Unit 4 Words of Reference

Writers do not like to use the same word many times. They often use other words, which
mean almost the same thing.

A. PRONOUNS

Sometimes pronouns are used instead of nouns. They are small words, but they are very
important when you are reading. You will understand more if you pay attention to
pronouns.

In these examples, the pronouns are underlined:

EXAMPLE A
Mary Simms lives in New York City. She has an
apartment near Central Park. Mary jogs in the park. She
thinks that jogging is good for her. So she jogs three
times a week.

All the underlined pronouns take the place of the noun, Mary Simms, "Mary Simms" is
called the referent.

EXAMPLE B
Jogging is good for your health for a few reasons. It is
especially good for your heart. If you do it a few days a week,
your heart will be stronger. It is also good for your legs. And
many people believe it is good for your mind.

All of the underlined pronouns take the place of the noun.

Reading for General Purposes 40

Exercise 1. Complete the text with the subject pronouns.

Do you like sport? I love sport! (1) __________ play volleyball

and my PE teacher, Mr. Smith, has got an Olympic medal for

volleyball. (2) _________ 's very good! My best friend, Mary,

does gymnastics. (3) __________ does gymnastics classes at

the gym. My other friends play basketball. (4) _______ are in

the school team. At the weekends l often watch sport with my

friends. (5) __________ all like football and basketball

matches. When I'm at home (6) ___________ watch sport on

TV with my dad. My mum and brother don't watch it. (7)

___________ say sport on TV is boring! What about you?

Which sports do (8) ____________ play?

Exercise 2. Complete the text with the object pronouns.

When some people meet (1) ____________ they think I'm

my twin brother, David. They don't know the difference. Our school
friends know; they say I'm more intelligent than (2) __________

! In reality, it's easy for (3) _____________ because we

study in different classes. When our mother looks at (4)

_____________ she always sees the difference. We can't play

jokes on (5) ______________ ! When people visit our house

they also know the difference. David always uses the computer and

he plays on (6) ____________ all the time! What do you

think? If you look at a picture of (7) __________ , you will see:

the difference will be clear to (8) _______________ !!!

Reading for General Purposes 41

Exercise 3. Circle the referent.
1. Running is not a new sport. People were doing it hundreds of years
ago.
2. Runners know that a good diet is important. They eat very healthy
foods, especially before a race.
3. Every year, there are many long races in many parts of the world.
Sports fans watch them on television.
4. The Boston race is called the Boston Marathon. This is one of the oldest
races in the United States.
5. In some races, the winners get large amounts of money. But for almost
100 years, they got no money at all in the Boston race.
6. In 1985, more than 6,000 people ran in the Boston Marathon. They
came from all over the world.

Exercise 4. In this passage, write the pronouns and their referents on the lines
below.
The Boston Marathon
Every year, in the middle of April, thousands of people go to
Boston. They go to run the Boston Marathon. This is one of the
oldest road races in the United States. It began in 1897.
Each year, more runners join the Boston Marathon. They come from
every part of the world. In 1984, 6,164 runners from 34 different countries
ran in the Marathon. About 5,290 of them finished it.
The Boston race is 26.2 miles, or 42 kilometers. The runners go
through thirteen towns during the race. It ends in the center of
Boston. Crowds of people watch them as they go through the towns.
They clap their hands and cheer for them.

Pronouns Referents

Reading for General Purposes 42

 Exercise 5. In this passage, write the pronouns and their referents on the
lines below.
Jogging is a very popular activity in New York City. In the
winter. the weather is too cold for it. But in the spring, it is wanner,
and many New Yorkers go out to jog in Central Park. This is a very
good place to run.
Other New Yorkers also like to go to Central Park. Many of them
go there with their dogs. Dogs can run in the park. Sometimes the
dogs run after the joggers. They may try to bite them. So the joggers
sometimes kick the dogs or throw stones at them. The dog owners do
not understand. They wonder why the joggers do not like dogs. The
park police are trying to solve this problem. They want all of the
people to use the park in peace.

Pronouns Referents

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Exercise 6
There are 17 pronouns in this passage. Write the pronouns and their
referents below.

Mary Simms and Jim Fuller went jogging in Central Park last
Saturday. They ran into a problem: a large white dog. It ran after
them and tried to bite their legs.
They were scared and did not know what to do. Mary took a big
stick and tried to hit the dog. She wanted to scare it away. But the
dog just barked at her.
Then Jim threw a large rock at the animal. It hit the dog on the
head.
The dog's owner was very angry.
"Stop hurting my dog!" she shouted. "It will not hurt you. It is
just a puppy."
Then she took a large stick and tried to hit Mary and Jim. Just
then, a park police officer came along the path. He saw them
fighting.
"This is terrible!" he said. "Stop fighting!"
Pronouns Referents

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Sometimes pronouns can take the place of a group of words.

EXAMPLE A
The Central Park police officer often meets dangerous
people. Some people go to the park to steal. Other people
are there to sell drugs. And sometimes serious gun fights
start in the park. The park police officer may meet any of
these in the park.

Pronouns Referents
these people who steal
people who sell drugs
people who start gunfights

EXAMPLE B
It is not easy to be the mayor of a large American city.
Many people need homes and jobs. The buildings and streets
need to be fixed. The schools are old, and the students are not
learning enough. The streets are dangerous at night because
of crime. These are big problems, and the mayor must work
on all of them.

Pronouns Referents
These them

Exercise 7
In these passages, the pronouns are underlined. Circle the referents
1. Running on a very hot day can be dangerous. It can cause serious
illness.
2. Runners often wear special shoes, socks, shorts, and shirts These are all
important. But runners agree that shoes are the most important.
3. If you go to Central Park, you will see joggers, dogs, anc bicyclists. They
are all part of life in the park.

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Exercise 8
Underline the pronouns and circle the referents.
1. Two Frenchmen went up in a basket under a balloon. They built a fire to
make the air hot. This made the balloon stay up in the air.
2. The pilot of a balloon can control its altitude. He can raise and lower the
balloon to find a good wind direction. That is how a good pilot can
control where the balloon goes.
3. Early photographers had to carry. film and heavy equipment everywhere
they went. But this did not stop them.
4. Hellen Keller was deaf and blind. She could not speak until she was
seven year old. But these problems did not stop her. She became a
famous writer and teacher.
5. A tornado is a very dangerous storm. It brings strong winds and it
travels very fast. The strong winds can blow over cars, destroy houses,
and kill people. And this happens in just a few minutes.
6. Tornadoes blow dust and dirt into the air. They make a cone shape in
the sky. When people see this, they get ready for the storm.
7. When tornadoes touch the ground, they move along at about 35 to 45
kilometers per hour. No one knows which way they will go.
8. In a small town, a tornado can destroy a street full of homes and stores.
Many people can be killed. The government tries to help when this
happens.
9. Tornadoes are common in the middle part of the United States. Kansas,
Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri are states with many tornadoes
every year. People in those states worry when they see a cone-shaped
cloud in the sky.
10. The wind of a tornado is strong. No one knows exactly how fast the
wind is in the center. The wind always breaks the machines used for
measuring it!

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B. RELATED WORDS: SPECIFIC TO GENERAL
Related words are words which refer to the same idea.

EXAMPLE A
David had a wonderful trip to Paris this spring. He loved the beautiful
buildings in the French capital. To him. it was a city full of magic and
beauty.

What does "French capital" refer to? _______________

What does "city" refer to? _______________
"French capital," "city," and "Paris" are related words.

EXAMPLE B
The Pope visited Colombia, Peru, and Mexico last year. Crowds of
Catholics greeted him in these countries. It was his first visit to that part
of the world.

What does "these countries" refer to? ____________________

What does "that part of the world" refer to? _______________

Both phrases are related to ________________

When writers use related words, the second word is usually less specific,
and the next is even more general.
EXAMPLE C
French capital, Paris, city
1. Specific: Paris
2. Less French capital
3. specific:
General: city

EXAMPLE D
Colombia, Peru, and Mexico; that part of the world: these countries
1. Specific: Colombia, Peru, and Mexico
2. Less these countries
3. specific:
General: that part of the world.

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Exercise 9
Put these related words in order from specific to general. Put number 1
above the most specific word. Put number 2 above the less specific word.
And put number 3 above the most general word. The first one is done for
you.

3 1 2
1. Music, rock music, twentieth-century music

2. Japanese mountain, Mount Fuji, mountain

3. problems, water pollution problems, pollution problems

4. pine tree, evergreen tree, tree

5. musicians, Michael Jackson, popular musicians

6. Nicaragua, country, central American country

7. man, Dr. Diamond, dentist

8. place, Boston, city

9. The New York Times, newspaper, reading material

10. group, Diamond family, people

11. storm, tornado, wind storm

12. president, person, political leader

13. shirt, white shirt, clothing

14. flute, musical instrument, wind instrument

15. company, IBM corporation, organization

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 Exercise 10
In each passage, there is a word underlined. Find and circle the related words in the
passage.
1. Liz and Val moved to last month. They like the city very much.

2. Hiroko plays the violin in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The sound of this stringed
instrument is very special.

3. The president of the city council gave a long speech. As the leader, she has to plan
many new projects.

4. The tornado hit a small town in Kansas. The storm swept down the main street.
The terrible winds caused five stores to fall down.

5. Lemons, limes, and oranges are all very good to eat. These citrus fruits are also very
healthy for you. They are a good source of vitamin C.

6. Many Americans skip breakfast. They say they do not have time for food in the
morning. But this is a mistake. The human body needs that meal.

7. Joanne's big car uses a lot of gasoline. She has to stop often to fill the tank with
fuel.

8. We saw a lion with three little cubs at the wild animal park. The cats were lying on the
rocks in the warm afternoon sun: We were happy to see such wonderful animals in such a
nice place.

9. In some countries, the winter is long and cold. It is not a very popular season. Some
people are so unhappy at that time of the year, that they get sick.

10. Astronauts from the United States and the Soviet Union all have one problem: they get
motion sickness. This illness makes it difficult to do their work. Doctors and scientists are
working on this problem.

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