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ACT English 1.5 Grammar and Usage 437 Views
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Description:
ACT English: Grammar and Usage Drill 1, Problem 5. Formatting a sentence with a singular indefinite pronoun.
Transcript
- 00:03
Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by indefinite pronouns. Our advice is not
- 00:08
to start a conversation with them. They just go on and on and on...
- 00:13
What should replace the underlined word below?
- 00:15
Although the broken window is the result of a prank, nobody claimed to be the culprit.
- 00:25
"Nobody" is what's called an indefinite pronoun, because it doesn't refer to a particular person,
Full Transcript
- 00:30
place, or thing.
- 00:31
It basically goes through life saying "whatevs" to everything.
- 00:35
What's even more important to note is that "nobody" is a singular indefinite pronoun.
- 00:40
We're only referring to one mysterious window-breaking nobody here, not a whole gang of them.
- 00:45
Since we've got a singular subject on our hands, we know we're looking for singular
- 00:49
verbs as well.
- 00:50
This makes both (B) and (D) incorrect.
- 00:53
"Claim" is a plural verb, and it knocks them both out of contention.
- 00:57
Let's take a look at (A) next to see if the original sentence passes the test.
- 01:00
Nah, it's not looking so good here. Although "claimed" can be both singular and plural,
- 01:06
it's in the past tense.
- 01:07
"Is" signals that the sentence is in the present tense, so (A) has to go.
- 01:11
Choice (C) is the correct answer. "Claims" is singular and in the present tense, so it's
- 01:18
everything we've been looking for.
- 01:19
Man, if only that pronoun had been more definite, we could have cleared things up a lot sooner.
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