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Reference Words
Reference Words
Reference worc
Study the explanations and examples in the chart. Make your own examples.
Pronouns can be used to point back to previously mentioned nouns in the same or a previous
sentence. A pronoun usually (but not always) refers to the last noun or nouns that agrees in
number and gender, but it can also refer to another previous noun (or clause), depending on the
meaning.
he, she, it, they, I, we, you An Earth-sized planet was discovered
(subject pronouns) in 2011. It is a rocky planet that does
not have any liquid water.
his, her, its, their, my, our, Many planets orbit very close to their
your sun. Their surface temperature is too
Personal pronouns hot to support life.
(possessive pronouns)
him, her, it, us, me. you, There are eight Planets and five dwarf
them planets in our solar system, although
only one of them — Earth — is known
(object pronouns)
to be habitable.
one, ones (or the one, the Larger telescopes will enable
ones) scientists to photograph more
Indefinite pronoun
planets. In addition, they will be able
to detect smaller ones.
Note: Watch out for ("Ages where the referent is separated from the noun it refers to by a long clause
or phrase. For example: Although humans have speculated about life on other nlaneN for centuries,
there has been no scientific evidence to suggest that It exists.
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GRAMMAR: REFERENCE WORDS
Practice Exercises
A Circle the correct noun or clause that each underlined word refers to.
As we discover more planets that are similar in size to Earth, the possibility of finding one that is
habitable is becoming more likely.
a planet b size c Earth
Some planets may have reservoirs of water or ice beneath their surface where life may exist.
a planets b reservoirs c water or ice
Scientists have developed many large telescopes for hunting WORD BUILDING
planets. There are three major ones that are used to locate The prefix tele- means far away. A
telescope is an instrument that sees
exoplanets.
faraway objects. Use your dictionary
a scientists b telescopes c planets to find out what these words
mean: tereport, telecommunications,
The Kepler telescope transmits data for 100,000 stars. This teleworking
enables scientists to study multiple stars at once.
a telescope b data c transmits data for 100,000 stars
Even if life forms existed on other planets, an asteroid collision or any number of other disasters
may have destroyed them.
a life forms b planets c disasters
B Complete the paragraphs with the correct words from the chart.
For a planet to support life, a must lie within a certain zone from
host star. Planets that are too close to a star
will be too hot If ° are too far away, there will not be enough light or
heat. An Earth-sized planet was discovered in 2011 discovery could
indicate that our planet is not the only that has conditions to support life.
surface has a temperature of about 767 degrees Celsius (1,410 degrees
Fahrenheit). For" reason, it is not capable of sustaining life as we know it.
There are eight planets and five dwarf planets in our solar system. It is possible that some of
a may have supported life in the past. Mars and Jupiter's Moon Europa
may once have had, or may still have, water under ° surface, but so far
There is no concrete evidence to support ° If scientists find evidence
of life on these planets, ° is most likely to consist of tiny microbial
organisms. To find a planet with signs of life, it will be necessary for scientists to look for
o that is outside our solar system.
STUDY TIP
Find a study partner to help you practice for the test. Find academic articles and make questions for
each other based on those you might find in the test. Be sure to include some reference questions. If you
cannot find a study partner, practice making your own test questions for academic articles. They will help
you understand how the questions are constructed and how the text is organized.
129
GRAMMAR FOR THE TOEFL TEST
Test Practice
This question asks you to identify the relationship between different parts of the passage. These questions
are often about a pronoun, a demonstrative, or a relative pronoun. When making your choice, try
substituting your chosen answer for the highlighted word to see Wit still makes sense.
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GRAMMAR: REFERENCE WORDS
7. An introductory sentence for a summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the
summary by selecting the THREE answer options that express the most important ideas in the
passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary. Because they express ideas that are not
presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage.
Answer options
New telescopes have made it possible to find planets outside our solar system.
Habitable exoplanets are neither too close nor too far away from their star.
It is easy to identify stars because they emit light.
It may be possible to find life on an exoplanet one day.
Planets without water are often very hot.
Kepler 20-e is slightly smaller than Earth.
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