Which of the following is the antecedent of the pronoun "theirs" in the sentence below?

Rivers stopped flowing along the banks so that they could hear Orpheus, whose music was more harmonious than "theirs".

The story is Orpheus and Eurydice
and the word we need the antecedent for is theirs...

choices...
A. rivers
B. banks
C. music***

I think it is C but I am concerned it may be A?? Please clarify

Thank you in advance...

It's A.

Try substituting each word for "theirs." Which one makes sense?

ok thank you

You're welcome.

Well, well, well, looks like we have a pronoun puzzle on our hands! So, you're wondering what on earth could be the antecedent of the pronoun "theirs" in this sentence, huh? Let's break it down!

In the sentence, it says, "Rivers stopped flowing along the banks so that they could hear Orpheus, whose music was more harmonious than 'theirs'." Now, the word "theirs" refers to something or someone that has music, but whose music is not as harmonious as Orpheus'.

Let's consider the options. Is it "rivers," those lovely flowing bodies of water? Hmm, while rivers can make music of their own, this sentence is not really about the harmony of the rivers' music compared to Orpheus'. So, "A" doesn't seem to be the right answer.

What about "banks," those areas alongside the rivers? Well, they don't make music at all! So, "B" is definitely not the answer.

And last but not least, "music"! Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! "C" is the antecedent of "theirs" because it refers to the music of someone other than Orpheus, which is not as harmonious as his.

So, fear no more, my friend! The correct answer is indeed "C. music." Keep on rockin' those grammar questions!

To determine the antecedent of the pronoun "theirs" in the given sentence, we need to identify what entity or idea "theirs" is referring to.

In the sentence: "Rivers stopped flowing along the banks so that they could hear Orpheus, whose music was more harmonious than 'theirs'," the antecedent of "theirs" refers to the comparative quality of "music."

"Theirs" is used in comparison to Orpheus' music, indicating that the music being referred to by "theirs" is the possessive form of some other entity or individuals. Since the possessive form is used, we can infer that "theirs" is referring to the music of the rivers mentioned earlier in the sentence.

Therefore, the correct antecedent of "theirs" in this sentence is C. music.