What makes these items harder than 4th grade's?

Distance and decoys. The antecedent hides earlier in the sentence with a nearer noun trying to steal the match. The skill being tested is tracking ownership across a clause, which is exactly what dense textbook sentences demand of readers.

Why does 'the committee' take its and not their?

A collective noun acting as one unit is grammatically singular: the committee speaks with one voice, so it earns its. When the members act separately, American English usually rewrites the sentence (the committee members... their) rather than switch pronouns.

5th grade pronoun-antecedent agreement

5th grade pronoun-antecedent agreement worksheets

Fifth graders match pronouns to antecedents across longer distances: the noun and its stand-in may sit a full clause apart, with tempting decoy nouns in between. The committee posted ITS decision; the players grabbed THEIR gear.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core L.3.1.f.

Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of sentences you'll get

Circle the letter of the pronoun that matches its owner.

The blacksmith and the miller, according to the town’s records, built shops beside the river. his · her · their
Answer: their
The fire department, which serves three neighboring towns, updated equipment after the inspection. their · her · its
The space probe, launched nearly a decade before the discovery, beamed photographs back to Earth. its · his · their

Every print pulls a new set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling gets a different mix.

What's on a 5th grade sheet

5th grade sheets draw from 60 sentences, 10 to a page. 5th and 6th grade print from the same 60 sentences. The teaching notes below are written for this grade. None of these sentences are on 4th grade sheets.

A few of the sentences:

The committee, after weeks of heated debate, finally posted its decision about the skate park.
The flight crew, delayed by fog at the mountain airport, apologized for its late arrival.
The firefighters, praised at the ceremony by the grateful mayor, accepted their medals with quiet nods.

Choose the word. Circle the letter of the pronoun that matches its owner. 10 questions per page.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Teach the arrow habit: draw an arrow from the pronoun back to its owner before choosing. The decoys in these sentences sit closer to the blank than the true antecedent, so the arrow beats proximity every time. Reading the sentence with the antecedent repeated in place of the pronoun is the final check.

Watch for: The pronoun matches its owner, not the nearest noun. In 'Maya put the books in her bag', her matches Maya, not books. In formal writing, a team, class, or family counts as one thing and takes its.

Common questions about 5th grade pronoun-antecedent agreement

What makes these items harder than 4th grade's?: Distance and decoys. The antecedent hides earlier in the sentence with a nearer noun trying to steal the match. The skill being tested is tracking ownership across a clause, which is exactly what dense textbook sentences demand of readers.
Why does 'the committee' take its and not their?: A collective noun acting as one unit is grammatically singular: the committee speaks with one voice, so it earns its. When the members act separately, American English usually rewrites the sentence (the committee members... their) rather than switch pronouns.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Need a fresh set of sentences? Download another copy.

Aligned to Common Core L.3.1.f. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

Spot a mistake on this sheet? Tell us. · About these worksheets