Cohesion and Coherence

An awareness of cohesion and coherence in all texts is

a very important skill for students to develop.
Cohesion can be thought of as all the grammatical
and lexical links that link one part of a text to another.
This includes use of synonyms, lexical sets, pronouns,
verb tenses, time references, grammatical reference,
etc. For example, 'it', 'neither' and 'this' all refer to an
idea previously mentioned. 'First of all', 'then' and
'after that' help to sequence a text. 'owever', 'in
addition' and 'for instance' link ideas and arguments
in a text.
Coherence can be thought of as how meanings and
sequences of ideas relate to each other. Typical
examples would be general! particular" statement!
example" problem! solution" question! answer"
claim! counter#claim.
$hat does cohesion mean%
&ou might think of cohesion as a means of
establishing connections within a text at all sorts of
di'erent levels, e.g., section, paragraphs, sentences
and even phrases.
ow is cohesion di'erent from coherence% (t is di)cult
to separate the two. owever, think of coherence as
the text making sense as a whole at an ideas level,
and cohesion as rather more mechanical links at a
language level. &ou can imagine that it is possible for
a piece of writing to contain plenty of cohesion yet
little coherence.
Cohesion is the glue that holds a piece of writing
together. (n other words, if a paper is cohesive, it
sticks together from sentence to sentence and from
paragraph to paragraph. *ohesive devices certainly
include transitional words and phrases, such as
therefore, furthermore, or for instance, that clarify for
readers the relationships among ideas in a piece of
writing. owever, transitions aren't enough to make
writing cohesive. +epetition of key words and use of
reference words are also needed for cohesion.
Coherence
$hen sentences, ideas, and details ,t together
clearly, readers can follow along easily, and the
writing is coherent. The ideas tie together smoothly
and clearly. To establish the links that readers need,
you can use the methods listed here.
+epetition of a -ey Term or .hrase
This helps to focus your ideas and to keep your reader
on track.
/xample0 The problem with contemporary art is
that it is not easily understood by most people.
*ontemporary art is deliberately abstract, and
that means it leaves the viewer wondering what
she is looking at.
Synonyms
1ynonyms are words that have essentially the same
meaning, and they provide some variety in your word
choices, helping the reader to stay focused on the
idea being discussed.
/xample0 2yths narrate sacred histories and
explain sacred origins. These traditional
narratives are, in short, a set of beliefs that are a
very real force in the lives of the people who tell
them.
Pronouns
This, that, these, those, he, she, it, they, and we are
useful pronouns for referring back to something
previously mentioned. 3e sure, however, that what
you are referring to is clear.
/xample0 $hen scienti,c experiments do not
work out as expected, they are often considered
failures until some other scientist tries them
again. Those that work out better the second time
around are the ones that promise the most
rewards.
Transitional Words
There are many words in /nglish that cue our readers
to relationships between sentences, 4oining sentences
together. $ords such as however, therefore, in
addition, also, but, moreover, etc.
/xample0 ( like autumn, and yet autumn is a sad
time of the year, too. The leaves turn bright
shades of red and the weather is mild, but ( can't
help thinking ahead to the winter and the ice
storms that will surely blow through here. (n
addition, that will be the season of chapped faces,
too many layers of clothes to put on, and days
when ('ll have to shovel heaps of snow from my
car's windshield.
Sentence Patterns
1ometimes, repeated or parallel sentence patterns
can help the reader follow along and keep ideas tied
together.
/xample0 5from a speech by .resident 6ohn F.
-ennedy7 And so, my fellow Americans0 ask not
what your country can do for you##ask what you
can do for your country.
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