Avoiding repetition

1 Using pronouns
* a pronoun: he/she/it/we/they

Derek Foster worked in advertising after the war. He became a professional painter in the early 60s.

* they/them to refer to plural nouns and to a person in the singular when you do not know whether the person is male
or female:

If you ask an artist how they started painting, theyll often say that one of their parents taught them.

* himself, herself, ourselves, themselves when the object is the same as the subject:

He poured himself a glass of water. (sipao je sebi) He poured him a glass of water. (sipao je nekom drugom).

* It, this, that, these, those to refer to a noun / noun phrase, or the the whole of the previous clause/sentence:

Artists now have a vast range of materials at their disposal. This means that they can be much more versatile
than in the past.

* That when giving reasons:

The artist is my cousin and thats why I am here.

one/ones, another, the other(s), both/neither, all/none

* One to refer to a singular countable noun in a group

Ive made some sandwiches would you like one?

There are some excellent exhibitions on. I strongly recommend the one at the National Gallery.

ones to refer to plural countable nouns in a group:

Our neighbours are generally nice, but the ones in flat 4 arent very sociable.

* a(n)/the + adjective + one or (the) + adjective + ones:

Ive bought a lot of new shirts recently, but for gardening I prefer to wear an old one.

I enjoy romantic films, especially sad ones.

* Another / the other(s)

another to refer to a second/third (etc.) singular countable noun in a group:

One picture showed a girl combing her hair. Another was of the same girl dancing. (there were more
pictures.)

the other to refer to the second of two things/people already mentioned:

Pablo has two houses. One is in Sao Paulo and the other is in Singapore. (there are two.)

the others to refer to the rest of a number of things/people:

Most of the actors went to a party. The others went home to bed.

* Both/neither to refer to two things/people:

 He has written two novels and both have won prizes. Neither is autobiographical.

* All/none to refer to more than two things/people:

He has written twenty novels and I have read all of them.

Mariella invited her friends but none of them came.

* who to refer to a person:

A man who told me the address is his brother.

which to refer to a thing/object:

Here is the letter which the postman brought.

whose to refer both to a person and an object:

Shes the woman whose son bought our car.

The house whose owner has been arrested is on sale.

2 Using auxiliary and modal verbs

* an auxiliary or modal verb instead of repeating a whole verb or verb phrase:

Not many people have read The Dubgeon and Im one of the few that have.

A year ago I couldnt drive a car, but now I can.

* do to replace a verb in the present or past simple:

I really enjoy good comedy films, but then I think everyone does.

Most people liked the film, but I didnt.

3 Using so
* so - with verbs like think, suppose, believe, hope, etc. to avoid repeating a clause or sentence:

Do you think Real Madrid will win the championship? I guess so.

* do so to avoid repeating a verb or berv phrase:

I told my students to hand in the essay on Monday and all of them did so.

4Omitting words
* to with a verb or adjective that is followed by an infinitive, instead of repeating a whole phrase:

Kim suggested going to the ballet, but I didnt want to.

Give me a call later if youre able to.

Id like to be able to solve your problems but I just dont know how to.