Final answer:
The correct sentence that uses pronouns properly is Option B, 'If people want to succeed in life, they must know the rules of the game.' It remains consistent in its use of third person plural form. Understanding pronoun case, pronoun reference, and the need for a clear antecedent is crucial in selecting the correct pronoun.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question which sentence correctly uses pronouns, highlighting the importance of matching pronoun usage to their antecedents and to maintain a consistent point of view throughout the sentence. Here are the sentence options:
A. If a person wants to succeed in life, you must know the rules of the game.
B. If people want to succeed in life, they must know the rules of the game.
C. If anybody wants to succeed in life, they must know the rules of the game.
D. If someone wants to succeed in life, we must know the rules of the game.
Option B is the correct choice because it maintains a consistent third person plural perspective throughout the sentence. The pronoun 'they' follows 'people', which is also plural, ensuring grammatical harmony. Using pronouns correctly involves understanding the concept of pronoun case, pronoun reference, and maintaining clear antecedent relationships.
It is also important to understand the distinction between subjective case pronouns like 'I', 'we', 'he', 'she', and objective case pronouns like 'me', 'us', 'him', 'her'. Option A is incorrect because it switches from third person singular 'a person' to second person 'you', which is inconsistent. Option C is acceptable in modern usage as 'they' can function as a singular pronoun despite being traditionally plural. However, for formal correctness, especially in educational context, matching 'anybody' (singular) to 'he or she' would be more traditionally correct. Option D shifts perspectives by using 'we', implying that the speaker is part of the subject group, which does not align with 'someone' (singular).