Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement with a collective noun treated as singular?

Which sentence demonstrates correct pronoun-antecedent agreement with a collective noun treated as singular?

• A. The committee have decided to publish its findings.
• B. The committee has decided to publish its findings.
• C. The committee have decided to publish their findings.
• D. The committee has decided to publish their findings.

Answer: (B)

When a group noun like a committee is treated as a single unit, the verb and the pronoun that refer to it should be singular. The committee is one entity, so it has decided to publish its findings. Here, has matches the singular idea of the group, and its shows possession by that single unit. Using have would treat the group as multiple individuals, which doesn’t align with treating the committee as a single entity. Likewise, using their would refer to a plural antecedent, which conflicts with the singular possessive its. The combination in the correct sentence keeps the subject and the pronoun in agreement as one unit.

When a group noun like a committee is treated as a single unit, the verb and the pronoun that refer to it should be singular. The committee is one entity, so it has decided to publish its findings. Here, has matches the singular idea of the group, and its shows possession by that single unit.

Using have would treat the group as multiple individuals, which doesn’t align with treating the committee as a single entity. Likewise, using their would refer to a plural antecedent, which conflicts with the singular possessive its. The combination in the correct sentence keeps the subject and the pronoun in agreement as one unit.