Grammar · Free lesson
TOEFL Reading: find what a pronoun refers to
Reading across sentences is part of understanding a passage. These original archive examples practice pronoun reference, an underlying skill in the current TOEFL Reading specifications.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Look back for possible referents, check singular or plural, then test the meaning of the whole sentence. The nearest noun is only a candidate. In “The archivists put the cards in boxes. They then left the room,” they refers to the archivists, not the boxes.
Grammar narrows the choices; meaning decides between them.
They can match several plural nouns in a passage. Ask which one can perform the stated action in this context. Then substitute that noun phrase for the pronoun. If the sentence changes the story or becomes unreasonable, reconsider. Do not invent missing events to rescue a weak choice.
Test a referent
The archivists put the cards in boxes. They then left the room.
The archivists then left the room.
The boxes then left the room.
Both archivists and boxes are plural. Number alone cannot resolve this example.
Trace the reference
List plausible candidates
archivists / cards / boxes
Test the action in context
Who left the room? The archivists.
Try it now
Identify the referent
Read all answers and explanations
“The museum bought a scanner for the archive. It can capture both sides of a card.” What does it refer to?
a scannerThe scanner performs the image-capturing function. The archive is nearer but does not fit that function.
“The archivists put the cards in boxes. They then left the room.” Who does they refer to?
the archivistsThe archivists are the people who leave. All three nouns are plural, so meaning supplies the deciding clue.
“The cards were in protective sleeves. Staff scanned each card, then returned them to the sleeves.” What was returned?
the cardsThe cards were taken for scanning and returned to their sleeves. The destination is not the object returned.
Put it into practice
Make the reference explicit
“The scanner created images of the cards. These were saved in a digital folder.” Replace These with the intended noun phrase.
These were saved in a digital folder.
See a model answer
The images were saved in a digital folder.
Substitution checks the relationship without changing the passage’s meaning.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Is the closest noun always correct?
No. It is one candidate. Check number and the meaning of the whole passage.
They then left the room. → the archivists
What if two candidates are plural?
Number cannot settle the choice. Test each candidate against the action and surrounding facts.
cards in sleeves → cards returned to sleeves
Take it into your day
Find a referent that fits both the language and the story.
Your next step · Available on Udemy
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The English Grammar and English Speaking Master Course develops broader grammar, sentence-building, and communication foundations. Pronoun and sentence-building foundations help you follow connections across a passage. The dedicated exam course is coming soon; the available main course is not a complete exam-preparation program.
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