Cohesive reference: Connecting expressions to people, things and ideas elsewhere in a text

Cohesive reference uses pronouns, determiners and related expressions to connect one part of a text with another. The reader identifies what words such as it, they, this, that, these or those refer to.

Examples

The company launched a new app. It reached a million users in a week.

It refers back to a new app.
Several roads were closed. This caused long delays.

This refers to the whole preceding situation.
Mina and Noor submitted the report after they checked every figure.

They refers back to Mina and Noor.

Cohesive reference vs. unnecessary repetition

Repeated noun

The report was incomplete, so the report was returned.

The same noun phrase is repeated even though the reference is clear.

Cohesive reference

The report was incomplete, so it was returned.

It links the second clause back to the report.

Reference devices reduce repetition and connect ideas, provided the intended referent remains unmistakable.

A grammatically correct pronoun can still be unclear

Reference fails when more than one earlier noun could match the pronoun. Repeating or renaming the noun is better than forcing the reader to guess.

When Lina spoke to Mara, she sounded worried.

She could refer to either Lina or Mara.
When Lina spoke to Mara, Lina sounded worried.

Repeating the name removes the ambiguity.

Common mistakes

The printer was beside the cabinet, but it was broken.

The printer was beside the cabinet, but the printer was broken.

When it could refer to either noun, repeat the intended noun.

The negotiations failed. They caused concern.

The negotiations failed. This caused concern.

This can refer to the whole event of the negotiations failing; they refers more naturally to the negotiations themselves.

Quick check

Question 1 of 3

Which sentence clearly refers to the whole preceding situation?

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Definition