Topics · Primary English · Pronouns & Reference
Pronouns: what the word stands for
A pronoun stands in for a noun already mentioned. Questions ask what a particular one refers to — and the answer is always earlier in the passage, never later.
- 89 exam papers analysed
- appears in 27% of P4 English papers
- ~2 min read
01 Look backwards, not forwards
A pronoun points back to something already named. So the answer to “What does ‘it’ in line 4 refer to?” is in line 4 or before it.
Take the nearest sensible noun before the pronoun, then test it: put the noun back where the pronoun was and read the sentence. If it makes sense, that is the answer.
Answer with the noun, not another pronoun. “It refers to the box”, not “it refers to that”.
02 The pronouns that appear
Knowing which kind you are looking at narrows what it can refer to.
| Kind | Examples | Stands for |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | he, she, it, they, him, them | a person or thing |
| Possessive | his, hers, theirs, its | belonging to someone |
| Demonstrative | this, that, these, those | a thing, or a whole idea |
| Relative | who, which, that | the noun just before it |
03 When it stands for a whole idea
This and that often refer to something bigger than one word.
“The bus was late and the rain had started. This made them decide to walk.” — this is not the bus or the rain but both together, the whole situation.
So when the nearest noun does not fit, try summarising the sentence before in a short phrase. That is usually the answer, and it is the version of the question P4 papers set.
04 Getting the agreement right
Writing pronouns correctly is the other half of this topic.
- Match number. One thing takes it; more than one takes they or them.
- Match person. Do not slide from you to they in the same sentence.
- Make sure the reference is clear. “Ali told Ravi that he had won” — who won? Rewrite with a name.
- its and it's are different. Its means belonging to it; it's means it is. Only one of them ever has an apostrophe, and it is the short form.
- Whose and who's work the same way: whose is belonging, who's is who is.
05 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. Capitals mark the syllable you lean on. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- pronounsayPROH-nownmore than onepronouns
A word standing in for a noun: he, she, it, they, this.
- refer to
To stand for. A question asks what a pronoun refers to.
- antecedentsayan-ti-SEE-duhnt
The noun a pronoun stands for. It comes before the pronoun.
- possessivesaypuh-ZESS-iv
Showing belonging: his, hers, theirs, its.
- agreement
A pronoun matching its noun in number: one thing takes it, several take they.
06 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P3
What a pronoun stands for, and finding it earlier in the passage.
Practise P3 Pronouns & Reference — 10 questions →26% of P3 papers
- P4
Pronouns standing for whole ideas, agreement, and its against it's.
Practise P4 Pronouns & Reference — 10 questions →27% of P4 papers
07 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“It refers to the thing in the next sentence.”
Pronouns point backwards. The answer is at or before the line the pronoun is on.
“It refers to that one.”
Answer with the noun itself — the wooden box — not with another pronoun.
“This refers to the rain.”
This often stands for a whole situation. If a single noun does not fit, summarise the sentence before.
“The dog wagged it's tail.”
Its, with no apostrophe, means belonging to it. It's always means it is.
“Ali told Ravi that he had won.”
Unclear who he is. When two people could be meant, use the name.
Now try it
20 questions across 2 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.