UNIT 7

REFERENCE WORDS

Writers do not like to use the same words many times. They use other words which mean
almost the same thing. In this unit you are going to learn how pronouns and some other
related words are used for this purpose.

Pronouns

In a text pronouns are often used to replace the nouns. They are small words and seem not
to important, but you will see that without them the txt is boring because the same words
are repeated. To refresh your memory about pronouns study the following list:

Subjek Kepemilikan Objek Kepemilikan

He his him his
She her her hers
It its it its
They their them theirs
We our us our
You your you yours
I my me mine

Now, study the following paragraph; the pronouns are underlined.

Example:
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

REFERENT

She, she, her, and she relate to one person, that is Mary Simms. Mary Simms is called
the referent.

Another example:
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 you legs. And
many people believe it is good for your mind.

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It takes the place of the noun _______________, _______________ is the referent.

Practice

Task 1

In these sentences, the pronouns are underlined. Circle the referents.

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. Sport 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.

Task 2

In this passage the pronouns are underlined. Write their referents in the blanks.

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
in1897.
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 Referent
They Thousands of people
This Baston Marathon
It Baston Marathon
They Runners
Them 6,164 Runners
It Boston Marathon
Them The runners
They The runners

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 They Crowds of people
Their Crowds of people
Them Runners
Task 3

In this passage the pronouns are underlined. Write their referents in the blanks.

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 warmer, and many New Yorkers go out to jog in
Central Park. This is a very good place to run.
Other New Yorkers go out to jog in 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. The dog owners do not understand. They wonder why 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 Referent
It Jogging
This Central Park
Them Other New Yorkers
They Dog
Them Joggers
They The dog owners
This Why joggers do not like dogs
They The park police

Task 4

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 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 dogs 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 terrible! he said Stop fighting!

Pronouns Referent

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Sometimes, the pronouns can take the place of a group of words. Study the following
examples.

Example 1:
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 Referent
These people who steal
People who sell drugs
People who start gunfights

Example 2:

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 Referent
These ______________________
Them Big Problems

Task 5

The pronouns in this passage are underlined. 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 altitude. He can rise and lower the balloon to find
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. Helen Keller was deaf and blind. She could not speak until she was seven years 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 go.

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 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 machine for measuring it.

Related Words: Specific to General

Related words are words that relate to the same idea and replace the noun or groups of
noun for the purpose of the pronouns. Now, study the following example.

Example 1:
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? Paris. What does city refer to? Paris. So, French
capital, city and Paris are related words.

Example 2:
The Pope visited Columbia, 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 relate to? __________________________________________

What does that part of the world relate to? ____________________________________
Both phrases are related to? _________________________________________________

When the writers use related words, the second word is usually less specific, and the next
is even more general. Study the underlined words in Example 1, Paris is specific, but
French capital is less specific, and city is even more general than Paris and French
capital.

In Example 2, which words are specific? ____________________________; less specific?

___________________________; and general? __________________________________

Now, in the following practice you will learn to put words in the order from specific to
general.

Practice

Task 6

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Put these related words in order from specific to general. Put number 1 above the most
specific, number 2 above the less specific, and number 3 above the most general words.
No. 1 is done as an example.
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. Musician, Michael Jackson, popular musician.
6. Nicaragua, country, Central America 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, PT Telkom, organization.
Task 7

In each passage, there is a word underlined. Find and circle the related words in the
passage.

1. Liz and Val moved to Paris 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 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. Joannes big car uses a lot of gasoline. She has to stop often to fill the tank with
fuel.

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 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 also unhappy at that time of the year, and 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
scientist are working on this problem.

Task 8 Integrated Practice

Read each paragraph, and then write what the underlined words refer to.
1. The pyramids on the west bank of the Nile were built by the pharaohs as royal
tombs. They date from 3000 BC. The most celebrated are those at Giza, built
during the fourth dynasty, of which the largest is the one that housed the pharaoh
Khufu, better known as Cheops. This is now called the Great Pyramid.
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2. In 1337 King Edward did something special for his eldest son, Prince Edward: he
created the title of Duke of Cornwall and a duchy to go with it. For most of the next
644 Years, the duchy has provided a generous income for the Duke. Prince Charles
is the twenty-fourth heir to the throne to hold this title.

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3. The streets of Manhattan are a frontier, a no mans land. In the business districts,
they interrupt the flow of civilized behavior. Contrasting with the seeming
orderliness of the buildings that border them. If there were laws regulating New
York City traffic, they are barely enforced. There are approximately six hundred
bicycle messengers working in Manhattan. They are fast and contemptuous of
whatever traffic rules there are. They intimidate pedestrians and alarm the drivers
of other vehicles competing with them for space and on the road.
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4. The Voyager 2 spacecraft provided astronomers with new information concerning
Saturns rings. Instead of being concentric circles, a few of them seem more like the

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 spiraling grooves of a phonograph record. The ring spirals may come from forces
similar to those that pushed the Milky Way galaxy into two spiral arms. If an outer
moon pushed and pulled a spinning sheet of particles, it would eventually become
denser at certain spots in its orbit. This clump would then tug on nearby particles,
herding them into a dense ring whirling around the planet. Voyager 2 detected traits
that look like such spiral density waves in Saturns A ring. It also returned pictures
showing that some of the rings are not perfect circles.
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5. Altogether, the engineer made over one hundred refinements and improvements in
their latest model. The most impressive thing about it, however, is what they did
not change. And that is its classic exterior design. If you want an automobile with a
look that will never become outmoded, you should consider this one.
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6. The American Museum of Natural History spent four years arranging its
extraordinary exhibition of more than 500 pieces ancient gold from Colombia. But
those few years are brief time when compared with the decades archeologist have
spent digging for and studying gold artifacts. And all the time is short when
compared with the many centuries prehistoric Indians practice their craftsmanship
and artistry to create these treasures.
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7. A small group of scientists do not believe that dinosaur became extinct because
they were big, clumsy beasts. Through their painstaking studies, these researchers
are trying to prove what really happened to those giant yesteryear on the basis of a
theory that will astonish many: they think the cause of their demise came from
outer space.
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8. In its winding course to the Mississippi, the Wisconsin helps to give power to
plants, factories, and mills, making it one of Americas hardest working rivers. And
through that same course, it also proves itself to become one of the most beautiful

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rivers in the world. Like their river, Wisconsinites see no contradiction between
hard work and natural beauty. Their fertile farmlands are an ode to natural beauty
and productive enough to make them the nations leading producers of milk, butter,
and cheese.
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