Chapter: Reference Words (Reading Comprehension)
Welcome! In this chapter, we are going to become Reading Detectives. Have you ever noticed words like he, she, it, they, or these when reading a story or an article? These are called reference words. In reading tests, you will often see questions like: "In line 4, what does the word 'they' refer to?" Learning how to track these words will help you understand stories much better and score high marks in reading comprehension!
Note: For questions asking about the main message of a text or finding specific facts, check our companion chapters on Main idea / Details and Wh-questions.
1. What Are Reference Words?
Imagine reading this story:
"Ken went to the park. Ken saw a puppy. Ken fed the puppy because the puppy was hungry."
That sounds very repetitive and clumsy! Instead, writers use reference words to replace names and nouns that have already been mentioned:
"Ken went to the park. He saw a puppy. Ken fed it because it was hungry."
A reference word is a word that points to someone, something, or a place mentioned earlier (or sometimes later) in the text. The word or phrase it points to is called its referent.
Did You Know?
Reference words work like arrows or signposts in a text. When you spot one, it is pointing backwards to tell you: "Look back! You already met this person or thing!"
Key Takeaway: Writers use reference words so they do not have to repeat the same noun again and again. Your job is to follow the arrow and find out who or what the word points to.
2. The Most Common Reference Words
Let us look at the common reference words you will meet in Key Stage 1 (Primary 1 to 3) and Key Stage 2 (Primary 4 to 6).
A. Personal Pronouns (People, Animals, and Things)
These are the most common reference words in reading tasks:
Subject Pronouns (doing the action):
• He: refers to one boy or man (e.g. Peter, Mr Lee, my brother)
• She: refers to one girl or woman (e.g. Amy, Miss Chan, my mother)
• It: refers to one thing, one animal, or an idea (e.g. the school bag, a dog, the weather)
• They: refers to more than one person, animal, or thing (e.g. the children, two cats, the books)
• We: refers to the speaker plus other people (e.g. my sister and I, our class)
Object Pronouns (receiving the action):
• Him (points to one boy or man)
• Her (points to one girl or woman)
• It (points to one thing or animal)
• Them (points to more than one person, animal, or thing)
• Us (points to the speaker and others)
Example:
"Mary bought three apples. She gave them to her brother."
Here, them points to three apples.
B. Demonstratives (Pointing Words)
These words point to specific items near or far, singular or plural:
• This: points to ONE thing close by or just mentioned.
• That: points to ONE thing further away or mentioned earlier.
• These: points to TWO OR MORE things close by or just mentioned.
• Those: points to TWO OR MORE things further away.
Example:
"Look at the colourful balloons in the sky. Those are very pretty."
Here, Those refers to the colourful balloons.
C. Place Reference: "There" and "Here"
Sometimes reference words point to a place rather than a person or object:
• There points to a place mentioned before (e.g. the library, Hong Kong Park, Ocean Park).
• Here points to the place where the speaker or writer is right now.
Example:
"Grandpa visited the new supermarket yesterday. He bought fresh milk there."
Question: Where does there refer to?
Answer: The new supermarket.
D. Relative Pronouns (Key Stage 2: P4 – P6)
In Primary 4 to 6, you will see linking words that connect ideas to a noun:
• Who: points to a person (e.g. "The teacher who taught us English is very kind." -> who refers to the teacher)
• Which / That: points to an animal or thing (e.g. "I lost the watch which my father gave me." -> which refers to the watch)
• Where: points to a place (e.g. "This is the playground where we played football." -> where refers to the playground)
• Whose: points to who owns something (e.g. "The boy whose dog ran away was crying." -> whose refers to the boy's)
E. Possessive Words (Showing Ownership)
Words like his, her, its, their, mine, hers, and theirs show who owns an item.
Example:
"Tom has a pet rabbit. Its ears are very long."
Here, Its refers to the pet rabbit's.
Key Takeaway: Before answering, check what kind of reference word you are looking at: Is it for a person, an object, a place, or ownership?
3. Step-by-Step Detective Strategy
Don't worry if reference questions seem tricky at first! Just follow these three easy steps:
Step 1: Locate the line and read around the word
Find the reference word in the text. Do not just look at that single word. Read the whole sentence, and especially read the sentence immediately before it.
Step 2: Check Number and Gender (Singular, Plural, Boy, Girl, Thing)
Ask yourself clues:
• Is the reference word singular (one) or plural (more than one)? If it says they or them, the answer CANNOT be a single boy or one pencil!
• Is it a person (he, she, who) or a thing/animal (it, which, that)?
• Is it a place (there, where)?
Step 3: The "Swap and Check" Test (Substitution)
This is the golden secret! Put your chosen answer back into the sentence in place of the reference word. Does the sentence still make complete sense? If yes, you found the right answer!
Let's Try the "Swap and Check" Test Together:
Text: "The children were excited. Uncle David took them to the beach. He made sandcastles with them."
Question: In line 2, 'He' refers to ______.
Options: A. The children | B. Uncle David | C. The sandcastles | D. The beach
• Check clues: He must be one male person.
• Test: Swap He with Uncle David -> "Uncle David made sandcastles with them."
• It makes total sense! The correct answer is B. Uncle David.
Key Takeaway: Always use the Swap and Check method. If the sentence sounds silly after swapping, try another noun from the previous sentence!
4. Common Traps and Mistakes to Avoid
Reading tests love to include little tricks. Here are the top traps to watch out for:
Trap 1: Picking the closest noun without reading carefully
Many students simply pick the noun right before the reference word.
Example:
"Kelly gave some biscuits to her dog. She was very happy."
Mistake: Thinking She refers to her dog because dog is close.
Correction: Look at the action! Who was happy to give treats? Kelly. Also, dog is usually referred to as it unless specified otherwise.
Trap 2: Mixing up Singular and Plural
If the text says they or them, do not choose a singular noun.
• It = 1 thing / animal
• They / Them = 2 or more things, animals, or people
Example: "Peter bought a new camera and three books. He put them into his bag."
Them is plural, so it refers to the three books, not the single camera!
Trap 3: Forgetting the Full Noun Phrase
When writing or selecting the answer, include the whole description, not just half of it.
Example: If the text says "Mrs Wong's fluffy white cat" and later uses "it", the best answer is Mrs Wong's fluffy white cat (or her cat), rather than just cat.
Quick Review Box:
• He / Him = One male
• She / Her = One female
• It = One thing / animal
• They / Them = Plural people / things / animals
• There = A place
• This / That = One thing
• These / Those = Multiple things
5. Reading Comprehension Practice
Read the short passage below and answer the questions that follow.
(Line 1) Last Saturday was bright and sunny. May and her brother Leo went to visit
(Line 2) their grandparents in Tai Po. Grandpa took the children to his organic
(Line 3) farm. He showed them many big, red strawberries. "These are ready
(Line 4) to pick," said Grandpa with a smile. May picked five sweet strawberries and
(Line 5) placed them in a basket. Leo wanted to see the chickens, so Grandpa walked
(Line 6) over there with him. It was a wonderful day for everyone.
Practice Questions:
Question 1: In line 3, what does 'He' refer to?
A. Leo
B. Grandpa
C. The children
D. May
Explanation: Look at line 2 and 3: "Grandpa took the children to his organic farm. He showed..." He is a singular male doing the action of showing. Swapping gives: "Grandpa showed them..." Correct answer: B.
Question 2: In line 3, the word 'These' refers to the ______.
A. grandparents
B. baskets
C. big, red strawberries
D. farms
Explanation: Right before Grandpa speaks, he shows them "many big, red strawberries." These points to items close to him that are ready to pick. Correct answer: C.
Question 3: In line 5, what does 'them' refer to?
A. Five sweet strawberries
B. The baskets
C. May and Leo
D. The chickens
Explanation: In lines 4–5: "May picked five sweet strawberries and placed them in a basket." What did she pick and place into the basket? The five sweet strawberries. Correct answer: A.
Question 4: In line 6, the word 'there' refers to ______.
A. Tai Po
B. where the chickens were
C. the basket
D. the strawberry farm
Explanation: Line 5 says: "Leo wanted to see the chickens, so Grandpa walked over there with him." There points to the location of the chickens. Correct answer: B.
Summary Checklist for Exams
Whenever you see a reference word question in a reading comprehension paper:
1. Find the word and underline it in the passage.
2. Read the sentence before it carefully.
3. Match the number (one or many) and person/thing/place.
4. Do the Swap and Check test.
5. Blacken the correct circle neatly on your answer sheet!