Summarize main points of previous lesson

Question 1: Fill in the blank

Reference is an act in which a speaker, or writer, uses … forms to enable a listener, or reader, to identify something.

Question 2: Choose the best answer

In the sentence, "She's over there by the window," the word "she" functions as:

• Deixis

• Reference

• Both deixis and reference

• Neither deixis nor reference

Answer explanation

Reference: "She" refers to a specific person, making it a referential expression.

Deixis: Pronouns like "she" are also deictic because their meaning depends on the context—who "she" refers to changes depending on the speaker's situation.

Question 3: Choose the best answer

In the sentence, "Before she even had a chance to speak, Mary was interrupted," the word "she" functions primarily as:

• Antecedent

• Anaphora

• Cataphora

Answer explanation

Cataphora occurs when a pronoun appears before its referent in the sentence.

In the sentence, the pronoun "she" comes before the noun "Mary", which it refers to.

Question 4: Choose the best answer

In the sentence, "I saw the man with the red hat at the store today.", the noun phrase "the man with the red hat" is an example of:

• Referential use

• Attributive use

Answer explanation

Referential use occurs when a noun phrase refers to a specific individual that the speaker has in mind.

Attributive use occurs when a noun phrase is used to describe whoever fits the description, without referring to a specific known individual.

In this case, "the man with the red hat" refers to a particular person whom the speaker saw at the store.

Question 5: Choose the best answer

Which of the following sentences contains an attributive use of reference?

• The man in the blue suit is standing by the door.

• The best player on the team deserves to start the game.

• The book on my desk is overdue at the library.

Answer explanation

Attributive use describes whoever fits the description rather than referring to a specific known individual.

In (B) "The best player on the team", the phrase refers to whichever player is considered the best, not a particular known individual.

In contrast, the other sentences refer to specific, identifiable individuals or objects, making them referential.

Question 6: Choose the best answer

In the sentence, "I finally framed my Picasso," the proper name "Picasso" is used referentially to identify:

• A general appreciation for Picasso’s art

• A specific artwork created by Picasso

• The person Pablo Picasso

• Any painting in the style of Picasso

Answer explanation

"Picasso" is being used metonymically to refer to a specific painting by Pablo Picasso, not the artist himself.

This is an example of a referential use of a proper name to identify an object, in this case, a framed artwork.

Question 7: Choose the best answer

Which of the following sentences contains an anaphoric use?

• "I met a talented artist. She specializes in watercolor paintings."

• "This is the book I was talking about earlier."

• "A Picasso was sold at the auction yesterday."

• "Can you pass me that pen?"

Answer explanation

"She" refers back to "a talented artist," making it an example of anaphoric reference, where a linguistic expression refers back to something mentioned earlier in the discourse.

Question 8: Choose the best answer

In the sentence, "Emma was excited because she had finally received the job offer" the word "Emma" functions primarily as:

• Antecedent

• Anaphora

• Cataphora

Answer explanation

An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to. In this sentence, "Emma" is the antecedent of the pronoun "she", meaning "she" refers to Emma".

Question 9: Choose the best answer

In the sentence, "I met Anna yesterday, and she was very kind," the word "she" functions as:

• Deixis

• Reference

• Both deixis and reference

• Neither deixis nor reference

Answer explanation

Reference: The pronoun "she" directly refers to Anna, a specific person mentioned earlier in the sentence.

Not Deixis: Unlike deictic expressions, "she" in this case does not depend on the context or the speaker’s perspective—it has a fixed referent (Anna).

Question 10: Choose the best answer

Which of the following sentences best demonstrates zero anaphora in natural conversation?

• "Lisa woke up early, got dressed, ate breakfast, and left for work."

• "Tom was running late. He grabbed his keys and rushed out the door."

• "Wash the vegetables, chop them into small pieces, heat some oil, and fry for 5 minutes."

• "Sarah called her friend because she needed help with her project."

Answer explanation

C demonstrates zero anaphora because the subject of "fry Ø for 5 minutes" is omitted, but we still understand it refers to "the vegetables" from context.

A and B list actions but don’t omit a subject.

D explicitly states "she," so it is not an example of zero anaphora.