Sentence: The class is going to go on a field trip. Question: replace "class" with appropriate pronoun. Is the answer "It is going to go on a field trip." or "They are going to go on a field trip."
Wow! I truly LOVE this Web site. I thank you all for responding so quickly. I am homeschooling my 5th grader. This was a question on one of his worksheets, which I was grading as a quiz, hence the urgency. I told my son the correct answer should be "it," after he answered "they." Imagine my surprise when the answer key revealed "they" as correct. However, English used to be my best subject and I felt pretty confident that the book was incorrect. LOL! Anyway, I wanted to make sure I hadn't mis-educated my little student. Imagine my surprise when I also found on the net--after an hour of research and five telephone calls later to other parents--that it could be EITHER ANSWER! Congratulations to the two moms who answered both answers were correct! You hit the nail right on the head. (If you answered "they", don't feel bad. You're right, also!) I even went to my library system's online tutor, who was equally stumped. But, during our communique, I came across a neat little Web site for anyone else in this situation: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/collectivenoun.htm. After reading this description, I believe I would have rewritten the entire sentence to say "The students are going on a field trip," and "They are going on a field trip," just to avoid the whole sordid mess. Anyway, be sure to check your library's online Web site. A few communities have implemented afterschool online tutorial assistance, and as long as you have a library card, you (and your students) can receive LIVE help with various subjects! Well, I thought it was cool, but maybe I'm just late discovering this wonderful service. Now, I have to run. I have a date with a 5th grade grammar book. I'll have to spend tomorrow explaining to my 10-year-old why we both were correct. He probably won't care as long as his grade is an A and he was right in some way. LOL. If nothing else, this experience has shown me the importance of studying well ahead of my children instead of relying on my own knowledge. But, I'm grateful to the MAMASOURCE community for all of its help. Thanks. Uh, oh. Did I use the correct pronoun? LOL
Nope - not they. The correct pronoun for "The class is going to go on a field trip" would be "it" because the pronoun refers to a single class. It is going to go on a field trip. Now, if you said the students in the class are going to go on a field trip. The correct pronoun would be they.
I think I have to agree with Norma that either is correct, depending on whether you are looking at "the class" as one entity or as made up of individuals. Please tell us why you are asking!
Hey there lady! What a GREAT question! And guess what...either answer is right. Here's what I found for you:
Some nouns which name groups can be either singular or plural, depending upon their meaning in individual sentences.
Some examples of group nouns are: club, company, government, family, jury, team, army, group
Because they can describe either the group as a SINGLE ENTITY (only one – singular) or the INDIVIDUALS in the group (more than one – plural), these nouns pose special problems as antecedents.
However, the following guidelines can help us decide which referent pronoun agrees with such noun antecedents.
First, if we refer to the group as a whole, and therefore, as a single unit, we consider the noun as a singular. In this case, we use a singular referent pronoun.
Example: The class is meeting in its scheduled room today.
On the other hand, if we are actually referring to the individuals with the group, then we consider the noun plural. In this case, we use a plural referent pronoun.
Example: The class must turn in their assignments by Friday.
Here, each member of the class is considered separately. The students in the class will each hand in a report.
Remember these three important points about pronoun – antecedent agreement when a group noun is the antecedent:
1. Group nouns considered as single units take singular referent pronouns.
(the club uses it ; the woman uses she or her)
2. Group nouns which consider the members as individuals in the group take plural referent pronouns.
(the club member uses they or their)
3. Plural group nouns meaning two or more groups take plural referent pronouns.
(the clubs use they or their)
Again, this was a great question and everyone is right!
Take Care,
N. :) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys and married to my Mr. Wonderful for 15yrs. I love helping other moms reach their goals!
Just couldn't resist this one...How good it will feel to vent!
The older I get (and I'm getting old much too fast, let me just tell you!)the more I am amazed by the failure of our modern educational system to provide a solid grammatical foundation.
The truth is, no one with a busy life gives a hoot about antecedents and whether a noun is singular or plural -- and that's why it's so easy for improper usage to sneak in and become the accepted usage.
The easiest way to avoid this dilemma at all times is to insert the word "members" any time you try to use the pronoun "their" in a sentence referring to a class or group. It settles all doubt instantly and is a great little shortcut. Sometimes young children are better able to grasp a simple rule such as this one than to try to understand more complicated grammatical rules. Over time, this "rule" will plant the seeds to understand the concept of singular vs. plural.
The class is going on its field trip next Tuesday.
Class members will take along their field journals.
This group is cheering for its favorite team.
Group members are wearing their red jackets.
Some teacher long ago (and wish I could remember which one!) taught me this child-friendly "rule" and it has yet to fail.
Thank goodness for moms like you, A. B, out there fighting a war against the tide of bad grammar by stopping to check the rules before teaching a child the wrong thing! It's a lost cause, but I praise you anyway. Many moms would not have taken the time to check other sources when the textbook stated something that seemed untrue. You are lighting a single candle against the encroaching darkness, and I couldn't let the morning pass without recognizing and thanking you!
While I'm on my annoying, rant-and-rave soapbox, please let me take a moment to point out my other pet peeve grammatical boo-boos that are masquerading as proper:
Alot -- is not a word. Always put a space in between the word "a" and the word "lot."
Flyer -- is not a piece of paper distributed to the public to market services, products or events. The proper word for that is "flier" with an "i" instead of a "y"
Its -- does not require an apostrophe UNLESS you are using it to mean "it is.
These are the rules I am drilling into my own children, to do my own small part to change the world.
I wish I could also change all the mailboxes in my neighborhood and all the Christmas cards that we receive each year with goofy usages of family names. That one really boggles the minds of many people, who all seem to want to avoid adding "es" to the family name and wind up incorrectly adding an apostrophe instead.
You know, if half the neighborhood thought 2 plus 2 equaled 5, I am certain someone would set about correcting this problem. But no one much cares about grammar. In today's court, Math is king and Science is queen, and Language Arts plays the role of jester.
Sadly, the only people who will ever read this likely are the people like you, who already know better. The rest of the world simply doesn't care! :)
Thank you for your patience during my rant....
The correct pronoun is "it." Class is a gender-neutral singular noun, so you would use "it." If you had said "The students in the class are going on a field trip," then the proper pronoun would be "they," to correspond to the plural subject in the original sentence.
To help you think it through, do not change the verb, only change the subject noun to the pronoun. Saying that "They is going to go on a field trip" is not correct.
After looking at your change, it only makes me sad that even the people who write homeschooling books are not clear in what they want. They actually were asking your son to change the original sentence to one using a pronoun, which is different from changing "class" to a pronoun. I see poor grammar more and more in college textbooks, even gross spelling errors. We are forgetting how to be accurate in how we write. I am the course editor for four online courses, I have to know how to write so there is no question as to what is required. And the answers that we get from college students is beyond belief. These people will become the professionals of the future, this is very scary.
I would put "they". I saw that you are homeschooling. That is so great. I homeschool my five also. I am an Educational Consultant for Usborne Children's Books. I use their materials and we sell a lot of homeschool curriculums. If you would like to check out what we have, go to www.ubah.com/X2733. Have a wonderful Saturday!!
B. Deck
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They are going on a trip, since a class refers to people.
If you can only replace "class" then you'd have to use "it", otherwise I'd say "they are" also.
The answer is "they"
They are going to go on a field trip.
The class isn't an "it", they are a "they"
Hi A.,
Grammar can be tricky. You would want to use "they" if you are thinking "class" is plural. If you are using "class" as singular then I would use "it." With this sentence though, I would think they are talking about a group of students. I would use the word they.
"They" represents more than one, describing the class. Using the pronoun,"They",is proper. "It" represents a thing...not a person or a class. If you are a member of the class, you could then say, "We are going to go on a field trip." Hope I was able to assist. L. G.
I would say "They are going on a field trip"
i would think both would be ok. although the first doesnt sound right. not because its wrong but because not many would say it because it sounds like an object not a
person(s). the class is singular not plural that is why the word it coud replace it. so if you are being technical and replacing words by plural or singular status it would be the correct choice. if it doesnt matter then they are deffinetly sounds better.
Answer is: "They are going to go on a field trip" because "Class" represents a plural noun, therefore "they" is the word to use.
Thanks
I would think either, but since "class" is a singular noun, "it" would be more correct.
yay for grammar. glad everyone could help.
I think it would depend on whether the pronoun that replaces "class" is singular or plural.
The proper pronoun is "it." "Class" is singular.
In America "class" is singular, so the proper pronoun is "it." (Interestingly, in England, I believe, "class" is plural, so the pronoun would be "they.")
:)
They are going to go on a field trip
