Reference

1. 2017-2018 FALL
B1 LEVEL
READING
WEEK 2
ITU / SFL 2017-2018 Fall Term
Identifying Points of Reference
One way to understand the relationship between ideas in a text is to identify the antecedents*
which the
pronouns point to.
*
A word or phrase that a pronoun refers back to
A reference word can be a pronoun (he, she, it, they...etc.),a possessive adjective (my, your, his, their...
etc.),an object pronoun (him, her, you, them... etc.) or a determiner (this, that, these, those).
PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
Possessive
Adjectives
Pronouns
Person Subject Object Possessive
SINGULAR
1st
my I me mine
2nd
your you you yours
3rd
his he him his
her she her hers
its it it its
PLURAL
1st
our we us ours
2nd
your you you yours
3rd
their they them theirs
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS/ADJECTIVES
Singular Plural Function
this* these referring to persons or things
that those
* “this” often refers to complex situations.
Example: Most students are trying to participate in extracurricular activities along with their classes
without detailed planning. This is an extremely difficult task.
DEMONSTRATIVE ADVERBS
Here There
There are also other reference or substitute words/sentences (and even paragraphs).
The following is a list of the most widely used reference and substitute words
Words in bold (reference words) refer to the underlined words (antecedents).
1. one (ones), another, the other, others
Example: The collapse of the true sporting system is a result of many factors. One is the connection
between sport and business.
2. all, many, some, (a) few
Example: Aliens have always aroused the interest of people. Some believe that aliens look like
animals or large insects while some think of aliens as human-like figures clothed in
uniforms. Many believe that aliens can walk through walls.

2. 2017-2018 FALL
B1 LEVEL
READING
WEEK 2
ITU / SFL 2017-2018 Fall Term
3. such (+ noun)
Example: Children’s language may vary in complexity or size of vocabulary. Such variations,
however, are of minor importance.
4. so
Example: The politician is worried about the present economic situation. He thinks the rate of
inflation will rise. I think so,too.
5. the former, the latter
Examples: Industrious, useful human beings may be divided into two classes: people for whom work
is work and pleasure is pleasure and people for whom work and pleasure are one. The
former are the majority.
Political authority and education are common sources of social status. The latter,
however, is usually easier to achieve.
6. there, then
Examples: David returned from the ascent of Annapurna a changed man. The experiences he
underwent there would have destroyed a weaker body and personality.
It is at the age of 6 to 9 months that the struggle between trusting and mistrusting the
world comes to a climax, for it is then that children first perceive clearly that they and their
environment are things apart.
As you can see,reference words can replace (point to) one word, a group of words, or (a) whole sentence(s).
If you are unsure of which word(s) is (are) replaced by the reference word, try the substitution test: Replace
the reference word by the word you think it points to and then read the sentence to see if it makes sense in
context.
Exercise 1: What do the underlined words refer to? Choose the correct answer.
Hi everybody! Here we are in Prague,the beautiful city of the Czech Republic. It is a city in CentralEurope.
I am between Kelly and Jirka, our Czech friend. He is a student at Prague University. In this photo, we are
at a café next to the Charles Bridge. Michele is trying to hide; she is camera shy! Right across from the café,
there are souvenir shops. They are very popular in summer.
1. “It” refers to:
a. Prague b. Czech Republic c. Central Europe d. everybody
2. “He” refers to:
a. A student b. Kelly c. Jirka d. Michele
3. “They” refers to:
a. camera b. souvenir shops c. the café d. a souvenir shop

3. 2017-2018 FALL
B1 LEVEL
READING
WEEK 2
ITU / SFL 2017-2018 Fall Term
Exercise 2: Read the following sentences. The reference (substitute) words are written in bold.
Underline the word(s)orsentence(s)thatthe reference (substitute)words replace.The firstone is done
for you.
1. The press cannot be separated from the movements in popular culture any more easily than the other
media. The way it has developed has not protected it from contemporary pressures.
2. Although in recent years people have been watching movies less and less, filmmaking is still a major
industry. There are a number of reasons for this.
3. The critics argued that although many popular novels claim to be involved with the “values of our
civilization”, they offer an extreme simplification of experience.
4. The world faces many serious problems. The one I am most concerned with is shortage of food.
5. To remain profitable, more firms have to devote time and money to market planning. It is not easy to
persuade them that it is a must to consider real needs and disregard the sales reports of their
competitors’ current models.
6. Our era is distinguished by much discussion on patriotism, social welfare,law, and order. Some
people believe that such talk is only a mask to hide private indifference to public.
7. In 1945, there was a shortage of two million homes, and the new government promised to overcome it
by constructing subsidized housing estates.
Exercise 3: Read the paragraphs below and answer the following questions. Note that the correct
answer depends on your understanding of the reference.
1. According to one of the traditional assumptions about earning and buying, if people who have money
expect prices to go up, they will hasten to buy. If they expect prices to go down, they will postpone
buying. But research surveys have shown that this is not always true.
Which traditional attitude is not supported by research data?
_________________________________________________________________
2. It is not merely desirable but essential for a teacher to have a capacity for sympathy- in the literal
meaning of that word; a capacity to tune in to the minds and feelings of other people, especially, since
most teachers are school teachers,to the minds and feelings of children. Closely related with this is the
capacity to be tolerant, not indeed of what is wrong but of the frailty and immaturity of human nature
that induce people, and especially children, to make mistakes.
Which two qualities of a teacher are closely connected?
_________________________________________________________________
3. The 19th
century saw the sudden growth of many cities with populations ranging from 100.000 to eight
million. An important reason for this development lies with the great advances in technology that
came during the second half of the 18th
century and during the 19th
century.
What was one of the effects of the great advances in technology during the 19th
century?
_________________________________________________________________

4. 2017-2018 FALL
B1 LEVEL
READING
WEEK 2
ITU / SFL 2017-2018 Fall Term
ANSWER KEY
Exercise 1:
1. a
2. c
3. b
Exercise 2:
2. this = filmmaking is still a major industry
3. they = many popular novels
4. one = one of the many serious problems
5. them = firms
6. such talk = discussion on patriotism, social welfare, law, and order
7. it = a shortage of two million homes
Exercise 3:
1. The traditional assumption which claims that if people who have money expect prices to go up, they
will hasten to buy. If they expect prices to go down, they will postpone buying.
2. The capacities for sympathy and tolerance
3. The sudden growth of many cities with populations.