Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 65%
Entry Exam
In the saying, 'If a person wants to get ahead in life, you have to be willing to work for it,' which of the following language conventions is violated?
Correct answer
D
Rationale
The pronoun 'you' in the sentence is plural, while the antecedent 'a person' is singular, leading to a lack of agreement. Pronoun-antecedent agreement requires that the pronoun matches the number of the antecedent. In this instance, the singular 'a person' should be paired with a singular pronoun like 'he or she' instead of 'you.' This discrepancy violates the rule of pronoun-antecedent agreement, making option D the correct choice.