Level 1 — Foundation · Sentence Accuracy
Task 10: Referring Back With a Pronoun
Write two or more sentences that use a pronoun to refer back to something already named — building the same reference chain Lesson 10 teaches you to trace while reading, instead of repeating the same noun every time.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this task, you should be able to:
- Introduce a noun, then refer back to it with the correct pronoun in the next sentence
- Match a pronoun's number (singular/plural) to its antecedent correctly
- Use 'this' or 'these' to refer back to a whole previous idea, not just one noun
Introduction
Repeating the same noun in every sentence reads like a checklist, not like writing: "The manager reviewed the report. The manager approved the report. The manager sent the report." Lesson 10 taught you to trace a pronoun back to what it means; this task asks you to build that same chain yourself, so your writing sounds connected instead of repetitive.
Building a Reference Chain
Core Concept
Introduce a noun once, then let a pronoun carry it forward: "The manager reviewed the report. She approved it the same day." She → the manager, it → the report — both singular, matching their antecedents exactly. When you want to refer back to a whole previous idea rather than one noun, this or these does that job: "The system went down twice this week. This cost us several hours." — this refers to the whole event, not to any single noun in the sentence before it.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Write two short pairs of sentences about your work. In the first pair, introduce a person or thing by name, then refer back to it with a pronoun (he/she/it/they) in the second sentence. In the second pair, describe an event, then use this or these in the following sentence to refer back to the whole idea, not one noun.
Vocabulary in Context
antecedentnountechnical
the noun or idea a pronoun refers back to (পূর্ববর্তী নির্দেশ্য)
Often with clear antecedent, identify the antecedent, unclear antecedent
“In 'The auditor reviewed the file and approved it', the antecedent of 'it' is 'the file'.”
reference chainnouncourse term
a series of pronouns pointing back to the same noun or idea across several sentences (নির্দেশ শৃঙ্খল)
Often with follow the reference chain, build a reference chain, reference chain of pronouns
“The reference chain 'the supplier, it, its' keeps the paragraph focused on one company.”
Model Answer
Show a model answer
The supervisor checked every container before loading began. She signed off on the final count herself.
The delivery arrived late twice this month. This forced us to adjust next week's schedule as well.
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Does your pronoun match its antecedent in number — singular for singular, plural for plural?
- Could a reader identify exactly what "she," "it," or "they" refers to without guessing?
- Does your "this/these" sentence genuinely refer to a whole previous idea, not one noun?
This closes the Foundation writing module. The next level's writing tasks build on every rule from lessons 1 through 10 at once, inside longer, more connected pieces of writing.