READING 5: IDENTIFYING REFERENTS

Warm-Up

The underlined words in the comic strip are references. Can you figure out what the
references refer to?
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A reference refers to a single word or a group of words mentioned either earlier or later in a
sentence or paragraph. The use of references avoids the need to repeat certain words as
references can be used to substitute these words.
Study the following examples:
1. Farouk had a great time in Penang. He went water-skiing, snorkelling and
swimming with friends.
He refers to Farouk

2. My mother’s birthday is next week. My brother and I are planning to give her a
bouquet of flowers and her favourite cake.
her refers to my mother

3. The swimming pool was closed yesterday. That was why we did not go
swimming. That refers to the swimming pool was closed yesterday

4. Asians remove their footwear before they enter homes. It is considered polite to do
so.
they refers to Asians

do so refers to remove their footwear before they enter homes

5. Some goods came from distant countries and were extremely expensive like
porcelain, silk, and spices.
goods refers to porcelain, silk and spices

6. An artificial beehive is where domestic bees are cared for by beekeepers.

It spent most of its life gathering honey from flowers nearby.
where refers to artificial beehives
It refers to domestic bees
 7. The children made a simple boat with some cloth and wood. Then they filled a tub
with water so that they could play with their home-made toy.
they refers to children

home-made toy refers to simple boat

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8. The reason kings built mighty castles during the Middle Ages was to
protect their subjects and lands from their enemies.
reason refers to protect their subjects and lands from their enemies

For references of possessive pronouns (e.g. my, our, his, her, their, its, your, mine, ours,
hers, theirs, yours), use possessive apostrophe to indicate the possessive form of the noun
being referred to [(‘s) for singular & (s’) for plural].

Study the following examples:

1. The cat mewed loudly and scratched at the door trying to get the attention
of its owner.
its refers to cat’s

2. Mr. David loves all his children with all his heart
his refers to Mr. David’s

3. The students leave the classroom during the break but left their
stuff behind. their refers to the students’
4. The children will play with their friends in the playground this evening.
their refers to the children’s
5. “I think that blue shawl in mine,” said Maria. After inspection, it is indeed hers.
mine
refers to Maria’s

it refers to that blue shawl

 hers refers to Maria’s
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Practice 1

What do the following words in bold refer to?

1. Ten-year-old Tommy Sanders ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him. He was
chasing the bus. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he struggled to catch up with
the bus. The bus slowed to a stop and its doors opened. Tommy stumbled up the
stairs. “Sorry, I’m sorry,” Tommy said, making his way down the aisle. He spied an
empty seat next to a pretty girl. Their eyes met for a moment. “Don’t even think about
sitting next to me, geek,” she muttered.

a) him refers to _________________________________________________

b) He refers to _________________________________________________

c) his refers to _________________________________________________ d)

its refers to _________________________________________________ e)

Their refers to _________________________________________________ f)

me refers to _________________________________________________ g)

geek refers to _________________________________________________ h)

she refers to _________________________________________________

2. Suzanne took her four-year-old daughter, April, to a wedding. It was the first time April
was at a wedding. She asked her mother, “Mummy, why is the bride dressed in
white?” Her mother replied, “Because white is a happy colour and today is the
happiest day of her life.” April thought for a moment and then asked, “Then why is the
groom dressed in black?”
a) She refers to ___________________________________________
b) Mummy refers to
___________________________________________

c) her refers to ___________________________________________

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3. There are two possible causes of his poor grades. One may be his health, the other -
his parents’ divorce. A doctor can take care of the former. The latter, however, is
more problematic.

a) former refers to ___________________________________________

b) latter refers to ___________________________________________

4. Andy was moved to a new school. There he made great progress because of
the different methods.

a) There refers to ___________________________________________

Practice 2

What do the following words in bold refer to?

1. In Greek mythology, Echo was a nymph who helped the god Zeus by
distracting his wife, Hera with her chatter.

a. who refers to _________________________________________________

b. his refers to _________________________________________________
c. her refers to _________________________________________________

2. The first telephone call was made on March 10, 1876. It was very brief, just “Mr
Watson, come here. I want you.” This was said when Alexander Graham Bell accidently
spilt some acid on his clothes and called out to his assistant, Mr Watson. a. It refers to
_________________________________________________ b.
you refers to _________________________________________________ c.

This refers to _________________________________________________ d.

his refers to _________________________________________________

3. To camouflage means to alter the appearance of people, animals or objects so that
they blend into their surroundings and are more difficult to detect. A zebra’s or tiger’s
stripe makes it hard for other animals to see them amidst the tall grass.

a. they refers to _________________________________________________

b. them refers to _________________________________________________

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