Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
The dog wagged ______ tail as its owner came through the door.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. its
- "its'" is not a valid English word; possessive pronouns never take trailing apostrophes.
- "it's" is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has', which yields the nonsensical phrase 'wagged it is tail'.
- 'their' is a plural pronoun that fails to agree with the singular noun 'The dog'.
- "it's" is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has', which yields the nonsensical phrase 'wagged it is tail'.
- 'their' is a plural pronoun that fails to agree with the singular noun 'The dog'.
- Step 1: Determine the grammatical role: a possessive pronoun modifying the noun tail.
- Step 2: The possessive pronoun for non-human singular antecedents is its (without an apostrophe).
- Step 3: Verify that it's is a contraction for 'it is' or 'it has', which is incorrect in this context.
Answer
its.
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