Is singular they acceptable?

In everyday writing, increasingly yes, and style guides now bless it for unknown or general persons. Our items avoid the battleground: correct answers agree in number the traditional way, and no item forces a choice between their and his or her.

What's a vague pronoun, and why does it matter?

One that could point at two owners: when Maya met Jo, SHE was late. Which she? Agreement is fine; clarity is broken. Sixth grade is when writers must start catching that in their own drafts, and the arrow-drawing habit from these sheets is the catching tool.

6th grade pronoun-antecedent agreement

6th grade pronoun-antecedent agreement worksheets

Sixth graders handle the subtle cases: collective nouns (the team keeps its streak), indefinite pronouns (everyone brought his or her or their book), and sentences where a vague pronoun could point two ways. Clarity, not just agreement, becomes the standard.

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 flight crew, delayed by fog at the mountain airport, apologized for late arrival. their · her · its
Answer: its
The fire department, which serves three neighboring towns, updated equipment after the inspection. its · her · their
Each of the girls in the coding club presented project to the visiting engineers. their · her · his

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 6th grade sheet

6th 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.

A few of the sentences:

The blacksmith and the miller, according to the town’s records, built their shops beside the river.
Neither of my uncles, despite years of practice in the kitchen, will share his chili recipe.
Each of the men on the repair crew signed his name on the clipboard sheet.

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

Bring in the ambiguity conversation: when a pronoun could point at two nouns, agreement isn't enough, because the sentence needs rewriting. Have your student find one vague pronoun in their own draft and repair it. That editing move is where this worksheet skill pays off for real.

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 6th grade pronoun-antecedent agreement

Is singular they acceptable?: In everyday writing, increasingly yes, and style guides now bless it for unknown or general persons. Our items avoid the battleground: correct answers agree in number the traditional way, and no item forces a choice between their and his or her.
What's a vague pronoun, and why does it matter?: One that could point at two owners: when Maya met Jo, SHE was late. Which she? Agreement is fine; clarity is broken. Sixth grade is when writers must start catching that in their own drafts, and the arrow-drawing habit from these sheets is the catching tool.

Related worksheets

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

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