronoun "this." 

With only D and E remaining, it's clear that "bubonic plague" is spread by rat fleas. Both
answers are grammatical, but E is much simpler and clearer, so it must be the answer.

Situation 2: Both Modifier and Main Clause Underlined

You may also see dangling modifier questions presented with both the modifier and
part, or all, of the main clause underlined, though this configuration is much less
common. 

In these cases, the correct answer usually rewrites the sentence to eliminate the faulty
modifier entirely, so it's difficult to anticipate what the correct choice will be. Instead, you
want to approach these questions by process of elimination:

1. Determine what the error is—figure out how the modifier is wrong so that you can rule
out any choices that make the same mistake
2. Eliminate answers that aren't grammatical—rule out any answers that create other
issues, like run-ons or sentence fragments
3. Choose clearest, most concise answer—of the remaining choices pick the one that
expresses the point with the simplest structure and fewest extra words

This process may seem a bit vague, so let's work through an official SAT example:

First, let's figure out what's wrong with this sentence. It's a bit confusing because there's
no obvious error. We can start by separating the two independent clauses to make
what's happening in the underlined portion clearer:

She was concerned about how Hank would react to the incident. In searching his face,
he did not seem to be at all embarrassed or troubled.
Now it's clearer that "in searching his face" is a modifying phrase, currently describing
Hank (since "he" comes immediately after the comma). But based on the context, we
know the person searching the face is actually "she," so we've located the error. We can
rule out A, as well as D, which repeats the same error.

Choice B swaps out "it" for "he," which doesn't solve the problem, because "it" is still not
the person searching Hank's face. B is also wrong.

Choices C and E both fix the misplaced modifier issue, but E is needlessly wordy
("being" is usually wrong), so C is the correct answer.

Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences

Now that we've covered how to approach questions about modifiers at the beginning of
sentences, let's talk about questions that deal with modifier placement within
sentences. Questions on this topic can appear in both the Improving Sentences and
Identifying Sentence Errors, but they are much less common than questions on
dangling modifiers. 

The key rule for modifier placement—a modifier must be next to whatever it's
modifying—remains the same. A misplaced modifier occurs when a modifier is
separated from the word it's meant to describe:

The werewolf mailed a package to the vampire full of garlic. 

Despite what the sentence says, it's clear that the "package" and not the "vampire" is
meant to be full of garlic. In order to correct this error, we need to switch around the
order of the phrases:

The werewolf mailed a package full of garlic to the vampire. 

Because the exact nature of this kind of error can vary so widely, there's no single
best way to approach the questions. 

However, many of these errors involve gerunds, especially on the Identifying

Sentence Errors. Remember that like other modifiers gerunds must be next to what
they're describing, i.e. whatever or whoever is doing the action.

To help clarify, let's go through some SAT style examples, starting with this Identifying
Sentence Errors question:

On (A) her most recent (B) vacation to Istanbul, Jill stumbled upon (C) a fantastic

jewelry shop walking (D) through the massive market. No error. (E)
While walking through the massive market, Jill stumbled

Reading through this sentence, you may not immediately notice anything incorrect—in
fact, it seems just fine. But before picking E, we need to check each of the other
underlined portions.

"On" is an idiomatically correct preposition and "most recent" is a correct superlative, so

we can rule out A and B. "Stumbled upon" includes a correctly conjugated verb and an
idiomatically correct preposition, so C is also incorrect.

This leaves only D, "walking." When a gerund is underlined, you must check placement
—is the modifier next to the noun that is walking? No, it's next to "jewelry shop," which
can't walk. As such, D is the correct answer.

Next, take a look at this Improving Sentences example:

Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, being Goldie Hawn's daughter.

A. Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, being Goldie Hawn's daughter.

B. Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, and she was Goldie Hawn's daughter.

C. Kate Hudson, who as Goldie Hawn's daughter began acting at a young age.

D. Being Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn's daughter began acting at a young age.

E. Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn's daughter, began acting at a young age.

The misplaced modifier in this sentence is fairly obvious: "being Goldie Hawn's
daughter" is clearly meant to describe "Kate Hudson" not "a young age." However,
there's no answer choice that places the modifier next to what it's modifying, so we
need to narrow down the choices with process of elimination.

We already ruled out A (which is the same as the original sentence), and we can
eliminate C because it's a fragment. B, D, and E are all grammatically correct, so we
need to pick the clearest and most concise answer.

B is incorrect because it make the sentence much longer than it needs to be by splitting
it into two independent clause. D doesn't work because the word order is confusing.
Describing Kate Hudson as Goldie Hawn's daughter makes sense; describing Goldie
Hawn's daughter as Kate Hudson doesn't.

E is correct because it puts the (slightly rephrased) modifier next to what it's modifying.

 
Applying Modifier Rules on SAT Writing Questions
Now that we've gone over all the rules you need to know, let's review some of the key
points about how to spot and answer faulty modifier questions on the SAT Writing
section.

What to watch for:

 Prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences where the clause after

the comma is underlined
 Verb participles (verbs ending in "ing," "ed," or "en") at the beginning of
sentences
 In ISE questions, underlined gerunds

Rules to keep in mind:

 A modifier must be next to what it's modifying

 Gerunds must be next to the noun doing the action
 If a sentence starts with a descriptor, whatever comes after the comma must be
the noun it’s describing

Helpful SAT Writing tips:

 Think about both what a modifier is currently describing and what it's actually
meant to be describing
 Watch out for answers that fix the original modifier issue but are ungrammatical
in another way
 Remember that there are a lot of different ways to fix faulty modifiers—use
process of elimination to narrow down wrong answers rather than focusing on
one specific way of correcting the error
 You will see these errors on the test, and they are likely unfamiliar, so make
sure to review (and practice with) similar  questions from real SATs

 
Test Your Knowledge!
Try out the principles we've discussed on these SAT Writing practice questions:

1. One of the spiciest cuisines in the world, Sichuan has recently become very popular

in the United States.

A. Sichuan has recently become

B. Sichuan has most recently become known as

C. Sichuan food has recently become

D. the cuisines of Sichuan have become

E. recently Sichuan has become

2. Thinking, perhaps, that their questions won't be answered, the number of students

who attend career counseling has dropped precipitously.

A. the number of students who attend career counseling has dropped precipitously.

B. the number of students who attend career counseling is dropping precipitously.

C. a dropping number of students are attending career counseling.

D. students are attending career counseling in ever lower numbers.

E. students, the number of whom attend career counseling has dropped precipitously.

3. By gazing sadly upon his owner, Tina was convinced to give the puppy more food .

A. Tina was convinced to give the puppy more food.

B. Tina was convinced by the puppy to give him more food.

C. the puppy was convinced by Tina to give him more food.

D. convincing Tina to give him more food, the puppy was.

E. the puppy convinced Tina to give him more food. 

Answers: 1. C, 2. D, 3. E

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a
sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard
written English.

Coming back to the farm, the gruesome scene was seen by everyone in

the car.

Possible Answers:

everyone in the car saw the gruesome scene.

the gruesome scene was seen by everyone in the car.

the gruesome scene was seen by everyone at the car.

the gruesome scene saw by everyone in the car.

the gruesome scene being seen by everyone in the car.

Correct answer:

everyone in the car saw the gruesome scene.

Explanation:

The sentence is written with a dangling modifier, which makes the sentence
read as though the "gruesome scene" was what was "coming back to the
farm." The sentence needs to be restructured to clarify this problem. The only
answer choice that does this is "everyone in the car saw the gruesome
scene."
Example Question #1 : Dangling Modifier Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Waiting for the crucial trial to begin, the anxiety Neil felt was almost
overwhelming.
Possible Answers:

the anxiety being felt by Neil was almost overwhelming.

Neil felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.

the anxiety almost overwhelmed Neil.

the anxiety Neil felt was almost overwhelming.

Neil's anxiety felt almost overwhelming.

Correct answer:

Neil felt almost overwhelmed with anxiety.

Explanation:

When a sentence begins with a dangling participle or descriptive phrase, the

person or thing described in that phrase (in this case, "Neil") must immediately
follow it. Only one answer choice does this correctly. The answer choice that
begins "Neil's anxiety" may appear to do so, but it does not, because the
possessive "Neil's" is no longer the subject, but is describing the anxiety.

Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier

Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the
river.
Possible Answers:

Comes around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the
river.

Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers are viewed clearly across the
river.

Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers come clearly into view across the
river.

Coming around the corner, the skyscrapers came clearly into view across the
river.

Coming around the corner, the people got a view of the skyscrapers across
the river.

Correct answer:

Coming around the corner, the people got a view of the skyscrapers across
the river.

Explanation:

The sentence as written contains a dangling modifier, as the construction of

the sentence implies the skyscrapers are what is "coming around the corner."
The word order can be changed to make this much more clear. The correct
answer is "Coming around the corner, the people got a view of the
skyscrapers across the river." 
Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier
Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written
English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.
Coming upon the hills, the sun began setting behind the travelers.
Possible Answers:

Coming upon the hills, the sun began setting behind the travelers.

Coming upon the hills as the sun began setting begind the travelers.

Coming upon the hills, the sun set behind the travelers.

As the travelers came upon the hill, the sun began setting behind them.

As the sun began setting, travelers coming upon the hills.

Correct answer:

As the travelers came upon the hill, the sun began setting behind them.

Explanation:

The sentence as written contains a dangling modifier, in that "the sun" is not
what is "coming upon the hills." The sentence needs to be rewritten to show
that the travelers were the ones "coming upon the hills." "As the travelers
came upon the hill, the sun began setting behind them," is the correct answer
choice.

Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier

Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written
English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.
Passing by the waterfront, the ducks and geese floated around as spectators
strolled.
Possible Answers:
spectators strolled as the ducks and geese floated around.

the ducks and geese and spectators floated around and strolled.

the ducks and geese floated around as spectators strolled.

spectators strolled but the ducks and geese floated around.

the ducks and geese were floating around as spectators strolled.

Correct answer:

spectators strolled as the ducks and geese floated around.

Explanation:

The best answer fixes the dangling participle that starts the sentence (the
subject of the main clause should be the one doing the action described in the
opening phrase), and uses a logical coordinator.

Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier

Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written
English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.
A power-hungry dictator who killed millions of people, I wrote my term paper on
the infamous Joseph Stalin.
Possible Answers:

I wrote my term paper on the power-hungry dictator and he was the infamous
Joseph Stalin.

A power-hungry dictator, I wrote my term paper on the infamous Joseph

Stalin, who killed millions of people.

I wrote my term paper on the infamous Joseph Stalin, a power-hungry dictator

who killed millions of people.

A power-hungry dictator who killed millions of people, my term paper was

about the infamous Joseph Stalin.
A power-hungry dictator who killed millions of people, I wrote my term paper
on the infamous Joseph Stalin.

Correct answer:

I wrote my term paper on the infamous Joseph Stalin, a power-hungry dictator

who killed millions of people.

Explanation:

As it is written, the initial sentence suggests that the speaker and author of the
term paper is a murderous dictator, which is almost certainly not the speaker's
intended claim. To fix this, we need to bring the modifying clause closer to the
person to whom it is referring. One way that we can do that is by reversing the
order of the two clauses.

Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier

Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written
English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.
Forced to draw a freehand map of the United States, all of her knowledge of
geography suddenly left her.
Possible Answers:

she suddenly forgot all of her knowledge of geography.

she forgot all of her knowledge of geography suddenly.

all of her knowledge of geography suddenly left her.

all of her knowledge of geography was suddenly leaving.

all of her knowledge of geography suddenly forgotten.

Correct answer:

she suddenly forgot all of her knowledge of geography.

Explanation:
This sentence has a dangling participle; its word order separates "forced to
draw a freehand map of the United States" from its object, "her," by a
significant amount. The sentence can be made clearer by making sure that
the object described by its introductory phrase immediately follows that
phrase. The best answer choice, "she suddenly forgot all of her knowledge of
geography," fixes this and keeps the adverb “suddenly” close to its verb,
resulting in the sentence, "Forced to draw a freehand map of the United
States, she suddenly forgot all of her knowledge of geography."

Example Question #11 : Dangling Modifier Errors

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Although she studied traditional French cuisine, food critics praised the master
chef for her culinary innovations.
Possible Answers:

the master chef received praise from critics for her culinary innovations.

food critics praised the master chef for her culinary innovations.

food critics praising the master chef for her culinary innovations.

food critics praised the master chef because of her culinary innovations.

food critics have praised the master chef for her culinary innovations.

Correct answer:

the master chef received praise from critics for her culinary innovations.

Explanation:

The original text contains a misplaced modifier, making it sound as though the
food critics were the ones who studied traditional French cuisine.

Only the answer choice "the master chef received praise from critics
for her culinary innovations" avoids the misplaced modifier error because it
places the person who did actually study traditional French cuisine—the
master chef—immediately after the introductory modifying phrase.
Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier
Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence
that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Walking down the street, the time is something that Erica lost track of.
Possible Answers:

Walking down the street the time is something that Erika lost track of.

Walking down the street, the time lost track of Erica.

Walking down the street, Erica lost track of the time.

Walked down the street, the time is something that Erika lost track of.

Walking down the street, the time is something that Erika lost track of.

Correct answer:

Walking down the street, Erica lost track of the time.

Explanation:

The sentence as it is written contains a dangling modifier, because it appears

that "the time" is "walking down the street." We need to rewrite the sentence
so that it is apparent that "Erica" is the one who is "walking down the street."
So, the correct answer is "Walking down the street, Erica lost track of the
time."

Example Question #1 : Correcting Dangling Modifier

Errors
Alighting on the deck, the aircraft carrier shook from the force of the plane.
Possible Answers:

the aircraft carrier shakes from the force of the plane.

the aircraft carrier shook from the force of the plane.

the plane shaking the aircraft carrier's force.

the aircraft carrier shaking from the force of the plane.

the plane shook the aircraft carrier with its force.

Correct answer:

the plane shook the aircraft carrier with its force.

Explanation:

The sentence features a dangling modifier, making it seem like the "aircraft
carrier" is the object "alighting," when in fact the plane "alights" on the carrier.
To remedy this, the words must be rearranged to make the plane the subject
of the sentence. "The plane shook the aircraft carrier with its force," is the only
answer choice that does this and is completely grammatically correct.
Possessives and Apostrophes on SAT Writing:
Possessives on the SAT
Possessives indicate ownership. Here are some example sentences with the
possessives underlined:

 Sergio’s kindness is amazing.
The students’ behavior was unacceptable.
Their voices should be heard.
Generally, you can expect about 2-4 questions about possessives on the SAT. The
questions on possessives will test your knowledge of possessive nouns and possessive
pronouns.

Possessive Nouns
On the SAT, you will be tested on how to correctly form possessive nouns. Thankfully,
the basic rules for forming possessive nouns are pretty simple.

If a word is singular or if it’s plural but it doesn’t end in “s,” then you add an apostrophe
and then an "s" to the end of the word.

The giraffe’s neck is really long.

The children’s playground has monkey bars.
 

To create a possessive for a plural word that does end in “s,” just place the
apostrophe after the “s.” 

I saw a dance troupe perform last night, and I was impressed with the dancers’ skills.
 

On the SAT Writing section, the questions on possessive nouns are about determining
whether an apostrophe is needed, and if so, whether the possessive is singular or
plural.

 
Should a Noun Be Possessive?

 To determine if a noun should be possessive, take the noun, put an “of” in front of it,
and stick it after the noun or phrase that follows it. Here’s an example: 

The schools code of conduct is very strict.

Here’s how you change the sentence to determine if “school” should be possessive:

The code of conduct of the school is very strict.

Does that make sense? Yes. The sentence is referring to the code of conduct belonging
to the school; therefore, “school” should be possessive. This is the corrected sentence:

The school’s code of conduct is very strict.

 

Also, plural nouns don’t contain apostrophes. Check out this example: 

Incorrect: I downloaded 15 song’s yesterday.

Correct: I downloaded 15 songs yesterday.
Is the sentence describing "yesterday of the song?" No. That doesn't make much sense.
The sentence is just using the plural form of the word “song” because there was more
than one song downloaded. Because the noun isn’t being used as a possessive, there
shouldn’t be an apostrophe.

Should the Possessive Noun Be Plural or Singular?

 The other factor you’ll have to consider is whether a possessive should be plural or
singular. As mentioned above, that can have an impact on where the apostrophe is
placed. For example, “the candidate’s rhetoric” refers to the rhetoric of one candidate,
and “the candidates’ rhetoric” refers to the rhetoric of more than one candidate. Use
context clues to determine if the possessive should be singular or plural. Example:

 Every contestant’s goal was to win the grand prize.

Should the possessive be singular or plural? This sentence can be tricky for some
students. Are we referring to the goal of one contestant or many contestants. Some may
incorrectly assume that the possessive should be plural. However, “every” implies that
we’re talking about the goal of each contestant individually. To remember that “every”
implies singular, think of “every” as “every single.”

Check out another example:

  All of the contestants’ buzzers weren’t working.
“All” implies more than one; therefore, we should use a plural possessive and the
apostrophe should come after the “s.”

SAT Example

The SAT will test you on the issues we just discussed. Use your knowledge of
possessive nouns to answer these questions.

There are two nouns in this sentence, “bodies” and “biological clocks.” Based on the
answer choices, we know that we have to determine whether each noun is a plural
noun, a singular possessive, or a plural possessive. You should recognize that
“biological clocks” is a plural noun; there is no noun or phrase that follows “biological
clocks” before the comma, and the sentence is not referring to anything of the biological
clocks. Therefore, that noun shouldn’t contain an apostrophe. Immediately, we can get
rid of B and D.

Now we have to determine whether “bodies” should be a noun or a possessive. Let’s try
the replacement method. Is the sentence stating that circadian rhythms are controlled
by the "biological clocks of the body?" Yes. The sentence is indicating possession and
“bodies” should be in the possessive form. The correct answer is C. The sentence is
referring to the body in general and not multiple bodies, so we use the singular
possessive form.

Try one more example:

From the answer choices, we know we have to determine whether “waterways” should
be a possessive or a plural noun. Again, let's use the replacement method. Is the
sentence describing something of the waterways or referring to more than one
waterway? It should be a plural noun without an apostrophe because the sentence is
stating that acid-whey runoff can pollute waterways. There is nothing indicating
possession. Therefore, we can eliminate B and D.

Now the question becomes a verb tense question. Because the sentence begins in the
present tense with “is,” the correct answer should also have a verb in the present tense
to maintain consistency. The correct answer is A.

Possessive Pronouns
The SAT will also test you on possessive pronouns. Examples of possessive
pronouns include “my,” “your,” “its,” “his,” “her,” “our,” and “their.” Most of the SAT
questions on possessive pronouns will test you on the third person possessive
pronouns “its” and “their.” There are two types of possessive pronoun questions: word
choice and pronoun agreement.

Word Choice Homophones

These are the most common type of possessive pronoun questions. Homophones are words
that sound the same but have different meanings. Typically, you’ll have to choose whether
to use “there,” “they’re,” or “their.” Or you’ll have to choose between “its” and “it’s.” Here is a
table showing these common homophones and how they're used.
 

there- usually shows location or that they're- contraction for "they their- plural possessive
something exists are" pronoun

its- singular possessive pronoun it's- contraction for "it is"

Check out these example sentences that demonstrate how these words are used:

Incorrect: The girls said mean things. There statements were unkind.

Correct: The girls said mean things. Their statements were unkind.
In this sentence, we can determine that the underlined word should be a possessive
pronoun by using the replacement technique. The sentence is saying that the
statements of them were unkind. The word “there” can be used in multiple ways, but to
keeps things simple, just remember that “their” indicates possession and “there”
doesn’t.

Also, keep in mind that the word “they’re” is a contraction for “they are.” You can only
use “they’re” if it can be replaced with “they are.”

Incorrect: I love my friends. Their the best.

Correct: I love my friends. They’re the best.
The underlined word is not indicating possession, but it can be replaced with “They are.”
“They” is a pronoun that refers to my friends and “are” is the verb in the sentence.

Check out one more example:

Incorrect: The puppy was wagging it’s tail. 

Correct: The puppy was wagging its tail.
The word “it’s” is a contraction of “it is.” The word “its” indicates possession. The
sentence is referring to the tail of the puppy or the tail of it. To correctly answer these
types of questions, use the replacement technique to determine if the underlined word
should be a possessive pronoun.

Possessive Pronoun Agreement

There may also be questions dealing with pronoun agreement. The main rule you have to
remember is that a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number. Singular pronouns
must refer to singular nouns and plural pronouns must refer to plural nouns. Here are some
examples:

Incorrect: Sheila untied their shoes.
Correct: Sheila untied her shoes. 
Incorrect: The chairs had dust on its legs.
Correct: The chairs had dust on their legs.
In the first sentence, the pronoun “their” describes the shoes of Sheila. Because Sheila
is one person, we need to use the singular pronoun “her.”

In the second sentence, the underlined pronoun refers to the legs of the chairs.
Because “chairs” is plural, we should use the plural possessive pronoun “their.”

SAT Examples

Answer these questions related to possessive pronouns.

First, let’s determine if the underlined word should be a contraction or a possessive.

Does the word mean “it is” or is it a possessive?  Let's try the replacement technique.
Does this sentence work?

Scientists have long known that soot particles facilitate melting by darkening snow
and ice, limiting the ability of snow and ice to reflect the Sun's rays. 
Yes. That works. The sentence is referring to the ability of snow and ice to reflect the
Sun’s rays; therefore the underlined word is a possessive. So we can get rid of A and C.
Now we have to determine if the possessive pronoun should be singular or plural. What
has the ability to reflect the Sun's rays? Snow and ice. That's two things, so the pronoun
that takes their place needs to be plural. The correct answer is D.

Try one more possessive pronoun question.

In this question, there are two words in the underlined phrase that could be possessive
pronouns. The first is the word “they’re,” which is a contraction for “they are.” Should
that word remain the same, be the word “there,” or the possessive pronoun “their?” The
sentence implies that the word is referring to the value of his findings, or “their value.”
Therefore, we can immediately eliminate A and C.

Next, let’s look at the underlined pronoun “their” after “in.” That word also refers to
findings and should be a possessive. Thus, that word should remain the same and the
correct answer is B.

Review: Strategies for Possessive Questions

#1: Use the Replacement Technique

Once you see a possessive underlined or in the answer choices, make sure you
determine whether the word should be a possessive.

Remember that “Justin’s book” is another way of saying “the book of Justin.” If you saw
“Justins book,” you should recognize that there is an error because the phrase is
referring to the book of Justin. If a sentence doesn’t work using the replacement
technique, then the underlined word is not a possessive.
 

#2: Singular or Plural?

If you determine that one of the underlined words should be a possessive, then you
need to decide whether the possessive should be in the singular or plural form.
Use the replacement technique, and if the possessive is "of (singular noun)," then you
need a singular possessive. If the possessive is "of (plural noun)," use a plural
possessive.

#3: Focus on Apostrophe Rules

For possessive nouns, remember your apostrophe rules. For singular nouns or plural
nouns that don’t end in “s,” just add an apostrophe to the word and then an “s.” For
plural nouns that end in “s,” just and an apostrophe after the “s.”

#4: Know Your Contractions

On possessive questions, you may have to choose between “it’s” and “its” or “their” and
“they’re.” Remember that “it’s” is a contraction for “it is” and “they’re” is a contraction for
“they are.” If you select “it’s,” the sentence would have to make sense and be
grammatically correct if you substituted “it’s” for “it is.” Similarly, if you selected “they’re,”
the sentence would have to work if you substituted “they’re” for “they are.”