Pronouns & Determiners Quiz — EAG02

'Between' is a preposition. All pronouns following a preposition must be in the object case. 'I' is subject case → wrong after a preposition. Correct: 'between you and me'. This is the single most-repeated pronoun error in AFCAT/CDS. 'Between you and I' sounds polite but is grammatically wrong — always 'between you and me'.

When a pronoun appears before a noun that is the subject of a verb, it must be in subject case. 'Us' is object case → wrong here. The subject of 'must maintain' is 'officers' + pronoun → use 'We officers'. Test: remove 'officers' — 'We must maintain' ✓ vs 'Us must maintain' ✗. This appositive pronoun rule is a direct AFCAT PYQ pattern.

'Myself' is a reflexive/emphatic pronoun — it cannot function as a plain subject pronoun. 'The Colonel and myself' is the subject of 'attended' → needs subject case. Correct: 'The Colonel and I attended'. 'Myself' is only correct as: reflexive (I hurt myself) or emphatic (I myself checked it). AFCAT tests 'myself' misuse in nearly every paper.

'Contact' is a verb — the pronoun after it is the object → use object case: 'contact me'. 'Myself' is wrong here (no reflexive or emphatic function). 'I' is subject case → wrong after a verb. 'Mine' is possessive → irrelevant. Rule: 'myself' ≠ 'me'. Never use 'myself' simply to avoid choosing between 'I' and 'me'.

Emphatic. 'He wrote the report' is perfectly complete without 'himself'. 'Himself' adds stress — emphasising that he personally did it — but is removable. That is the defining feature of an emphatic pronoun. Contrast reflexive: 'He hurt himself' — removing 'himself' changes the meaning entirely. AFCAT tests this emphatic vs reflexive distinction directly.

'Each' is always singular → the verb must be 'was required', not 'were'. Additionally, 'their' (plural) clashes with singular 'each' → should be 'his/her'. The primary AFCAT error is (B) — 'were required'. Both (B) and (C) are wrong, but in a single-answer format (B) is the verb error that AFCAT marks. Rule: each, every, either, neither = always singular.

The blank needs a word meaning 'one or the other of two options' + a singular verb ('leads'). 'Either' fits perfectly: 'Either of the two routes leads' ✓. 'Neither' = not one, not the other (negative). 'Both' = plural verb needed. 'Each' = used with plural nouns but still singular verb — however, 'each of the two' is less idiomatic than 'either'. AFCAT tests either/neither/both with the correct verb.

'Everyone' is singular → the pronoun must agree in number → 'his or her'. In formal/examination English (AFCAT standard), 'their' after 'everyone' is considered incorrect despite being accepted in informal usage. AFCAT and CDS consistently use the formal rule: everyone/each/anyone/nobody → singular pronoun (his/her/his or her). 'Our' and 'its' are contextually wrong.

'Neither' is singular → associated pronoun must be singular → 'his' or 'his/her' (not 'their'). Correct: 'Neither of the officers forgot his orders.' The error is 'their' in (B) clashing with singular 'neither'. The verb 'forgot' is already correct (past tense, no issue). AFCAT tests pronoun-antecedent agreement with 'neither' regularly.

'The squadron' is a collective noun acting as a single unit → use singular pronoun 'its'. When a collective noun (army, team, squadron, committee) acts as one body, singular verbs and pronouns apply. If members act individually ('The squadron are arguing among themselves'), 'their' is used. AFCAT context: single mission = acting as one unit → 'its'.

'Between' is a preposition → both pronouns following it must be in object case → 'him … me'. 'He' and 'I' are subject case → wrong after prepositions. This tests the 'between you and me' rule extended to third person. The correct pair is (B): 'Between him and me'. Any pronoun after a preposition (between, for, to, with, from, by) must be in object case.

'Who' is subject case; 'whom' is object case. In 'Who did you see?', the pronoun is the object of 'see' (you saw whom?) → should be 'Whom did you see?'. Test: answer the question — 'I saw him' (not 'he') → 'him' = object → use 'whom'. Rule: if the answer would use him/her/them, use 'whom'; if he/she/they, use 'who'.

The relative pronoun is the object of 'told about' (I told you about whom? → the officer). Object role → 'whom'. Test: 'I told you about him' → 'him' = object → 'whom'. 'Who' would be correct if the pronoun were the subject: 'the officer who led the mission' (he led = subject). 'Whose' = possession; 'which' = things/animals, not people.

In formal grammar, comparatives with 'than' use subject case when a verb is implied: 'She is taller than I (am).' In informal usage, 'than me' is widely accepted. AFCAT/CDS exams follow the formal rule: 'than I' when a subject-verb relationship is implied. However, if the comparison is: 'She likes him more than me (= more than she likes me)' — meaning changes. In isolated comparison, formal AFCAT = subject case.

'Myself' cannot be used as a subject pronoun. 'My friend and myself' is the subject → needs subject case: 'My friend and I'. Myself is only valid: reflexively (I hurt myself) or emphatically (I myself did it). Using 'myself' to avoid choosing 'I' vs 'me' is a very common error. AFCAT targets exactly this misuse in Spotting Errors questions.

'All' the officers — refers to the entire group with a plural noun and plural verb. 'Both' = exactly two. 'Each' and 'Every' take singular nouns ('each officer', 'every officer'). When the noun is plural ('the officers'), use 'all'. AFCAT tests determiners: all + plural noun; each/every + singular noun; both + plural noun (exactly two).

'Each' = always singular → verb must be 'has been shortlisted'. 'Have been' (plural) clashes with singular 'each'. The phrase 'of the three cadets' is a modifier that does not change the subject's number. Strip it: 'Each… have been' → wrong. Rule: each, every, either, neither → singular verb, always. This is a direct AFCAT PYQ.

'Neither' = singular → singular verb required → 'was approved'. Options A, C, D all use plural verbs → wrong. Even though 'plans' is plural, the subject is 'Neither' — and neither/either always take singular verbs regardless of the noun that follows 'of'. Option B is the only correct sentence.

'These' (plural demonstrative) clashes with 'type' (singular noun). Either: 'This type of errors is common' (singular this + singular type + singular verb) or 'These types of errors are common' (plural these + plural types + plural verb). The mixed form 'these type' is incorrect. AFCAT tests demonstrative-noun number agreement: this type / these types.

'The committee' acting as a single body → singular pronoun → 'its' report. Collective nouns (committee, army, jury, team, squadron) acting as one unit = singular verbs and singular pronouns. 'Their' would only apply if the committee members were acting individually ('The committee are at odds with their colleagues'). Standard AFCAT formal usage = 'its'.