Year 6 English · Cohesion, editing and reading your own writing aloud · Lesson 13.2

Year 6 English: Cohesion across paragraphs: pronouns and consistent tense

Part of the Year 6 English cohesion, editing and reading your own writing aloud chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

13.2

Cohesion across paragraphs: pronouns and consistent tense

Year 6
Use cohesion across paragraphs, with pronouns, repeated nouns and consistent tense (Y5-6 writing)

Story. Leah's report about the school garden has two paragraphs. In the first, the gardeners are named; in the second, she uses he and they, so the reader must work out who is meant.

Cohesion also works across paragraphs. A pronoun (he, she, it, they) can replace a noun, but the reader must be able to tell which noun it means. Keep the tense consistent: if a story is in the past, keep it in the past.

Pronouns that link paragraphs

Paragraph 1	Paragraph 2	Is it clear?
Maya and Roco planted seeds.	They watered them each morning.	Yes: they means Maya and Roco
The gardener came in June.	He weeded the beds.	Yes: he means the gardener
The gardener and the chef came.	He cooked lunch.	Unclear: which one is he?

Key ideas

A pronoun must clearly refer to a noun.
Repeat a noun when a pronoun could be unclear.
Keep the tense consistent across the text.

Worked example 13.2.1

Which pronoun refers clearly to Maya and Roco? Write the pronoun: they or it.

Method. Find the noun the pronoun replaces.

Find the nouns. Maya and Roco are two people.
Maya and Roco
Choose the pronoun. They refers to more than one person.
they
Write the answer.
they

Check. They refers to Maya and Roco. ✓

Worked example 13.2.2

Which sentence keeps the tense consistent? Choose She walks home and then ate lunch. or She walked home and then ate lunch.

Method. Check both verbs are in the same tense.

Check the first. Walks is present, but ate is past.
walks, ate
Check the second. Walked and ate are both past.
walked, ate
Write the answer.
She walked home and then ate lunch.

Check. Both verbs are in the past. ✓

Worked example 13.2.3

Replace the repeated noun with a pronoun: The gardener planted the seeds. The gardener watered them. Write the second sentence.

Method. Replace the noun with a pronoun the reader can follow.

Find the repeated noun. The gardener is repeated.
The gardener
Replace it. He refers to the gardener, who is a man.
He watered them.
Write the answer.
He watered them.

Check. He refers to the gardener clearly. ✓

Watch out

Watch out: a pronoun like it or they can be unclear if two nouns come before it. Repeat the noun to be safe.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Ask your child to read a paragraph and to point to every pronoun, then to say which noun each one means.

Exercise 13B Practice: pronouns and consistent tense

FReplace the repeated noun with a pronoun: Ella found a shell. Ella put the shell in her pocket. Write the second sentence.

Done

PSWhich pronoun is clear? The chef and the waiter brought the food. ___ was hot. Choose one: It or They.

Done

PSWhich sentence keeps the tense consistent? Choose one. Choose one: She climbs the hill and then she sat down. or She climbed the hill and then she sat down..

Done

PSCorrect the tense in this sentence: We walk to the park, and then we played football. Write the corrected sentence.

Done

FWhich word replaces the name Ruby in Ruby is tired. Ruby went to bed.? Write the word only.

Done

PSWrite a second sentence that replaces a repeated noun with a pronoun, about a dog.

Done

RExplain in one sentence why a writer should keep the tense consistent.

Done

RWhich pronoun is unclear in The farmer and the pilot met. He waved.? Write the word only.

Done

PSRewrite the unclear pronoun in The farmer and the pilot met. He waved. so that the reference is clear.

Done

PSCorrect the tense: I see the bus, and I ran to the stop. Write the corrected sentence.

Done

RExplain in one sentence how a pronoun links two paragraphs.

Done