Reference and Cohesion: Tracking What Words Point To
The cohesion problem
Reference questions ask what a pronoun or pointing phrase (this, they, such practices, the former, these findings) refers to. Cohesion is the network of links that make a passage hang together, and reference words are its joints. The referent is usually the nearest grammatically compatible noun phrase, but agreement in number and logic can override proximity.
A resolution routine
- Locate the reference word and note its number (singular or plural) and any gender or category cues.
- Look backward first; English usually points back, though occasional forward reference exists.
- Substitute your candidate into the sentence and check that the sentence still makes sense.
- For this/these plus a noun, decide whether the reference is to a single noun or to a whole preceding idea.
Traps to expect
- Nearest-noun trap: the closest noun is not the logical referent.
- Whole-idea reference: this may point to an entire clause, not one word.
- Too broad or too narrow: an option naming a category instead of the specific item, or vice versa.
- Former/latter confusion: verify the order in which the two items were introduced.
Worked example
"Researchers tested two coatings on steel panels. The first resisted rust but degraded in sunlight; the second held up outdoors yet scratched easily. This limited the second coating's use in exposed settings." Here this cannot mean the whole comparison; the clause about scratching easily is what restricts outdoor use. Substituting the full clause confirms the referent, while substituting "the second coating" alone loses the causal link.
Rule of thumb
Replace the reference word with your candidate and reread the sentence aloud in your head. If the sentence becomes vague or illogical, the candidate is wrong; keep searching backward.