Updated September 1, 2026
The 2 SAT Pronouns Rules You Need to Know (With Examples)
Bonus Material: 15 Essential SAT Grammar Rules
Most SAT grammar questions about pronouns test just two simple rules. Once you know them, you can solve these questions with ease.
In this post, we’ll cover:
- The two essential pronoun rules to know
- How to recognize and answer pronoun questions
- And guided examples for each type of pronoun question you’ll see on the SAT.
We’ve put together an overview of pronouns rules, as well as all the other grammar rules you’ll need to know for the SAT, in our SAT grammar reference guide. Grab your free copy below.
Then read on for a breakdown of pronouns on the SAT.
Jump to section:
The 1 key strategy for SAT pronoun questions
What Are Pronouns? SAT Grammar Refresher
SAT Pronoun Rule #1: Match pronouns to their nouns in number
SAT Pronoun Rule #2: Match pronouns to their nouns in function
SAT Tip: Avoid Ambiguous Pronoun Use
Guided SAT Pronoun Example (Official Question)
Next Steps
The 1 key strategy for SAT pronouns questions
Pronoun questions on the SAT will generally fall into one of 2 categories:
- Pronoun-antecedent agreement (matching pronouns to nouns in number)
- Subject and object pronouns (matching pronouns to nouns in function)
The most important strategy you’ll need can be summed up in one sentence: Just swap out the pronoun for the noun it’s replacing to confirm that it matches in number, gender, and function.
That’s it!
If these categories sound grammar-heavy, don’t worry – they’re both pretty simple. We’ll go through each category below, and we’ll walk you through using this strategy in a guided example.
For now, here’s an example of an official SAT practice questions from the College Board website.
When they were first discovered in Australia in 1798, duck-billed, beaver-tailed platypuses so defied categorization that one scientist assigned them the name Ornithorhynchus paradoxus: “paradoxical bird-snout.” The animal, which lays eggs but also nurses _____ young with milk, has since been classified as belonging to the monotremes group.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. they’re
B. their
C. its
D. it’s
Source: SAT Educator Question Bank
Try to answer this question yourself. Then scroll down to the guided example below to see how you did!
What Are Pronouns? SAT Grammar Refresher
A pronoun is any word that takes the place of a noun.
Pronouns can replace proper nouns, singulars, plurals, collective nouns – pretty much any noun you can think of. In grammar jargon, the noun that’s being replaced is called the “antecedent.”
In this sentence, “Jerry” is the antecedent and “he” is the pronoun:
Jerry was frequently foiled in his attempts to catch Tom, but he never gave up.
Here’s an overview of how pronouns change depending on what role they have in the sentence. (Don’t worry about memorizing what all these types are called – you won’t be asked to know that on the SAT.)
| Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun | Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | me | my | mine | myself |
| you | you | your | yours | yourself / yourselves |
| we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
| she | her | her | hers | herself |
| he | him | his | his | himself |
| it | it | its | its | itself |
The most important pronoun forms to know on the SAT are subject and object pronouns.
By the way, it’s also a good idea to review the third-person possessive pronouns “their” and “its,” because it’s easy to confuse these with the contractions “they’re” (they are) and “it’s” (it is).
- “It’s” means “it is.” “Its” is possessive.
- “They’re” means “they are.” “Their” is possessive, and “there” indicates place.
If you’re feeling shaky on this concept, an experienced tutor will be able to help you review essential grammar concepts and learn how to apply them on the real SAT. Give us a call for a free consultation about one-on-one tutoring or small-group prep classes.
SAT Pronoun Rule #1: Match pronouns to their nouns in number
Pronouns need to match their antecedents in three ways:
- In gender (like “she” for a feminine proper noun or “it” for a neuter noun)
- In number (like “they” or “we” for multiple people versus “he” or “I” for one person)
- In function (like “him” for an object or “he” for a subject)
Matching pronouns in gender is rarely tested on the SAT, so we won’t focus on that. Instead, let’s start with matching in number.
When you’re looking at a pronoun question, ask yourself what the number (singular or plural) of the noun is, then ask the same for the pronoun that refers to it. Make sure they match.
*The first book of the series was a bestseller, but it looked like their second volume would do even better.
“Their” is referring back to “the series.” To confirm this, swap out the pronoun for the noun:
*The series’ first book was a bestseller, but it looked like the series’ second volume would do even better.
“The series” is a singular noun (even though it ends in an s!). That means we need a singular pronoun, not a plural one. This is the correct version of the sentence:
The series’ first book was a bestseller, but it looked like its second volume would do even better.
This is one of the essential grammar rules you’ll need to know for the SAT. For a full overview, download our free reference sheet listing of 15 grammar concepts that are tested on the SAT.
SAT Pronoun Rule #2: Match pronouns to their nouns in function
As well as matching its noun in gender and number, a pronoun must match its noun in function.
For example, an object pronoun (me, you, us, them, her, him, it) must replace a noun that functions as an object.
A quick recap on subjects and objects:
- The subject of a sentence is the person or thing who is doing the action.
- The object of a sentence is the person or thing to whom the action is being done.
Here’s the same sentence we saw earlier, in which “Jerry” is the antecedent and “he” is the pronoun. “He” is the subject of the second independent clause.
Jerry was frequently foiled in his attempts to catch Tom, but he never gave up.
In the following sentence, “Tom” is the antecedent and “him” is the pronoun. Notice that because the pronoun is the object here and not the subject, we need a different form of the pronoun (“him” for the object versus “he” for the subject).
Though Tom had escaped his clutches many times, Jerry never gave up on catching him.
Pronoun Trap 1: Using object pronouns for subjects
One of the most common pronoun mistakes to make is confusing object pronouns for subject pronouns, as in the following incorrect sentences:
- Her and I plan on traveling to Uruguay soon.
- Meredith and him are dating.
In these sentences, the writer is using an object pronoun in place of a subject pronoun. A subject pronoun should refer to the person or thing who is doing the action.
If you’re unsure about the difference, simply replace the pronoun with a noun to test it out:
- Kate and I plan to travel to Uruguay soon → She and I plan to travel to Uruguay soon.
- Meredith and Darrel are dating → Meredith and he are dating.
Pronoun Trap 2: Using subject pronouns for objects
On the flip side, if a pronoun is the object of the verb, then it should be an object pronoun. An object pronoun should refer to the person or thing to whom the action is being done.
The most common mistake here is to use “I” instead of “me.”
- He saw Mom and I at the beach. (incorrect)
- He saw Mom and me at the beach. (correct)
You’ll also use object pronouns whenever the pronoun comes after a preposition, like “to” or “for.”
- I got the tie as a Father’s Day gift for my dad. → I got the tie as a Father’s Day gift for him.
On the SAT, this skill will usually be tested by using plural subjects or objects.
There’s a simple strategy you can use here: To simplify the question, cut the clutter.
“Me and Jake went to the beach” might sound okay, but when you simplify it to “Me went to the beach,” you’ll instantly hear the mistake.
The same goes for “He saw Mom and I at the beach.” Would you say “He saw I at the beach?” Nope, so the first sentence isn’t correct either.
SAT Tip: Avoid ambiguous pronouns
We haven’t seen ambiguous pronouns being tested on any recent official SAT practice questions. That’s why we’re not listing it as an official pronoun rule you should study.
Still, as a general tip, keep in mind that good writing means avoiding ambiguous or inconsistent pronouns.
In the first sentence here, it’s not clear what “her” refers to – Mary’s book or Diane’s book. In the second sentence, it’s been made clear.
- Mary told Diane her book seemed interesting.
- Mary told Diane Mary’s book seemed interesting.
Repeating the name may seem redundant, but especially in more complicated sentences, it can be important to clarify what’s going on.
The same goes for keeping pronoun use consistent throughout a sentence. In general, if you start out with one pronoun in a sentence, you have to stick with it. This is especially important when using the pronouns “you” and “one.”
For example, this is inconsistent pronoun use:
If you keep walking for about five blocks, one will spy a curious sight.
Both “you” and “one” in this sentence technically refer to the same general subject, but we need to use one or the other (not both). Here is a correct version of this sentence that shows pronoun consistency:
If you keep walking for about five blocks, you will spy a curious sight.
Guided example (official SAT practice question)
Now let’s look at a real SAT practice question that tests pronoun use.
When they were first discovered in Australia in 1798, duck-billed, beaver-tailed platypuses so defied categorization that one scientist assigned them the name Ornithorhynchus paradoxus: “paradoxical bird-snout.” The animal, which lays eggs but also nurses _____ young with milk, has since been classified as belonging to the monotremes group.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. they’re
B. their
C. its
D. it’s
Source: SAT Educator Question Bank
Skimming the answer choices, we can see that this is probably a pronouns question, because the answer choices are different versions of pronouns. The fact that the choices include commonly confused words like they’re/their and its/it’s should also tip you off to be extra careful about not confusing those words with each other and double-check your answer.
Step one is to cut the clutter and focus on what this question is actually about. Here’s the segment that we’re being asked to look at:
The animal, which lays eggs but also nurses ____ young with milk
Remember our basic strategy: What noun do we want to replace with a pronoun?
The animal, which lays eggs but also nurses the animal’s young with milk
“Young” refers to the animal’s young, so we want a pronoun that will 1) refer back to “the animal” and 2) be possessive.
“The animal” is singular, so we want a singular pronoun: he, she, or it. In terms of gender, it’s neutral, so we want a form of it (which doesn’t matter here because he and she are not answer choices offered). That means we can cross off choices A and B.
We’re left with its or it’s. These are commonly confused words, but its is the possessive form of it, while it’s is the contraction of it is. (If you don’t remember the difference, just try expanding it’s.)
That means we want its in this case, and we can select answer choice C.
To confirm that this is the correct answer, substitute it back into the phrase:
The animal, which lays eggs but also nurses its young with milk
That works!
Next Steps
You’re now familiar with all the pronoun question types you can expect to see on the SAT and how to solve them with a step-by-step approach.
Ready to move on? Grab your free reference guide to 15 essential SAT grammar rules.
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Ro
Rosamond graduated summa cum laude from Princeton. During college, she worked as a peer tutor for Italian, French, Greek, and academic writing. Since graduation, she’s continued to tutor students of all ages in French, Italian, Latin, English, and math, some of them for several years. She’s currently a graduate student studying the relationship between religion and secular law, and she works as a freelance journalist and translator.