Pronouns — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. When Mia saw Sarah, Mia waved happily. (Rewrite: 'Mia waved' — pronoun =)
Replacing she with Mia makes it clear who did the waving and avoids confusion.
2. Dad talked to Uncle Ron while Dad cooked. (Meaning Dad did it — use name =)
Using Dad instead of he shows exactly which person was cooking.
3. The book fell on the desk, and then the desk broke. (We mean the desk, so use =)
Naming the desk removes the confusion about whether the book or desk broke.
4. Leo told Sam that Sam won the prize. (We mean Sam won, so use =)
Putting Sam in place of he makes it clear which boy received the prize.
5. The girls and their mom smiled because the girls were happy. (Meaning girls — use =)
Using the girls shows that the daughters, not mom, were the happy ones.
6. I like both apples and pears, but pears are my favorite. (Meaning pears — use =)
Saying pears avoids the mix-up when they could point to either fruit.
7. Ms. Lee helped Kate with math. Now Kate understands it. (Kate is learning — use =)
Using Kate shows who gained understanding, not the helper Ms. Lee.
8. The dog chased the squirrel until the squirrel ran up a tree. (Squirrel did it — use =)
Saying the squirrel tells us exactly which animal climbed, not the dog.
9. Ana and Pat studied together, and they aced the test. (Both of them — use =)
When the pronoun truly fits both people, they is clear because it includes everyone.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
He in 'Tim told Jon he won.' = Jon
→ Jon
pen
It in 'Pen is on the notebook; it is red.' = pen
→ pen
Jon
They in 'Kids and parents left; they were tired.' = kids and parents
→ kids and parents
kids and parents
She in 'Mom thanked Gram; she smiled.' = Gram
→ Gram
Gram
A clear pronoun points to the noun the sentence truly means, not just the closest one.