Recognizing References
and Connectives
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entences and paragraphs are not just strung together, one after the other. The
ideas they express, both within and between sentences, are connected by means
of various words and phrases that relate the ideas to each other. You can
improve your reading speed and comprehension by recognizing and using what are called
with ‘links’. In general they are classified into two groups: references and connectives or
directional or signal words.
A. References
To prevent the same word more than one time in a sentence or in some sentences
of the same paragraph or of the same article, writers always use references. References
are words that substitute for other words or phrases. They usually refer back to ideas that
have already been expressed, but they can occasionally refer forward to ideas yet to be
stated. Thus, in order to see the connection between items of information, we need to
find the reference of the substitution word. Below is a list of the most often used
references. Study them and look at the examples and exercises that follow.
1. Personal pronouns: I, me, my, mine, she, her, hers, he, him, his, it, its, they, them,
their, we, us, our, ours, you, your, yours (replace nouns)
2. Impersonal pronouns: one, ones (replace nouns)
3. Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, those (replace nouns, phrases, or
sentences that refer to a fact or idea)
4. There, then (replace adverbials of place or time)
5. Such + noun (replaces the description of the person or thing named by the noun)
6. The former, the latter, the same (replaces the previously mentioned person, thing,
or idea)
In the following paragraph, the references are italicized and then explained below.
Speed-reading is a skill every student should master in order to succeed their study. In
relation to this, some students read slowly but don’t know that they do; others read
slowly and know it. Their reading problems are the same, but the latter can be helped
more easily because they are already aware of their problem. Before the former can be
helped, however, they must be made aware of the problem. 
this
they
: the necessity of speed reading
to succeed one’s study.
: some students (who read
the same
the latter
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: the problem of reading slowly
: the students last mentioned (those
who read slowly and know it)
do
others
it
their
slowly)
: read slowly
: students (who read slowly)
: that they read slowly
: some students and other
students
they
: the latter
their problem : reading slowly
the former : the students first mentioned (those
who read slowly but don’t know it)
they
: the former
the problem : reading slowly
Almost one-fourth of the words in this paragraph signal some kind of syntactic or
semantic connection within and between the sentences. Sometimes these references are
relative pronouns, sometimes they are demonstrative pronouns or adverbs; and
sometimes they are substitutions or elliptical expressions.
Exercise 9-1
Read each of the following passage and write what the italicized references refer to.
1. When social scientists study families, they find that they have different shapes and sizes.
a. (the first) they refers to:__________
b. (the second) they refers to _________
2. When most people think of libraries, they think of books. However, there are as many
library services as there are types of people who use them.
a. they refers to:__________
b. them refers to __________
3. No matter whether it is young or old, large or small, traditional or modern, every family
has a sense of what a family is.
a. it refers to:__________
4. Mr. Brown bought a new car, but his wife hasn’t seen it yet.
a. his refers to:__________
b. it refers to:__________
5. The Clinton’s old television didn’t work, but their new one is fine.
a. their refers to:__________
b. one refers to:__________
6. Jane thought the moon landing was a waste of money, and Martin, her husband, thought
the same.
a. her refers to ____________
b. the same refers to ____________
7. Most of us know what a family is. However, we can learn more about families from social
scientists.
a. us refers to:__________
b. we refers to:__________
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8. Some families have long histories. Some of them know everything about their ancestors,
while others know very little about theirs.
a. them refers to:__________
b. their refers to _________
c. others refers to:__________
d. theirs refers to _________
9. Successful language learners find people who speak the language and they ask them to
correct them when they make mistakes.
a. (the first) they refers to:__________
c. (the second) them refers to:__________
b. (the first) them refers to _________
d. (the second) they refers to _________
10. The chair was so well made that Ms. Grant decided to buy five.
a. five refers to ____________
11. Perhaps your language learning has been less than successful. Then you might do well to
try some of the techniques used by successful language learners.
a. your refers to:__________
b. you refers to:__________
12. Word analysis is not always sufficient to give us the precise definition of a word. Thus, we
need to combine it with context clues in order to make it easier for us to decide a clear
meaning of the word.
a. (the first) us refers to:__________
b. we refers to:__________
c. (the second) us refers to _________
13. A camera takes the light rays that bounce off the subjects being photographed and
focuses them on a sheet of film for an instant. This light makes chemical changes in the
coating on the film.
a. them refers to:__________
b. this light refers to:__________
14. One aspects of American life most visitors agree on is its conformity. Because they had to
establish traditions, because they had to absorb millions of people from diverse cultures,
Americans tend to insist upon conformity in fundamentals.
a. its refers to:__________
b. (the first) they refers to __________
c. (the second) they refers to _________
15. In December 1941 almost the entire U.S. fleet was anchored at Pearl Harbor. I can’t
understand why.
Why refers to:__________
16. Last July we spent our holiday at Denpasar, Bali. It was the best holiday we ever had
there.
a. It refers to:__________
b. there refers to:__________
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17. During the Cambrian Period, mollusks (related to snails and slugs) and sea worms were
common, and many have been preserved as fossils. Another animal that was common
then was the trilobite. They no longer exist, but most museums have fossil collections of
them.
a. many refers to:__________
b. then refers to:__________
c. them refers to:__________
18. Children love cartoons, and they can sit for hours watching them.
a. they refers to:__________
b. them refers to:__________
Exercise 9-2
Read the each of the passages below and choose the best answers the questions that follow.
Passage One
Animal Congregation
1
5
1.
Many types of animals combine the advantage of family association with those
conferred by membership in still larger groups. Bees congregate in hives; some fish
move in schools; ants gather in mounds; wolves live in packs; deer associate in herds.
The main advantage of membership in a mass community is the safety that it provides. A
large group of prey may be easier for a predator to find at any given point than is a small
one, and predator may think twice before taking on such a group; if a predator does
decide to challenge a large group, it may merely encounter a confusing mass of moving
bodies and possibly may not succeed in its primary goal. 
The word “those” (l. 1) refers to ……….
(A) types
(B) animals
(C) advantages
(D) groups
2.
The word “it” (l. 4) refers to ……….
(A) safety
(B) advantage
(D) membership
3.
The word “one” (l. 6) refers to ……….
(A) group
(B) prey
(C) predator
(D) point
The word “it” (l. 7) refers to ……….
(A) group
(B) mass
(D) goal
4.
(C) community
(C) predator
Passage Two
New World Epidemics
1
A huge loss of life resulted from the introduction of Old World diseases into the
Americas in the early sixteenth century. The inhabitants of the Americas were separated
from Asia, Africa, and Europe by rising oceans following the Ice Ages, and, as a result,
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they were isolated by means of this watery barrier from numerous virulent epidemic
diseases that had developed across the ocean, such as measles, smallpox, pneumonia,
and malaria. Pre-Columbian Americans had a relatively disease-free environment but
also lacked the antibodies needed to protect them from bacteria and viruses brought to
America by European explorers and colonists. A devastating outbreak of disease that
strikes for the first time against a completely unprotected population is known as a
virgin soil epidemic. Virgin soil epidemics contributed to an unbelievable decline in the
population of native inhabitants of the Americas, one that has been estimated as an 80
percent decrease of the native population in the centuries following the arrival of
Europeans in the Americas. 
1.
The word “they” (l. 4) refers to ……….
(A) the inhabitants
(B) epidemic diseases
(C) rising oceans
(D) the Ice Age
2.
The word “that” (l. 5) refers to ……….
(A) this watery barrier
(B) a disease-free environment
(C) the ocean
(D) virulent epidemic diseases
3.
The word “them” (l. 7) refers to ……….
(A) the antibodies
(B) pre-Columbian Americans
(C) bacteria and viruses
(D) European explorers and colonists
4.
The word “one” (l. 11) refers to ……….
(A) a virgin soil epidemic
(B) the population of native inhabitants
(C) an unbelievable decline
(D) the arrival of Europeans
Exercise 9-3
Read the short passage below and answer the questions that follow. Finding the references of
the substitution words will help you.
Pessimism Pervades European Spirit
The average citizen of Europe is rather gloomy these days and in Britain he or she is
probably gloomier than most. This is shown by the latest “Eurobarometer,” the opinion poll
conducted every six months by the European community. Briton seem the most miserable,
with French and Irish not far behind. Belgians are also growing more pessimistic.
As far as fear of third world war is concerned, the average European seems less
convinced that one is “probable.” In April 1980, 34 percent believed war was not far off.
Today, the figure is 13 percent, with Britain at 14 percent. 
Questions:
1. Who is probably gloomier than most?
2. What does the latest Eurobarometer show?
3. Whose degree of misery is quite close to Briton?
4. What is not so “probable” according to the average European?
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Exercise 9-4
Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow. Finding the references of the
substitution words will help you.
The rights of a Merchant
The seller of goods has certain obligations toward his costumer. Some of them are
written in the laws of the country. Others are found in the legal decisions made by judges.
What happens when a merchant displays an item in his store window with a price tag
on it? Must the merchant sell the item if the money is offered? It is a fact of law that a display
of goods in a store window is not an offer to sell those goods, which can be accepted by a
customer saying he will buy them. Instead, the display is known as an invitation by the
merchant to receive offers from potential customers. The customer makes the offer to buy
and the merchant may accept that offer. Then the goods are sold. But the merchant need not
accept the offer, and without such acceptance, the customer cannot obtain the goods or sue
the merchant for not letting him have them.
Unless the seller accepts the offer by taking cash from the customer, the seller is
allowed to change his mind. The merchant may want to take back the goods because they
have been displayed by mistake or had the wrong price written on them, and he or she would
have the legal right to do this. 
Questions:
1. What is either written in the laws of the country or found in the legal decisions made by
the judges?
2. Where is the price tag put?
3. When are goods sold?
4. When can’t the customer sue the seller?
5. What legal right does the seller have if goods have the wrong price written on them?
B. Connectives
In order to connect ideas to one another within a sentence, paragraph or passage
and to indicate direction of thought, authors frequently use a type of word called
connectives (sometimes called directional or signal words). These words signal or clue the
reader about what will come next in the sentence, paragraph or passage. Directional
words can indicate that a new or different idea will be introduced, that an example will
follow, or that an author will present additional information on the same topic.
To see the use of connectives, read the following sentences. Notice the underlined
connectives in each.
(1) To sum up, Aristotle taught that all motions resulted either from the nature of the
moving object or from sustained push or pull.
(2) There is never only a single force in a situation. For example, in walking across the
floor, we push against the floor, and the floor in turn pushes against us.
(3) In other words, in an economic sense the family was an almost self-sufficient unit.
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In sentence (1), the words to sum up tell you that the writer is concluding or
summarizing his or her ideas. In the second group of sentences, the words for example
clearly tell you that the author is going to give you an example of the statement that
there is never only a single force in a situation. N sentence (3) the words in other words
suggest that the author is restating or repeating in different language a previously stated
idea.
Your reading will be more efficient and meaningful if you are aware of the
connectives that link ideas into some kind of relationship. These words or phrases connect
ideas together to indicate cause, result, purpose, contrast, similarity, addition, condition,
repetition, summary, or specific reasons or illustration. Connectives are useful clues that
will help you read more rapidly; therefore, a little practice in recognizing them will be
useful. If the meaning of any of the following connectives is unfamiliar, check your
dictionary for a complete definition and examples.
Functions
Items
to indicate cause
as, since, because, due to, for, owing to, causes, brings
about, leads to
to indicate results or consequences
therefore, thus, hence, consequently, accordingly, for this
reason as a consequence, so, so …..that.
to indicate purpose
in order to, in the hope that, to + verb, so as to, so that
to indicate similarity
similarly, in the same way, like, as, as …..as, just as …..as,
both …..and, neither…..nor, likewise
to indicate repetition
again, as we have said, it has already mentioned, it has
been noted, to reiterate.
to indicate time sequence
first, second, finally, then, next, later, before, presently,
subsequently
to indicate order of importance
first, second, primarily, secondarily
to indicate contrast
although, even so, all the same, nevertheless, however, still,
but, still, yet, on the other hand, on the contrary, in spite of
that fact, despite that fact, unlike, to be sure, instead of.
to indicate addition or continuation and, again, in addition, likewise, also, too, as well as,
development
of
idea
already moreover, furthermore, not only….but also, besides, above
introduced.
all, similarly, in the same way, in the same token
to indicate condition
if, unless, on condition that, provided
to indicate summary
in summary, in conclusion, in brief, in short, on the whole, to
sum up, finally, ultimately.
to indicate
illustration
specific
reason
/ in support of, for example, first, first of all, as an example,
for instance, to illustrate.
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Exercise 9-5
Read each sentence or group of sentences and underline any words that function as
connectives. In the blank following each sentence, write the type of connectives used.
1. One of the first things a writer must gain control of is the use of concrete
detail. On the other hand, the inclusion of too much detail only tires and
confuses the reader.
____________
2. Having put out the fire, the firefighters urged the crowd to leave;
accordingly, they returned to their homes.
____________
3. There are clear limitation to population growth and the use of natural
resources. First, the food supply could be exhausted due to water,
mineral, and soil depletion.
____________
4. In spite of the fact that defeat was obvious, the players continued to try
their best to win the game.
____________
5. When a patient enters a mental hospital, he is carefully tested and
observed for twenty-four hours. Then a preliminary decision is made
concerning medication and treatment.
____________
6. As children grow up, they acquire the patterns of behavior that are
appropriate to the society in which they are born. In short, they are
facilitated with good model for socialization.
7. A study of consumer behavior not only helps marketing strategies, but it
may also give useful information to a psychologist. Moreover, if such
studies are made public, they may lead to a rise in the quality of goods.
8. The students can use the library if they know how to handle the
complicated equipments.
9. Both Canada and the U.S. are large countries, with a wide range of heavy
and light manufacturing plants.
10. He enrolled in a special course in writing in the hope that it would help
him improve his writing skills.
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____________
____________
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Exercise 9-6
Read each paragraph and underline the connective. In the blank at the right, write the type of
connectives used.
1. Ancestor worship is not universal in primitive society. More people believe
in the spirits of the dead and in ghosts than worship them. Ghosts, in fact,
are more often feared than worshipped, and any rites associated with them
are to drive them away. However, the ghost of the last-deceased household
head is sometimes the protector of his family and can thwart the malignant
efforts of other ghosts.
2. Tracing books in catalog is tiring and time consuming. It will be even more
tiring and time consuming than usual if you have to return to the catalog
repeatedly for information that you failed to record. You should, therefore,
work out an efficient system of recording all bibliographical information
that you need for your project.
3. Factory workers today perform the same seemingly isolated task each day.
This task usually involves handling one specific machine or group of
machines. Such condition makes them to feel alienated. The workers may
not even be shown how the particular task is related to the end product.
Also, the noise in many factories prevents co-workers from even talking to
each other during working hours.
4. Although the term “data processing” is of relatively recent origin, this does
not mean that the activity itself is new. On the contrary, there is evidence
that the need to process data originated as far back as the beginning of
recorded history when man’s activities first exceeded his ability to
remember the details of his actions. Throughout history, commercial and
governmental activities have created the need for record keeping of one
sort or another.
5. Our attitudes and feelings impel us to action, and to a large extent, govern
our action. For this reason, the attitudes and opinions of employees,
supervisors, and top management should be a major concern of an
organization in its efforts to foster cooperation among those groups
responsible for production. Attitudes are elusive, fluid and difficult to
interpret. Useful and practical methods have been developed, however, for
measuring the attitudes of groups toward specific policies and working
conditions, and for the purpose of determining the prevailing level of job
satisfaction and areas of content and discontent.
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____________
____________
____________
____________
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Exercise 9-7
Read each of the following passage and fill in the blank lines with a correct connective.
1. Languages do not change suddenly. ______________, they change gradually over many years.
2. He gets ten hours of sleep each night, ______________ he always seems tired in class.
3. _________ so many factors are involved in divorces, it’s impossible to place the blame on
one person.
4. The student union was formed _______________ ensure the students’ rights.
5. Because he hadn’t eaten breakfast, he was hungry by noon.
6. __________ growing rice, the farmers of Cianjur began raising peanuts and melon.
7. Democracy gives a state’ citizens the freedom to choose their rulers. ______________, it
imposes upon the people the responsibility to limit the power of rulers.
8. Jack didn’t study. __________ he failed in the test.
9. Many things are difficult to measure precisely. ______________, it is very difficult to measure
people’s motives.
10. I like to read that newspaper because the news is always reported quickly. ___________It
has interesting special features.
11. There are many ways you can work on improving English outside of class. _________,
you can speak English as much as possible. Watching television is ___________helpful.
12. Students should study before exams ________________ hoping to pass.
13. The present birthrate is increasing and the death rate is decreasing. _____________, the
world’s population is growing at a frightening pace.
14. People communicate ______________ they want to be understood by other people.
15. Despite the fierce sandstorm, the caravan moved on.
16. He had been continuously abused as a child. ______________ he grew up to be a bitter and
violence-prone adult.
17. I prefer to wear casual clothes, ___________ jeans and sweatshirt.
18. When Rachel Carson first wrote in Silent Spring that human beings were destroying the
environment, she was laughed at. Time, _______________, has proved her right.
19. Thomas Jefferson was a great statesman. _____________, he was a talented architect and
inventors.
20. Ms. Jones can read and write Swahili _________ speak and understand it.
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