REFERECE QUESTIONS IN READING COMPREHENSION

Every reading passage contains a reference question. These questions will be easily identifiable because the words that the authors want to a reference for will be in BOLD in the text and the question.
Look at this simple question:
Tom exercises and eats well. The doctor does not understand why he is always ill.
What does the word “he” refer to?
A doctor B. Tom
You should choose “B” because this is the reference or antecedent for the personal pronoun


References have to be agree in gender and numbers
Tom exercises and eats well. The doctor does not understand why she is always ill.
She does not agree with its antecedent TOM in gender because Tom is a man’s name.

Tom exercises and eats well. The doctor does not understand why theyis always ill.
“They” does not agree with its antecedent TOM in number because Tom is a singular noun.
The following types of words have antecedents:
1/ Personal pronouns:
HE
SHE
THEY
IT

HIM
HER
THEM
IT

HIS
HER
THEIR
ITS

HIMSESELF
HERSELF
THEMSELVES
ITSELF

2/ Demonstrative pronouns :
THIS
THESE

THAT
THOSE

3/ Relative pronouns :
who
whom
whose
which
that

4/ Each / Every : Both require a singular antecedents:
5/ Indefinite pronouns : each, either, neither

every
one

some
body

any
thing

no
where

6/ Collective nouns : family , team , class , government…
7/ Conjunctions: either ..or / neither …nor . not only …but also …
8/ pronouns: One / Ones , other(s) , another
Each of the previous words will have an antecedent. The antecedent will be a phrase or a clause
A single word antecedent is fairly simple.
What is a difference between a phrase and a clause.
A phrase is a group of word that does not contain a subject doing a verb
“Crashing the car” is a phrase because we do not know :who is crashing the car”
A clause is a group of words that has a subject doing a verb.
“Bill has been playing tennis for two hours” is a clause because it has the subject “ Bill” performing the verb “play”
Be aware that any of the sated words may have a word , a phrase or a clause as a reference.

Example 1:
Researching the company you have an interview with is very important. It provides you with the company’s background and helps you form questions and shows interest
What does “It” refer to?
You should choose: “Researching the company you have an interview”
Example 2:
Jim prefers that his college roommate does his chores on the weekend. It makes studying during the week easier because the house is clean
What does “It” refer to?
You should choose: “that his college roommate does his chores on the weekend”
Example 3: Molly has not had much sleep lately. She hopes that the baby will sleep through the night. This will allow her to get some sleep and make tomorrow a better day.

“She” refers to :…………………
“This” refers to :…………………
“Her” refers to :………………….

Example 4:
Miss Scott, whose car broke down, called a taxi.
“whose” refers to: …………………..
The assignment that Tom forgot to do was worth several points
“that” refers to :……………………..
Notice with the relative pronouns the antecedent comes right before the pronouns. What noun is before “whose” ? What noun is before “ that”
Unit 10 ( Grade 12) : ENDANGERED SPECIES
For a long time the image most people had of a gorilla was a dangerous-looking animal with big, bared teeth. But researchers studying gorillas show a very different picture of mountain gorillas. The animals are peaceful, gentle, sociable, and mainly plant-eating creatures.
Gorillas live in family groups. A typical group is led by the biggest and strongest grown-up male gorilla. (1)He is called a silverback because the hair on a male`s back turns from black to silvery grey as he grows up. A silverback`s group usually includes one or two sub-adult males and a few females and (2)their young.
Mountain gorillas spend much of (3)their time eating. Their food includes a variety of plants, along with a few kinds of insects and worms. At night the animals make a nest to sleep in. Many lightweight gorillas nest in trees. The heavier (4)ones may nest in grasses on the ground. Babies sleep with (5)their mothers at night.
Life for mountain gorillas is not always peaceful. (6)They are endangered and threatened by civil wars in the smaller parts of Africa