coherence in writing.docx

8/12/2019 Coherence in writing.docx

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COHERENCE IN WRITING

Coherence is product of many different factors, which combine to make every paragraph,

every sentence, and every phrase contribute to the meaning of the whole piece. Coherence

in writing is much more difficult to sustain than coherent speech simply because writers

have no nonverbal clues to inform them if their message is clear or not. Therefore, writers

must make their patterns of coherence much more explicit and much more carefully

planned. Coherence itself is the product of two factorsparagraph unity and sentence

cohesion.

Sentence Cohesion

To achieve cohesion, the link of one sentence to the next, consider the followingtechniques:

1. Repetition.In sentence B (the second of any two sentences), repeat a word fromsentence A.

2. Synonymy.If direct repetition is too obvious, use a synonym of the word you wish torepeat. This strategy is call 'elegant variation.'

3. Antonymy.Using the 'opposite' word, an antonym, can also create sentencecohesion, since in language antonyms actually share more elements of meaning than

you might imagine.

4. Pro-forms.Use a pronoun, pro-verb, or another pro-form to make explicit referenceback to a form mentioned earlier.

5. Collocation.Use a commonly paired or expected or highly probable word to connectone sentence to another.

6. Enumeration.Use overt markers of sequence to highlight the connection betweenideas. This system has many advantages: (a) it can link ideas that are otherwise

completely unconnected, (b) it looks formal and distinctive, and (c) it promotes a

second method of sentence cohesion, discussed in (7) below.

first(ly)secondly etc.,finally,in the (first) place,last ,to (begin) with,more important

on top of (that),next,then
http://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/first.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/secondly.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/finally.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/in%20the%20first%20place.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/last.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/to%20begin%20with.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/more%20important.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/on%20top%20of%20that.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/next.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/then.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/then.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/next.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/on%20top%20of%20that.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/more%20important.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/to%20begin%20with.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/last.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/in%20the%20first%20place.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/finally.htmhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/secondly.htmlhttp://c/Documents/WebsiteKoc/Writing/CohesiveDevices/first.htm


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7. Parallelism.Repeat a sentence structure. This technique is the oldest, mostoverlooked, but probably the most elegant method of creating cohesion.

8. Transitions.Use a conjunction or conjunctive adverb to link sentences withparticular logical relationships.

To show addition:

again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in

addition, in the first place, moreover, next, too

To compare:

also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly

To contrast:

although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite

of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still, though, yet

To summarize or conclude:

all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is,

therefore, to sum up

To show time:

after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly,

immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until,

when, while

To show place or direction:

above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left

(north, etc.)

To indicate logical relationship:

accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since,

so, then, therefore, thus

To show cause and effect.

therefore, so, consequently, as a consequence, thus, as a result, hence, it follows that,

because, since, for, ...


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Concession. (Indicates a willingness to consider the other side)

admittedly, I admit, true, I grant, of course, naturally, some believe, some people believe, it

has been claimed that, once it was believed, there are those who would say, ...

#Exemplification.(Indicates a shift from a more general or abstract idea to a more specific

or concrete idea)

for example, for instance, after all, an illustration of, even, indeed, in fact, it is true, of

course, specifically, to be specific, that is, to illustrate, truly, ...

Miscellaneous

- Adverbs may be used at the beginning of sentences to show how the sentence which

follows relates to the rest of the text. Many of them reveal the writers attitude to the idea

they are expressing and so can be used as an important tool in evaluative writing.

Admittedly, All things considered, As a general rule, As far as we know, Astonishingly

Broadly, By and large, Characteristically, Clearly, Coincidentally, Conveniently

Curiously, Disappointingly, Equally, Essentially, Explicitly, Even so, Eventually, Fortunately

Fundamentally, Generally speaking, Interestingly, Ironically, In essence, In general,

In particular, In practice, In reality, In retrospect/hindsight, In theory, In view of this

More interestingly, More seriously, More specifically, Naturally, On balance, Obviously

On reflection, Overall, Paradoxically, Potentially, Predictably, Presumably, Primarily,

Probably, Remarkably, Seemingly, Significantly, Surprisingly, Theoretically

To all intents and purposes, Typically, Ultimately, Understandably, Undoubtedly,

Unfortunately, With hindsight