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All 14 Flashcards — Reference words
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Question
What is a reference word?
Answer
A small word like "it", "this", "them" or "there" that points back to a noun or idea said earlier in the text.
Question
What is a referent?
Answer
The actual noun, person, place or idea that a reference word points to.
Question
What does "to refer to" mean?
Answer
To point back to something already mentioned in the text.
Question
What does "to substitute" mean?
Answer
To put one word in place of another — here, putting the noun back in place of the reference word to check it fits.
Question
What do "it" and "them" usually point to?
Answer
A noun (a thing, or things) already mentioned in the text.
Question
What do "this" and "that" usually point to?
Answer
A whole idea or sentence said before, not just a single noun.
Question
What do "there" and "here" usually point to?
Answer
A place that was mentioned earlier in the text.
Question
What do "his", "her" and "their" usually point to?
Answer
The owner mentioned earlier (whose something is).
Question
Do reference words point forwards or backwards?
Answer
Backwards — they point to something said earlier, so read the lines BEFORE the word.
Question
Give the 5-step routine for tracking a reference.
Answer
Find → Read before → Identify → Substitute → Check.
Question
How do you confirm you have the right referent?
Answer
Substitute the noun back in place of the reference word and check the sentence still makes sense.
Question
When you answer "What does 'it' refer to?", what should you write?
Answer
The actual noun or idea it points to (e.g. "the dog"), copied from the text — never the word "it" itself.
Question
What is the golden rule of Paper 2 Reading answers?
Answer
Answer using the words as they appear in the text — copy the exact word/phrase; a paraphrase scores ZERO.
Question
How do you score the mark on a True/False question?
Answer
Tick True or False AND quote the exact words from the text that prove it — both are needed for the 1 mark.
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Full study notes for Reference words
Topic 6.2 hub
Reading skills
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English B exam skills
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