Which cohesion device involves replacing a noun phrase with a single word to avoid repetition?

Which cohesion device involves replacing a noun phrase with a single word to avoid repetition?

• A. Substitution
• B. Ellipsis
• C. Nominalization
• D. Coordination

Answer: (A)

Substitution replaces a noun phrase with a single word to avoid repetition. This usually uses a pronoun or a demonstrative that stands in for the earlier noun, so the idea remains connected without repeating the same noun. For example, “The student brought a book to class. It was overdue.” Here “it” substitutes for the noun phrase “a book,” keeping the sentence smooth and cohesive. This differs from ellipsis, which simply drops material rather than replacing it with a word. Nominalization changes the word class (such as turning a verb into a noun) and isn’t about substituting a repeated noun with a single word. Coordination, by contrast, connects items with conjunctions and doesn’t involve substituting a noun phrase with a single word.

Substitution replaces a noun phrase with a single word to avoid repetition. This usually uses a pronoun or a demonstrative that stands in for the earlier noun, so the idea remains connected without repeating the same noun. For example, “The student brought a book to class. It was overdue.” Here “it” substitutes for the noun phrase “a book,” keeping the sentence smooth and cohesive.

This differs from ellipsis, which simply drops material rather than replacing it with a word. Nominalization changes the word class (such as turning a verb into a noun) and isn’t about substituting a repeated noun with a single word. Coordination, by contrast, connects items with conjunctions and doesn’t involve substituting a noun phrase with a single word.