Which sentence shows correct pronoun-antecedent agreement in number?

• A. Every student must bring their book.
• B. Every student must bring his or her book.
• C. Every student must bring his book.
• D. Every students must bring their book.

Answer: (B)

This question tests pronoun-antecedent agreement in number. The phrase “Every student” is singular, so the pronoun referring to that antecedent must also be singular. Using “his or her” keeps the pronoun in singular form and is inclusive of all genders, matching the singular antecedent. Therefore, the sentence with “his or her book” correctly pairs the singular antecedent with a singular pronoun, preserving number agreement.

Using “their” would treat the pronoun as plural, which doesn’t align with the singular “Every student” in formal standard usage, even though singular “they” is common in everyday speech. The option with only “his” is singular but gender-specific, which isn’t appropriate when the antecedent could refer to anyone. The option that says “Every students” is grammatically wrong because after “Every” you need a singular noun, not a plural one.