The act of replacing a noun phrase or a clause with a single word to avoid repetition is called?

• A. Substitution
• B. Grammatical cohesion
• C. Lexical cohesion
• D. Repetition

Answer: (A)

Substitution is a cohesive device that replaces a noun phrase or a clause with a single word to avoid repeating the same expression. This directly matches what’s described: you swap a longer noun phrase or clause for a shorter unit, usually a pronoun, so the text flows more smoothly. For example: The author explained the policy to the committee, and it was approved. Here, "it" substitutes for "the policy." Another simple example: The dog chased the ball, but it caught it. The pronouns take the place of the repeated nouns to keep the sentence from sounding repetitive. Grammatical cohesion is the broader idea that includes substitution along with other linkages; lexical cohesion focuses on related word choices rather than replacing with a single word; repetition is simply repeating the same expression, which substitution aims to avoid.