METU/SFL Spring 2021

DBE INTERMEDIATE GROUP

Referencing Handout (Student’s Copy)
REFERENCING
Referencing is one of the essential reading skills that you can use to understand a text in detail.

In all texts, there are words or word groups like he, who, this, there, the other, the latter, which have no
meaning of their own but which replace concepts or ideas. Reference is necessary to avoid repetition
and to provide a natural flow in any text. Note that you can follow the writer's line of reasoning only by
understanding references. Therefore, remember that:
a. reference links can point backward or forward inside a text or sometimes call the reader's attention
to a universally or culturally shared concept outside the text;
b. reference words cannot always be replaced by a simple word or word group found in the text.
Sometimes the information needs paraphrasing, as it does not exist in its full correct form in the text.

See the example below:

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

The problem with this sentence is that “university education” is repeated. The sentence would
sound more natural if we used a reference word instead of “university education”:

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

“This” refers to “university education.” “This” refers to a word that has already been mentioned in
the sentence.

A reference word may also refer forward to people, things, or concepts that will be mentioned
later. Here is an example:

When I met him in the lecture hall, my professor looked very tired.

“Him” refers to “my professor.”

The former vs. the latter

When two people, things, or concepts are mentioned in a context, the writer/speaker may refer
to the first concept by using the word “former,” while s/he may use “the latter” to talk about the
second item. Here is an example:

Red and yellow are popular colors that are used often in fast-food restaurants, but the former is
more popular.

“The former” refers to red.

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READING PRACTICE

A. Study the following extract, and write down what the underlined words refer to. Then, discuss your
answers by going over each type of reference.

Learning is not a static ability, but (1) one that continuously changes. A newborn baby can only learn by
first-hand experience, and can hardly generalize. However, the older (2) s/he gets, the more s/he can
learn without living through a similar situation himself. Indeed, most of what (3) we know is what we
were taught by others or what we read in books. Scientists attach more importance to (4) the latter, and
yet for many people, both are equally valuable. Our main advantage over all other animals, then, is that
we can pass on knowledge so that the next generation does not make the same mistakes again — it (5)
does anyway, but that is a different problem.

Our knowledge includes the first-hand experiences of many others, (6) which were collected and put into
a form, in order to make the learning of these facts easier. Nowadays, we are not any more intelligent
than a thousand years ago, but (7) this does not mean that we have less knowledge. Like Newton said, "I
am a dwarf, but I can see very far because I am standing on the shoulders of giants," which means
scientists can learn more today and make use of 8) it in a better way. Therefore, in this age, to be named
as (9) such, a scientist should be more open to change than ever.
Adapted from http://www.kosapa.net

1. _______________________________________
2. _______________________________________
3. _______________________________________
4. _______________________________________
5. _______________________________________
6. _______________________________________
7. the fact that ____________________________
8. _______________________________________
9. _______________________________________

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B. Now read the extract below, answer the questions, and identify the reference words that help you
answer the questions (the clues).
Paragraph 1
You love reading science fiction, but you have failed science throughout your school life. Still, you think
you would like to try writing science fiction. It is probably too late for you to take science classes, and
you are not really interested anyway. Many give up their dreams, thinking that one needs to be a rocket
scientist to write science fiction. Nevertheless, such is not the case. Although there are a number of well-
known science fiction writers who began their careers as scientists, there are many who did not.
1. Does one need to be a scientist to write SF?

___________________________________________________________________________________

Clue(s): ____________________________________________________________________________

2. Did all well-known SF writers begin their careers as scientists?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Clue(s): _______________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2

Science fiction can be classified as hard SF or soft SF. If you have a limited
scientific background but a good sociological one, you may want to try your
hand at the latter. This kind of science fiction deals with people, not machines.
Although there should be some element of futurism in the story, this does not
mean that the characters have to go shooting off among the stars in a high-tech
spacecraft.

3. If one has limited scientific knowledge, what does he/she need to become a
soft SF writer.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Clue(s): ______________________________________________________________________________

4. The fact that __________________________________________________________ does not mean

that the characters have to go shooting off among the stars in a high-tech spacecraft.

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Paragraph 3

It is essential to writing a science fiction story that you include elements of the future in your story. It is
not good enough to use a few words about view phones and laser guns. Think of technology that exists
today, and try to think of what it might become 50 years from now. In addition, imagine what daily life
might be like at the time.

5. What is essential to writing a SF story?

______________________________________________________________________________________

Clue(s): _______________________________________________________________________________

Adapted from "Writing Soft Science Fiction" by Penny Ehrenkranz, www. writing - world. com/sf/sof tsf. html