Pronoun Reference Exercises

1. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following passage. Where necessary, rewrite the

sentences so that all pronoun references are clear.

Once upon a time, there lived a rich man who bought a necklace and a ring for his wife. Unfortunately, it

was lost. In the meantime, a few servants passed by the house. The house husband suspected that he might

steal the necklace. They lodged a complaint with the judge against the servants. The court brought a charge

of theft against them and he was summoned to the court on the due date. But the servants did not confess

the guilt, on the contrary, they raised a protest against it.

Answer: Once upon a time, there lived a rich man who bought a necklace and a ring for his wife.

Unfortunately, the necklace/the ring was lost. In the meantime, a few servants passed by the house. The

house husband suspected that one of the servants might steal the necklace. He lodged a complaint with

the judge against the servants. The court brought a charge of theft against them and they were summoned

to the court on the due date. But the servants did not confess the guilt, on the contrary, they raised a protest

against the charge.

2. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following paragraph. Where necessary, rewrite the

sentences so that all pronoun references are clear.

Pahela Baishakh is a part and parcel of Bengali culture. It is the first day of Bangla year. It is celebrated

with festivity across the country. Village people celebrate this day according to its age-old custom.

Baishakhi melas are held in different places. Urban people try to be a Bangalee at least this day. He

arrange different programs on this day. At Ramna Batomul it is celebrated gorgeously. Shopkeepers in

both villages and towns open haalkhata. They distribute sweets among their customers and clients. People

irrespective of age and sex eat panta- hilsa and join them. We can remember our Bengali culture and

tradition through celebrating it.

Answer: Pahela Baishakh is a part and parcel of Bengali culture. It is the first day of Bangla year. It is

celebrated with festivity across the country. Village people celebrate this day according to the

country's age-old custom. Baishakhi melas are held in different places. Urban people try to be a Bangalee

at least this day. People/Bangalees arrange different programs on this day. At Ramna Batomul Pahela

distribute sweets among their customers and clients. People irrespective of age and sex eat panta-hilsa and

join the festivity we can remember our Bengali culture and tradition through celebrating Pahela

Baishakh.

3. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following paragraph. Where necessary, re-write the

sentences so that the pronoun references are clear.

Mr Robertson is a lawyer. He doesn’t like people which talk too much. He herself prefers to speak very

little. He doesn’t have a beard but he has an enormous moustache of whom he is very proud. He says it

makes him look important. He is in his fifties and loves to eat. But he doesn't eat too much because it

creates various complications in our body. He is a serious person but sometimes he can make you laugh.

Answer: Mr Robertson is a lawyer. He does not like people who talk too much. He himself prefers to

speak very little. He doesn't have a beard but he has an enormous moustache of which he is very proud. He

says his moustache makes him look important. He is in his fifties and loves to eat. But he does not eat too

much because overeating/eating too much creates various complications in our body. He is a serious

person but sometimes he can make you laugh.

Also read: Pronoun Reference Rules

4. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following paragraph. Where necessary, rewrite the

sentences so that all pronoun references are clear.

Migration from Bangladesh to Britain started in the 1930s and was predominantly a Sylheti phenomenon.

Men of these area employed by the British ship companies first started the process of migration. These

men were largely illiterate and belonged to the landless peasantry. After the World War II, due to labour

shortages, British government encouraged labour migration from their former colonies. The postwar

British economy demanded cheap and plentiful labour, much of who was recruited from South Asia. Since

Sylhet had already forged a strong link with the UK, most new labour was drawn from there. In Britain, he

is primarily concentrated in Greater London.

phenomenon. Men of this area employed by the British ship companies first started the process of

migration. These men were largely illiterate and belonged to the landless peasantry. After the World War

II, due to labour shortages, the British government encouraged labour migration from its former colonies.

The postwar British economy demanded cheap and plentiful labour, much of which was recruited from

South Asia. Since Sylhet had already forged a strong link with the UK, most new labour was drawn from

there. In Britain, they are primarily concentrated in Greater London

Pronoun Reference Exercises with answers HSC

5. Identify the unclear pronoun references and re-write them so that they become clear.

Mandela left public life in June 2004 telling their adoring countrymen not to call them. Regarding it,

Nadine Gordimer said, "He is at the epicentre of his time, your in south Africa and your, wherever you

are."

Answer: Mandela left public life in June 2004 telling his adoring countrymen not to call him Regarding

Mandela, Nadine Gordimer said, "He is at the epicentre of our time, ours in South Africa and your,

wherever you are."

6. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the passage to make them clear.

Once two women came to King Solomon's court with a baby and each of her claimed that they were the

mother of the baby. He thought for a while and got a brilliant idea. He ordered one of his men to cut the

baby into two equal halves and give one half to them. The real mother of the baby became very nervous by

this, but the other woman was totally untouched. The king noticed the changed in the face her and handed

over the baby to her and punished the other woman.

Answer: Once two women came to King Solomon's court with a baby and each of them claimed

that she was the mother of the baby. He thought for a while and got a brilliant idea. He ordered one of his

men to cut the baby into two equal halves and give one half to each of them. The real mother of the baby

became very nervous by this order, but the other woman was totally untouched. The king noticed the

changed in the face of the real mother and handed over the baby to her and punished the other woman
7. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the passage to make them clear.

Bangladesh is a land of rivers as this is crisscrossed by hundreds of big and small rivers. The rivers are the

lifeline of it. The lives of people living here are greatly affected by them. These are important from the

cultural point of view too. Thousands of melodious songs are written on these rivers. But it is a matter of

great concern that many of these are dying out for lack of proper maintenance.

Answer: Bangladesh is a land of rivers as she is crisscrossed by hundreds of big and small rivers. The

rivers are the lifeline of Bangladesh. The lives of people living here are greatly affected by these

rivers. These rivers are important from the cultural point of view too. Thousands of melodious songs are

written on these rivers. But it is a matter of great concern that many of these rivers are dying out for lack

of proper maintenance.

8. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following paragraph. Where necessary, rewrite the

sentences so that all pronoun references are clear.

One must possess honesty and perseverance if he wants to be successful in life. Without it you cannot

expect trust and respect from others. Without perseverance, you cannot maintain your success for a long

time, because it needs continuous effort. Honesty and perseverance go hand in hand and they complement

the other. Its combination always brings the best result.

Answer: One must possess honesty and perseverance if one wants to be successful in life. Without honesty

and perseverance, you cannot expect trust and respect from others. Without perseverance, you cannot

maintain your success for a long time, because success needs continuous effort. Honesty and perseverance

go hand in hand and one complement the other. Their combination always brings the best result

9. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following paragraph. Where necessary, rewrite the

sentences so that all pronoun references are clear.

basis of what is stated and implied in it. One needs to read the passage first so that you can identify the

main idea of the passage: If the learners are not clear of the main idea of the passage, it will be really hard

for them to answer the questions. It is because most of them are done based on it.

Answer: Reading comprehension questions test one's ability to understand a passage and answer questions

on the basis of what is stated and implied in the passage. One reads to read the passage first so

that one can identify the main idea of the passage. If the learners are not clear of the main idea of the

passage, it will be really hard for them to answer the questions. It is because most of the questions are

done based on the passage.

10. Identify the unclear pronoun references in the following paragraph. Where necessary, rewrite

the sentences so that all pronoun references are clear.

A table of contents is an important part of a book. It gives us information about which is inside a book. It

tells ours what each of the parts of the book is about. It also tells us how to go to the page where the part

starts. It is usually written as 'contents' at the top of it. The list of the parts is presented in the order so they

appear in the book. The list contains the titles or the names of the parts. It sometimes mentions the sections

as well as the subsection titles with the chapter/unit/lesson titles. It also includes the foreword or preface,

book map, index, and page numbers.

Answer: A table of contents is an important part of a book. The table of contents gives us information

about which is inside a book. It tells us what each part of the book is about. It also tells us how to go to the

page where the part starts. It is usually written as 'contents' at the top of the page table. The list of the

parts is presented in order so the names of the parts appear in the book. The list contains the titles or the

names of the parts. The list sometimes mentions the sections as well as the subsection titles with the

chapter/unit/lesson titles. It also includes the foreword or preface, book map, index, and page numbers