Extract:
What word is best to substitute for the underlined words in the following sentence?
You can hear the nurses’ laughter all the way down the hallway.
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A
his
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B
hers
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C
them
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D
their
The word "their" best substitutes for "the nurses'" because the possessive pronoun must be plural to match the plural antecedent "nurses."
A) his
"His" is singular masculine possessive—incorrect number and gender to replace plural "nurses'." Pronoun must match antecedent number.
B) hers
"Hers" is singular feminine possessive—incorrect number to replace plural "nurses'." Additionally, "hers" is absolute possessive (without noun), not dependent form needed before "laughter."
C) them
"Them" is objective case pronoun—cannot function as possessive modifier before a noun. "Them laughter" creates ungrammatical construction lacking possessive form.
D) their
"Their" is plural possessive pronoun correctly replacing "nurses'" before the noun "laughter." Dependent possessive pronouns modifying nouns require this form matching antecedent number.
Conclusion
Possessive pronouns modifying nouns require dependent forms ("my," "your," "his," "her," "its," "our," "their") matching antecedent number and gender. Plural antecedent "nurses" demands plural possessive "their" before the noun "laughter."