Reference Words

Identifying and using referring words

Cohesion in texts includes the use of connectives and conjunctions and more sophisticated texts effectively use a variety of referring words, substitutions, word associations and text connectives to improve the flow of the writing.

• What’s wrong with this sentence?

  Some people believe that a university education should be available to everyone as a university education will help with employment.

• The problem here is that ‘university education’ has been repeated – the sentence would have been better presented using a reference word like this:

  Some people believe that a university education should be available to everyone as this will help with employment.

To prevent the same word more than one time in a sentence or in some sentences of the same paragraph or of the same article, writers always use references. References are words that substitute for other words or phrases. They usually refer back to ideas that have already been expressed, but they can occasionally refer forward to ideas yet to be stated. Thus, in order to see the connection between items of information, we need to find the reference of the substitution word. Below is a list of the most often used references. Study them and look at the examples and exercises that follow. 

• 1. Personal pronouns: I, me, my, mine, she, her, hers, he, him, his, it, its, they, them, their, we, us, our, ours, you, your, yours (replace nouns)

• 2. Impersonal pronouns: one, ones (replace nouns)

• 3. Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those (replace nouns, phrases, or sentences that refer to a fact or idea)

• 4. There, then (replace adverbials of place or time)

• 5. Such + noun (replaces the description of the person or thing named by the noun)

• 6. The former, the latter, the same (replaces the previously mentioned person, thing, or idea) 

In the following paragraph, the references are italicized

Speed-reading is a skill every student should master in order to succeed their study. In relation to this, some students read slowly but don’t know that they do; others read slowly and know it. Their reading problems are the same, but the latter can be helped more easily because they are already aware of their problem. Before the former can be helped, however, they must be made aware of the problem.  

Speed-reading is a skill every student should master in order to succeed their study. In relation to this, some students read slowly but don’t know that they do; others read slowly and know it. Their reading problems are the same, but the latter can be helped more easily because they are already aware of their problem. Before the former can be helped, however, they must be made aware of the problem.  

Unclear Pronoun Reference makes sentences confusing, vague, and difficult to understand.

• Both Isabel and Barbara loved her children.

• Whose children ? Isabel's? Barbara's?

• From this sentence we cannot tell whose children they are. Because we cannot tell which of the nouns is the antecedent, this sentence is an unclear pronoun reference outlaw.

• Both Isabel and Barbara loved Isabel’s children.

Multiple Choice

Read the text below and decide what the underlined reference words refer to.

Every organization, as soon as it gets to any size, begins to feel a need to systematize its management of human assets.

• Every organization

• Every organization's

• management

• management's

Multiple Choice

Read the text below and decide what the underlined reference words refer to.

Every organization, as soon as it gets to any size, begins to feel a need to systematize its management of human assets.

• Every organization

• management

• human assets

Multiple Choice

What reference word could replace the underlined words?

The online English test is becoming increasingly popular.

• It

• He

• She

• His

Multiple Choice

What reference word could replace the underlined words?

Overseas students often find university courses difficult.

• Their

• Them

• They

• He

Multiple Choice

What reference word could replace the underlined words?

Professor Edwards has been lecturing for 16 years.

• They

• She

• He

• It

Multiple Choice

New Zealand can offer good homestay accommodation, a clean and beautiful environment and a reasonable cost of tuition. These factors attract an ever-increasing number of overseas students, accounting for millions of dollars in revenue for New Zealand.

'These factors' refers to ____________.

• accommodation, environment and reasonable tuition costs

• schools, colleges, universities

• increasing overseas students

Multiple Choice

It attracts tourists and people on business, but the vast majority come as students. Mostly from Asian countries, they stay for anything from a few weeks to a few years or more, studying at language schools, colleges and universities.

'They' refers to _________.

• Asian countries

• students

• tourists and people on business

Multiple Choice

New Zealand is becoming an increasingly popular destination for overseas visitors. It attracts tourists and people on business, but the vast majority come as students.

'It' refers to ______

• overseas

• New Zealand

• a popular destination