I once attended a conference where a speaker kept referring to "the study" without ever specifying which study they were talking about. It was frustrating trying to follow their argument without knowing what they were referring to.
Reference questions are common in academic and professional contexts, as they help to ensure clarity and accuracy in communication. Being able to identify the referent for a pronoun is a valuable skill that can help you to understand complex texts and to communicate your ideas effectively.
In this unit, you will practice identifying referents for various reference words and phrases, including pronouns, possessive adjectives, demonstratives, and quantifiers. You will learn strategies to help you quickly identify the referent and to determine the correct answer choice.
Let's start with some examples to help you understand how to identify referents:
Example 1: "Maria loves her cat because it is very playful."
In this sentence, "it" refers to "her cat".
Example 2: "John and Alex went to the park. They had a great time."
In this sentence, "They" refers to "John and Alex".
Example 3: "The committee decided to postpone the meeting. This was due to several scheduling conflicts."
In this sentence, "This" refers to "the decision to postpone the meeting".
So, let's get started with mastering reference questions!