To track a reference, list what it could mean, put each candidate back into the sentence, and keep the one that makes sense. Words like “this” can stand for a whole idea, not one noun.
This lesson belongs to extended reading. The same skill is used in following sentence links and pronoun references, where you fit sentences into gaps.
How does the substitution test work?
Find the pronoun, list two or three candidates from the text before it, and replace the pronoun with each. Reread the sentence aloud. The candidate that keeps the meaning of the passage is correct.
Worked example: the bus shelters
This is an original passage.
Last year the town council replaced the old bus shelters with open metal frames. The change saved money. It also left commuters exposed to the rain.
Residents complained, but the council argued that they had not understood the plan. This led to a petition.
“It” in the first paragraph. Candidates: the council, the change, the money. Try “The change also left commuters exposed”.
It fits, and it follows on from “The change saved money”. So “It” means the change.
“they” in the second paragraph. Candidates: residents, the council. “The council argued that residents had not understood the plan” makes sense.
“The council had not understood” would contradict the council’s own stance. So residents.
“This” at the end. Candidates: residents’ complaint, the council’s argument. The petition came because the council dismissed the residents’ complaint. So “This” means the council’s argument, a whole idea.
The mistake: choosing the nearest noun
A student picks “the plan” for “This” because it is the closest noun. The answer looks tidy, but the petition came from the council brushing off the residents, not from the plan itself.
| Pronoun | Nearest noun | Correct meaning | Test |
|---|---|---|---|
| they | the council | residents | “The council had not understood” contradicts the council |
| This | the plan | the council’s argument | The dismissal caused the petition |
Nearness is a clue, not a rule. The test is always meaning.
Check yourself
The school canteen made its rice portions smaller in January. Students grumbled. It was blamed on rising supplier bills.
What does “It” in the last sentence refer to?
Answer
Candidates: the canteen, the rice, the change, students.
“The change was blamed on rising supplier bills” makes sense. “Students” and “canteen” do not fit. So “It” refers to the decision to make the portions smaller.
What to study next
Move on to understanding writer attitude without over-interpreting, where references help you see whom the writer is praising or blaming. Then try the extended reading practice set.
If you want a teacher to go through your own reading answers, see online one-to-one English tuition.