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1. Repetition of key noun 2. Repetition of key noun 3. Pronoun + Repetition 4. Repetition with synonym 5. Pronoun 6. Pronoun | 7. Transition 8. Transition 9. Repetition of key noun 10. Pronoun 11. Pronoun + Repetition
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Write the name of the cohesive device - pronoun , repetition or transition - in the space after each underlined word or phrase before the blank.
The Sinking of the Titanic
In 1912, the Titanic, the largest and best equipped transatlantic liner of pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select26" ).html( document.getElementById( "select26" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); time, hit an iceberg on pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select27" ).html( document.getElementById( "select27" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); first crossing from England to America and sank. Of the 2,235 parrengers and crew, only 718 survivived. Research has shown that a number of factors played an important part in the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select28" ).html( document.getElementById( "select28" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); . transition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select29" ).html( document.getElementById( "select29" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select30" ).html( document.getElementById( "select30" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); carried only sixteen lifeboats, with room for about 1,100 people. pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select31" ).html( document.getElementById( "select31" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); was clearly not enough for a ship of the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select32" ).html( document.getElementById( "select32" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); size. transition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select33" ).html( document.getElementById( "select33" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , the designer of the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select34" ).html( document.getElementById( "select34" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); originally planned to equip the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select35" ).html( document.getElementById( "select35" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); with forty-eight repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select36" ).html( document.getElementById( "select36" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); ; transition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select37" ).html( document.getElementById( "select37" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , in order to reduce pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select38" ).html( document.getElementById( "select38" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); costs for building the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select39" ).html( document.getElementById( "select39" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , the owners of the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select40" ).html( document.getElementById( "select40" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); decided to give pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select41" ).html( document.getElementById( "select41" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); only sixteen repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select42" ).html( document.getElementById( "select42" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); . A transition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select43" ).html( document.getElementById( "select43" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select44" ).html( document.getElementById( "select44" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); was that the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select45" ).html( document.getElementById( "select45" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); crew were not given enough time to become familiar with the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select46" ).html( document.getElementById( "select46" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , especially with pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select47" ).html( document.getElementById( "select47" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); emergency equipment. transition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select48" ).html( document.getElementById( "select48" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , many repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select49" ).html( document.getElementById( "select49" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); left the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select50" ).html( document.getElementById( "select50" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); only half-full and many more people died than needed to. The transition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select51" ).html( document.getElementById( "select51" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select52" ).html( document.getElementById( "select52" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); in the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select53" ).html( document.getElementById( "select53" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); was the behaviour of the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select54" ).html( document.getElementById( "select54" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); officers on the night of the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select55" ).html( document.getElementById( "select55" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); . In the twenty-four hours before the repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select56" ).html( document.getElementById( "select56" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); , pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select57" ).html( document.getElementById( "select57" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); received a number of warnings about repetition ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select58" ).html( document.getElementById( "select58" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); in the area, but pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select59" ).html( document.getElementById( "select59" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); took no precautions. pronoun ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); tmpAr.push( ' ' ); jQuery( "#select60" ).html( document.getElementById( "select60" ).innerHTML + tmpAr.join( '' )); did not change direction or even reduce speed. (p. 22). Source: Pakenham, K.J. (1998). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
Read through the text below and consider how you might use pronouns and repetition (either with a key noun or synonym) to replace the bolded expressions. Write your revised text in the submission box.
Facebook did not invent social networking, but the company has fine-tuned into a science. When a newcomer logs in, the experience is designed to generate something Facebook calls the aha! moment. is an observable emotional connection, gleaned by videotaping the expressions of test users navigating for the first time. Facebook has developed a formula for the precise number of aha! moments users must have before are hooked. Company officials will not say exactly what that magic number is, but everything about Facebook is geared to reach as quickly as possible. So far, at least, Facebook has avoided the digital exoduses that beset predecessors, MySpace and Friendster. is partly because Facebook is so good at making indispensable. Losing Facebook hurts. Source: Fletcher, D. (2010, May 31). Friends without borders. , 21, 16-22. |
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The Aha! Moment
Facebook did not invent social networking, but the company has fine-tuned it ( pronoun-first person ) into a science. When a newcomer logs in, the experience is designed to generate something Facebook calls the aha! moment. This ( pronoun-determiner ) is an observable emotional connection, gleaned by videotaping the expressions of test users navigating the site ( repetition with synonym ) for the first time. Facebook has developed a formula for the precise number of aha! moments users must have before they ( pronoun-third person ) are hooked. Company officials will not say exactly what that magic number is, but everything about the site ( repetition with synonym ) is geared to reach it as quickly as possible.
So far, at least, Facebook has avoided the digital exoduses that beset its ( pronoun-possessive ) predecessors, MySpace and Friendster. This is partly because Facebook is so good at making itself ( pronoun-reflexive ) indispensable. Losing Facebook hurts.
So far, we have looked at cohesion within paragraphs. In longer texts of several paragraphs, a combination of pronouns, transition and reptition can be used to maintain logical flow and connection between paragraphs.
The extract presented here consists of four paragraphs of an expository essay entitled Sustainable Development from a Historical Perspective: The Mayan Civilisation . Note how the bolded expressions at the start of the second, third and fourth paragraphs provide cohesive links to the paragraph preceding them.
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Sometimes known as parallel structures or balanced constructions, parallelism is the use of similar grammatical forms or sentence structures when listing or when comparing two or more items.
When used correctly, parallelism can improve the clarity of your writing.
): : The elderly residents enjoy many recreational activities: swimming, *read and *to garden. : The elderly residents enjoy many recreational activities: , , and .
: The academic conversation group consists of students from China, Japan, Korea and *some Germans. : The academic conversation group consists of students from , , , and
: This paper discusses the main features of the AST system, the functionalities, and *the system also has a number of limitations. : This paper discusses the , , and |
The following excerpt from Bertrand Russell's famous prologue to his autobiography has some classic examples of parallelism:
: The computer is both fast and *it has reliability
: The computer is both and .
: The problem with electronic banking is neither the lack of security nor *the fact that you pay high interest rates.
: The problem with electronic banking is neither nor .
: The aim of the new law is not only to reduce the incidence of boy racing but also *setting up new standards for noise tolerance in the whole neighbourhood.
: The aim of the new law is not only ... but also new standards for noise tolerance in the whole neighbourhood.
Correct the faulty parallel constructions ( bold ) in the following sentences.
1. The researcher wanted to find out where the new immigrants came from and to talk about their future plans.
2. The earthquake victims were both concerned about water contamination and the slow response from the government also made them angry.
3. An ideal environment for studying includes good lighting, a spacious room, and the furniture must be comfortable.
4. Computers have changed the way people live, for their work, and how they use their leisure time.
5. Houses play an important role not only to provide a place to live, but also for giving a sense of security.
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1 The researcher wanted to find out where the new immigrants came from and what their future plans were.
2. The earthquake victims were both concerned about water contamination and angry at the the slow response from the government.
3. An ideal environment for studying includes good lighting, a spacious room, and comfortable furniture.
4. Computers have changed the way people live, work, and use their leisure time.
5. Houses play an important role not only to provide a place to live, but also to give a sense of security.
Read through the text and underline the examples of parallel structures (there are five of them). If you can, write the type of grammatical form used in each case. The first one has been done for you as an example.
Write out the entire paragraph in the submission box if it is easier.
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Not only have geneticists found beneficial uses of genetically engineered organisms in agriculture, but they have also found ( 1. paired conjunctions ) useful ways to use these organisms advantageously in the larger environment. According to the Monsanto company, a leader in genetic engineering research, recombinant DNA techniques may provide scientists with new ways to clean up the environment and with more efficient methods of producing chemicals. By using genetically engineered organisms, scientists have been able to produce natural gas. This process will decrease society's dependence on the environment and will reduce the rate at which natural resources are depleted. In other processes, genetically engineered bacteria are being used both to extract metals from their geological setting and to speed the breakup of complex petroleum mixtures which will help to clean up oil spills. (p. 523).
Source: Rosen, L.J. (1995). Discovery and commitment: A guide for college writers. Mass.: Allyn and Bacon.
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Published on October 25, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on March 27, 2023.
Every piece of academic writing is structured by paragraphs and headings . The number, length and order of your paragraphs will depend on what you’re writing—but each paragraph must be:
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Step 1: identify the paragraph’s purpose, step 2: show why the paragraph is relevant, step 3: give evidence, step 4: explain or interpret the evidence, step 5: conclude the paragraph, step 6: read through the whole paragraph, when to start a new paragraph.
First, you need to know the central idea that will organize this paragraph. If you have already made a plan or outline of your paper’s overall structure , you should already have a good idea of what each paragraph will aim to do.
You can start by drafting a sentence that sums up your main point and introduces the paragraph’s focus. This is often called a topic sentence . It should be specific enough to cover in a single paragraph, but general enough that you can develop it over several more sentences.
Although the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France.
This topic sentence:
The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about—but why does this point matter for your overall argument? If this isn’t already clear from your first sentence, you can explain and expand on its meaning.
This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources.
Now you can support your point with evidence and examples. “Evidence” here doesn’t just mean empirical facts—the form it takes will depend on your discipline, topic and approach. Common types of evidence used in academic writing include:
Make sure to properly cite your sources .
Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009).
Now you have to show the reader how this evidence adds to your point. How you do so will depend on what type of evidence you have used.
This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods.
Steps 3 and 4 can be repeated several times until your point is fully developed. Use transition words and phrases to show the connections between different sentences in the paragraph.
Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009). Access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss.
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Finally, wrap up the paragraph by returning to your main point and showing the overall consequences of the evidence you have explored.
This particular paragraph takes the form of a historical story—giving evidence and analysis of each step towards Braille’s widespread acceptance.
It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).
When you think you’ve fully developed your point, read through the final result to make sure each sentence follows smoothly and logically from the last and adds up to a coherent whole.
Although the Braille system gained immediate popularity with the blind students at the Institute in Paris, it had to gain acceptance among the sighted before its adoption throughout France. This support was necessary because sighted teachers and leaders had ultimate control over the propagation of Braille resources. Many of the teachers at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth resisted learning Braille’s system because they found the tactile method of reading difficult to learn (Bullock & Galst, 2009). This resistance was symptomatic of the prevalent attitude that the blind population had to adapt to the sighted world rather than develop their own tools and methods. Over time, however, with the increasing impetus to make social contribution possible for all, teachers began to appreciate the usefulness of Braille’s system (Bullock & Galst, 2009). Access to reading could help improve the productivity and integration of people with vision loss. It took approximately 30 years, but the French government eventually approved the Braille system, and it was established throughout the country (Bullock & Galst, 2009).
Not all paragraphs will look exactly like this. Depending on what your paper aims to do, you might:
The introduction and conclusion paragraphs will also look different. The only universal rule is that your paragraphs must be unified , coherent and relevant . If you struggle with structuring your paragraphs, you could consider using a paper editing service for personal, in-depth feedback.
As soon as you address a new idea, argument or issue, you should start a new paragraph. To determine if your paragraph is complete, ask yourself:
Don’t think of paragraphs as isolated units—they are part of a larger argument that should flow organically from one point to the next. Before you start a new paragraph, consider how you will transition between ideas.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
McCombes, S. (2023, March 27). Academic Paragraph Structure | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 27, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/paragraph-structure/
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Writing coherently, learning objectives.
The term “coherence” comes from the verb “to cohere,” which means “to be united,” “to form a whole,” or “to be logically consistent”.
Coherence in writing refers to the big picture of a text. How can you construct an essay or research paper to create a united, logically consistent whole?
The USDA’s controversial and now deprecated food pyramid.
Consider this example:
Micronutrients play a vital role in the maintenance of healthy skin and immune function. Of course, nothing is better for healthy skin than sleep and proper hydration. Many Americans drink too little water every day. There has been a good deal of debate about the 8-glasses-of-water advice that many of us remember from growing up. Will this advice go the way of the food pyramid? As it turns out, the food pyramid does not represent a medically ideal diet. A number of health organizations have criticized the food pyramid’s advice, and some have even suggested that the food industry had far too great a role in its creation. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the food industry has intervened in public health policy.
This passage is cohesive, meaning that one sentence flows from the next. But it’s not coherent. Why?
Overall, this paragraph illustrates the pitfalls of associative organization (healthy skin → water → nutrition advice→ food pyramid) and topic sentences that fail to live up to the promise they make to readers. Your reader will become disoriented, fail to see your point (if you have one), and walk away frustrated.
A coherent text needs a strong, logical structure. To revise for coherence, you must first check the logic and flow of your draft to ensure readers can see the big picture you are trying to create.
Let’s face it: the process of writing a draft can be hectic, messy, and confusing. Sometimes we don’t really know what we’ve written until the dust settles. Reverse outlining can help us see the overall structure of the draft, which often differs significantly from what we set out to write!
To write a reverse outline,
Compare the sequence of points in your reverse outline with your original outline (if you have one) to see where you diverged from your plan. Finally, you can create a new outline that represents the best possible sequence of points and revise your draft accordingly.
The following video describes reverse outlining, its benefits, and a technique you can use to reverse outline your draft.
If you’re still not sure about the overall order of your argument, you can try writing an outline of questions:
Say you’re reading a piece of academic writing – maybe a textbook. As you read, you find yourself drifting off, having to read the same sentence over and over before you understand it. Maybe, after a while, you get frustrated and give up on the chapter. What happened?
Nine times out of ten, this is a symptom of incoherence. Your brain is unable to find a unified argument or narrative in the book. This may become frustrating and often happens when a book is above your current level of understanding. To someone else, the writing might seem perfectly coherent, because they understand the concepts involved. But from your perspective, the chapter seems incoherent. And as a result, you don’t get as much out of it as you otherwise would.
How can you avoid this in your own writing? How can you make sure that readers don’t misunderstand you (or just give up altogether)? The answer is to work on coherent writing. Coherence is perhaps the most important feature of argumentative writing. Without it, everything falls apart. If an argument is not coherent, it doesn’t matter how good the evidence is, or how beautiful the writing is: an incoherent argument will never persuade anyone or even hold their attention.
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Have you ever read a piece of writing and wondered what point the writer was trying to make? If so, that piece of writing probably lacked coherence. Coherence is an important aspect of good writing—as important as good grammar or spelling. However, it is also rather harder to learn how to do it, because it is not a matter of simple rules.
Coherent writing moves smoothly between ideas. It guides the reader through an argument or series of points using signposts and connectors. It generally has a clear structure and consistent tone, with little or no repetition. Coherent writing feels planned —usually because it is. This page provides some tips to help you to develop your ability to write coherently.
Dictionary definition of coherence
cohere , v. to stick together, to be consistent, to fit together in a consistent, orderly whole.
coherence , a sticking together, consistency.
Source: Chambers English Dictionary, 1989 edition.
The dictionary definition of coherence is clear enough—but what does that mean in practical terms for writers?
Once you have achieved coherence in your writing, you will find that:
Your sentences and ideas are connected and flow together;
Readers can move easily through the text from one sentence, paragraph or idea to the next; and
Readers will be able to follow the ideas and main points of the text.
On the other hand, a text that is NOT coherent jumps between ideas without making clear connections between them. It is often hard to follow the argument. Readers may find themselves unclear about the point of particular paragraphs or even whole sections. There may be odd sentences that do not fit well with the previous or following sentence, or paragraphs that repeat earlier ideas.
All these issues provide pointers for how to develop coherence.
There are several different elements that contribute to coherence, or are closely linked to the concept.
They include:
Cohesion , or whether ideas are linked within and between sentences.
Unity , or the extent to which a sentence, paragraph or section focuses on a single idea or group or ideas. In any given paragraph, every sentence should be relevant to a single focus.
A joint effort
Together, cohesion and unity mean that sentences and paragraphs are connected around a central theme.
We can consider coherence at several different levels. These include:
Within sentences. A sentence is coherent when it flows naturally, and uses correct grammar , spelling and punctuation . Coherence also includes the use of the most appropriate words, and avoidance of redundancy.
Between sentences . Coherence between sentences means that each sentence flows logically and naturally from the previous one. Connections are made between them so that readers can see the flow of ideas, and how each sentence is linked to the previous one.
Within paragraphs . This is a logical extension of coherence between sentences. Coherence within a paragraph means that the sentences within the paragraph work together as a whole to present a complete thesis or idea.
Why single-sentence paragraphs don’t work
This definition of ‘within paragraph’ coherence explains why you should (almost) never use single-sentence paragraphs. A single sentence is (almost) never going to be able to provide a complete summary of your thesis or idea.
Between paragraphs . For most pieces of writing, you will also need to consider how the paragraphs fit together. Each paragraph covers an idea or thesis—and must then be connected logically to the next paragraph, so that your overall thesis is built step-by-step.
Between subsections or sections . This final level of coherence is only really important for longer documents. You must create a logical flow between different sections, to guide your reader from one to the next so that they can follow the development of your ideas.
The first step to improving coherence is to plan your writing in advance.
Decide on the main point that you want to make, and the ideas that will lead your reader towards your point. It is also helpful to consider your planned audience, and what they want from your text.
There is more about this in our page on Know Your Audience . You may also find it helpful to read our page on Know Your Medium , to check whether there is anything about your publishing medium that you need to consider ahead of starting to write.
There are some techniques that you can use to help improve coherence within your writing. These include:
Using transitional expressions and phrases to signal connections
Words and phrases like ‘however’, ‘because’, ‘therefore’, ‘additionally’, and ‘on the one hand... on the other’ can be used to signal connections between sentences and paragraphs.
WARNING! Real connections needed!
Transitional phrases and words should only be used where the ideas really are connected.
Just inserting transitional expressions will not connect your ideas. Instead, you need to create a reasonable progression of ideas through a paragraph or section.
You also need to use transitional expressions sparingly. Not all ideas need an obvious link—and sometimes putting one in can seem awkward and contrived.
Using repeating forms or parallel structures to emphasise links between ideas
Generally speaking, repetition of words and phrases is unadvisable.
However, used sparingly, you may be able to harness repetition as a way to signal connections between sentences or ideas.
For example, many research papers have a section setting out the limitations of the study. These limitations can often be quite diverse, which makes for a rather disjointed section. To overcome this issue, writers often use the form ‘First... Second... Finally...’ to demonstrate the links between the disparate ideas.
Using pronouns and synonyms to eliminate unnecessary repetition
Repetition is often the enemy of coherence because it interrupts your movement through the writing. You tend to get distracted by the repeated words, and lose the thread of the argument or idea.
Pronouns and synonyms are a good way to avoid repeating words and phrases. However, care is needed when using them, to avoid ambiguity. It is advisable NOT to use pronouns following a sentence with two elements that might take the same pronoun.
For example:
John was sure that Tom was wrong. He had made the same argument last week.
Who made the same argument last week? John or Tom?
It is better to use at least one name again than create ambiguity.
TOP TIP! Come back later
It is often hard to detect ambiguity in your own writing because you know what you wanted to say.
It is therefore a good idea to leave any piece of writing overnight, and read it again in the morning. This will often identify problems such as ambiguous pronouns, and give you a chance to revise them.
Alongside planning, the single most important thing that you can do to improve the coherence of a piece of writing is to review and revise it with the reader’s needs in mind.
When you have finished a piece of writing, put it aside for a while. Overnight is ideal, but longer is fine. Once you have had a chance to forget precisely what you meant, read it over again as if you were coming to it for the first time.
As you start to read, consider the focus of your text: the main point that you want to make.
With that in mind, consciously examine whether the ideas flow clearly through your sentences, paragraphs and sections. Can the reader grasp your argument and follow it through the text? Is there an obvious conclusion?
While you are reading, you should also consider whether there are any very long sentences. If so, shorten them, using transitional words or phrases to link them together effectively. This will make your writing easier to read, and it will naturally flow better.
It is not always easy to know how to create more coherent writing.
The best way to do so is to plan your writing, and then review it carefully. You should particularly consider your focus, and your readers’ needs. In doing so, you may find it helpful to use some of the techniques described on this page—but they will not, in themselves, be sufficient without the planning and review.
Continue to: Writing Concisely Using Plain English
See also: The Importance of Structure in Writing Editing and Proofreading Copywriting
If you are a long-time writer, you are likely to know the most popular problem in writing is scarcity of coherence since most texts students hand their professors over feature a broken cause and effect relationship. Coherence is the direct clue to correct understanding of information. If absent, there is a tiny likelihood readers will grasp the very point you tried to express. Our edit essay service is the leader in providing writing services of all kinds. We can manage college essay editing on any subject . Our admission essay editing ensures you will entry a desired institution. Our fast thesis editing can save your time and let you enjoy solely your research work. At last, our best-quality essay rewriting is a guarantee your essay work will be the most original and unique. We can teach you amazing techniques to create fascinating texts on multifarious subjects. You do not need to waste all days and nights long in search of effective and quick methods to improve your writing abilities. Our writers have already discovered these secrets and are waiting to share them with people, who truly deserve it. If you aim high, you will find our collaboration fruitful. If you are doubtful, here are all the merits you will benefit from once you have let us come into your life:
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Also in this section:
But let’s get down to business. Today, the issue on the agenda is how essential coherence is in writing. Well, at first, it would be better to define what it is? ‘ Coherence ’ derives from the Latin language and denotes “ to stick together ”. Coherence, which is also often called cohesion , is a way to make phrases or sentences logically connected and flow smoothly one after another. Lack of coherence is usually a proof of poor language and an inability to organize thoughts in a clear manner. Coherence allows combining several ideas or assertions so as to form a unique text that makes sense. In fact, coherence has to do with both oral and written language. It does not matter in what form information is presented, it matters in what manner. In addition, coherence is examined on two textual levels:
In general, coherence is an art of turning single sentences into one integral text. The simple way to make a text coherent is to arrange your thoughts in logical order , which is a paramount feature of any good essay. No text can be easy to understand without this condition. There exist different types of logical order, but the common ones are contrast, importance, and chronology. Chronology refers to time and means that events are described according to the time of their occurrence. In this case, tense agreement plays not less an important role since it is obligatory to use time markers and proper tenses to show readers time relations between events discussed. For this reason, you cannot do without learning Future Perfect Tense or advancing Future Perfect Continuous . Importance anticipates that ideas are stated according to their level of significance. The crucial ones are elucidated above all. At last, contrast is a way to arrange idea by comparing or posing them.
There are different cohesive devices of achieving coherence. They can be applied individually or jointly to get a better results. There is nothing uncanny about them. You are sure to have been using at least one of them even being unaware of it.
1. Repetition
Any text features key words, which constitute the ground for a main idea. Regular repetition of key phrases or words is a sure method to connect parts of information. But there is such a blurred line between redundancy and coherence. As a rule, it is nouns to be repeated since they reflect the main notions of any discussion. Repetition is sometimes regarded as a music motive since it keeps in an audience’s mind the right melody. The following fragment (Oshima & Hogue, 2006) serves a good example of how repetition may contribute to coherence:
Ankara , the capital of the Republic of Turkey, has a unique and stunning history. In the past, Ankara was an ordinary commercial city situated on the crossroads of trade routes. For this reason, it was famous for honey, Muscat grapes and pearls. Later, after the decadence of the Ottoman Empire Ankara replaced the former Turkish capital Istanbul and took the role of the leading city in 1923. Today, Ankara is the second most populous city in the country.
As you see, repetition of the word ‘gold’ here is not lack of a writer’s vocabulary but a tool to stick to the main subject of discussion. There is no fixed rule of how many key words should be used in one paragraph. You should rely on your own feeling of sufficiency.
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2. Pronouns
Pronouns are a natural way to substitute nouns in texts. Their first function is to note objects or people without naming them. It is an easy way to avoid excessive wordiness or improper repetition. No text can do without pronoun; otherwise, repetition is inevitable. Moreover, it is usually intelligible from a context what is hidden behind a pronoun. If it is impossible for readers to catch what an author’s implies by some pronoun, it is a proof of insufficient clarity of the text. Let’s turn to our familiar fragment:
In the past, Ankara was an ordinary commercial city situated on the crossroads of trade routes. For this reason, it was famous for honey, Muscat grapes and pearls.
It is not a big deal to unveil what IT denotes, isn’t it? Hence, pronoun usage is a powerful method of coherence if applied in the right place and at the right time. By the way, you may find these facts about noun in English useful for your further writing.
3. Linking words
Linking words, or so-called transition tags, is a widely applied cohesive device to connect various ideas and maintain logical order in a text. These are used to organize paragraphs and fix cause and effect relationship, which allows readers to follow what is going on in the text smoothly. Transition words are an intensifying tool of coherence and consistent. They include conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and transitional expressions. On our site you can read the definition of an adverb , and what role it plays in a sentence. It is much easier to catch on information if it is arranged by means of logical markers, for example:
Many students believe they cannot write a good essay because they are not writers. However , as they keep on writing and working on developing their writing skills, most students gain the needed confidence to start believing they are writers.
You can find plenty of transition words, and they vary from one to another, but their general purpose remains the same – to ensure textual coherence. In general, most linkers are essential for compound sentences. For this reason, you cannot do without knowing of what English relative clauses are , their types and divergences.
Transition tags are divided into classes based on functions. This will facilitate you choosing a right one. Here is the list of the most widespread transitional markers you are likely to need in writing:
| Again, also, and, and then, besides, finally, further, furthermore, in addition, moreover, next, still, too |
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| after a while, afterward, again, and then, as long as, at last, at length, at that time, before, earlier, eventually, finally, formerly, further, furthermore, in the past, last, lately, meanwhile, moreover, next, now, presently, second, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, still, subsequently, then, thereafter, too, until, until now, when |
| Certainly, indeed, in fact, of course |
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| All in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put it differently, to summarize |
One more problem about dealing with transitional words is ignorance of their right meaning. Putting a linker in a wrong context will only aggravate the situation. None wants to be misunderstood, so it is better to abstain from taking some transitional tag at all or look up its meaning each time you are unsure of its relevance. If you are in dread of making a mistake all the time, we can help you by revealing what errors students mostly do and how to forget about grammar mistakes once and forever.
You do not need to memorize all these words since you can always find them here. Moreover, a usual 250-word essay might require 5 examples at the most. It is reasonable to learn only a dozen of linkers, which you could use for your exam essay, for example. It is important not to get obsessed with using transitional signals since their redundancy can make reading perplexing. The same is about their absence. If your text has none of them, it will be challenging for others to grip what you meant. Our essay editing online service is providing support at any hour, so if this task is not up to you, we are free to collaborate.
If you are truly interested in this topic, there are plenty of amazing ways to get skillful in it. First, you need to get used to everyday reading. There is no better way to learn new words and see the context of their relevant usage. Half an hour every day suffices to make your vocabulary advanced. Have a pen at hand to write all important phrases. If you are an assiduous person, there is one more efficient technique for you. Try to practice writing regularly. This will involve your brain activity and foster development of your writing skills. You can read our service blog publishing useful writing information weekly: https://edit-it.org/blog/choose-the-help-of-a-paper-proofreader-for-excellent-effect ; or you may ask our team of experienced and academic editors to help you at any time if some difficulties arise.
4. Parallelism
Parallel constructions are another cohesive device to keep a text coherent. It consists in a deliberate repetition of phrases or sentences, which have similar grammatical forms. This technique works like ordinary repetition. The only difference is that it is not only one word that is regularly repeated but the whole sentence, not literally but at the grammatical level. By the way, you can find out more about parallelisms from our writers: https://edit-it.org/blog/uk-proofreading-services-help-get-rid-of-study-problems
But for now, let’s examine the brilliant example of parallelism usage – a famous speech of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. Let’s examine one of the parallelisms he used:
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate – we cannot consecrate – we cannot hallow – this ground.
This parallelism serves an emphasis on the idea by means of which the American president is striving to inspire his people. You can find many other instances of parallelisms in political speeches. It is regarded as a powerful figure of speech, which is widely used in both press and belles-lettres, which have the main purpose – to affect audience’s mind. If you got stuck and have no idea how to apply parallelisms in your essay, just mail us ‘ proofread my essay within 24 hours ’, and the work will be ready.
As you see, coherence is a complex phenomenon. It encompasses numerous aspects, each of them is aimed at making a text logical and intelligible for a target audience. This is not only about academic writing but writing as a whole. It is impossible for your listeners to get what you mean if your message is deprived of clarity. If we are talking about the ways coherence is achieved in language, it is closely bound to grammar and vocabulary. Our experts are masterful in writing. You can follow our blog to boost your writing abilities: https://edit-it.org/blog/get-the-best-proofreading-service-with-us
We have mentioned the most efficient techniques to “glue” sentences between each other. If you are eager to find out more about cohesive devices, you can always benefit from our blog where you can have at your disposal vast information on writing development: https://edit-it.org/blog/students-choose-services-to-proofread-paper-online
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Coherence is about making everything flow smoothly to create unity. So, sentences and ideas must be relevant to the central thesis statement. The writer has to maintain the flow of ideas to serve the main focus of the essay. 5. Stick to the purpose of the type of essay you're-writing.
Unity. Unity is the idea that all parts of the writing work to achieve the same goal: proving the thesis. Just as the content of a paragraph should focus on a topic sentence, the content of an essay must focus on the thesis. The introduction paragraph introduces the thesis, the body paragraphs each have a proof point (topic sentence) with ...
It helps lay the foundation for more complex or new ideas. While the Eighteenth Century is known for its rich Augustan tradition and its novels of sensibility and the gothic, writers did experiment with the blossoming form of the novel. A well-organized paper uses techniques to build cohesion and coherence between and within paragraphs to guide ...
Cohesive Writing Connects Topic and Stress: Sentences are cohesive when the stress of one sentence is used as the topic of the next. Below, the first example reads like a list of facts. The ideas are related but the sentences don't connect. The second example connects the topics and stress which creates a sense of flow.
Examples: Middle Paragraphs . From a student essay comparing P'u Sung-ling's (17th century) The Cricket Boy and Franz Kafka's (20th century) The Metamorphosis, two stories that deal with a son's relationship to his family.(The writer's thesis: according to these authors, one must connect in meaningful ways with other human beings in order to achieve what Virginia Woolf calls ...
One way to achieve paragraph coherence is to follow the ADVICE format. Here's how this structure looks in practice: Announce: Announce the paragraph's main idea in the first sentence. This is also called the topic sentence. Develop: Develop the core idea of the paragraph and anticipate your proof, support, or evidence.
Here are a few tips for composing cohesive paragraphs: "1. Begin sentences with information familiar to your readers. 2. End sentences with information that readers cannot anticipate. 3. Begin sentences with information that readers will find simple; end with information they will find complex" (Williams & Bizup, 2017, p. 67).
Basic essay structure: the 3 main parts of an essay. Almost every single essay that's ever been written follows the same basic structure: Introduction. Body paragraphs. Conclusion. This structure has stood the test of time for one simple reason: It works. It clearly presents the writer's position, supports that position with relevant ...
graphs are coherent and unified, follow th. se steps: 1. Begin Each Paragraph with a Topic SentenceTh. topic sentence expresses the main idea of the paragraph. It's. ke a thesis statement, but only for that one paragraph. Use your to. sentence as a guide for the content of your paragraph. Ask: Do the othe.
Below is a video on how to write coherent, easy-to-read paragraphs. The video covers the three most important concepts that make for coherence: Writing a strong topic sentence that establishes the subject of the paragraph; Using "echo words" -- i.e., consistent terms for the concepts throughout;
In a coherent text, the ideas are in the right order, the ideas are explained and exemplified just enough, and the ideas are linked together clearly. To help you write coherent text, we will look at coherence at a number of levels. We'll start with a general overview, looking at an example paragraph in different versions which are coherent ...
This article provides tips on how you can make your essay cohesive. 1. Identify the thesis statement of your essay. A thesis statement states what your position is regarding the topic you are discussing. To make an essay worth reading, you will need to make sure that you have a compelling stance. However, identifying the thesis statement is ...
6. Step #3: Coherent, Unified Paragraphs. "Vintage Book" by Suzy Hazelwood, Pexels is in the Public Domain, CC0. Strong essays are built with solid, coherent, and unified paragraphs. They should be digestible units of thought that have similar structure to the essay itself: a topic sentence, a body of support, and a concluding or ...
Chapter 10. Guidelines for Developing a Coherent Essay. views traditionally are relatively short. In such cases, you should state explicitly, near the beginning of your review, what will and will not be covered (Le., the delimitations of your review). The excerpt in Example 10.2.1 illustrates application of this guideline.
Linguistic coherence refers to the clear and logical arrangement of words, phrases, and sentences in a piece of writing to ensure the message is understood as intended. It involves the use of grammatically correct sentences, appropriate use of conjunctions, pronouns and transitional phrases, correct sequencing of ideas, and maintaining the same ...
Two key aspects of coherence. Cohesion: This relates to the linking of ideas within a sentence, the linking of sentences (the ties between sentences) within a paragraph and the linking between paragraphs. Unity: This relates to the question of relevance and maintaining the central focus of a single paragraph and throughout the essay.
This page titled 1.6: Coherent Paragraphs is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by . This brings us to the well-known (but apparently not well enough known) paragraph: the basic unit of composition. The traditional and still useful rule that a paragraph must have unity, coherence, ….
Table of contents. Step 1: Identify the paragraph's purpose. Step 2: Show why the paragraph is relevant. Step 3: Give evidence. Step 4: Explain or interpret the evidence. Step 5: Conclude the paragraph. Step 6: Read through the whole paragraph. When to start a new paragraph.
Define coherence in terms of writing. Identify strategies to revise your argument for coherence. The term "coherence" comes from the verb "to cohere," which means "to be united," "to form a whole," or "to be logically consistent". Coherence in writing refers to the big picture of a text. How can you construct an essay or ...
Coherence is a matter of perception, so you have to write in a way that your reader will understand. Make sure you use terms that the reader will understand. Also, use lines of reasoning that the reader can follow. In school assignments, the reader is your teacher or professor, so this is the person you need to keep in mind as you write.
Coherence is an important aspect of good writing—as important as good grammar or spelling. However, it is also rather harder to learn how to do it, because it is not a matter of simple rules. Coherent writing moves smoothly between ideas. It guides the reader through an argument or series of points using signposts and connectors.
A cohesive essay focuses on one subject and uses supporting evidence and analysis to defend the topic. Cohesive essay writing relies on order and structure for the fluency of the message. Planning ...
Global Level Coherent Text: coherence occurs on the level of the entire text (for example, a novel or monograph). In general, coherence is an art of turning single sentences into one integral text. The simple way to make a text coherent is to arrange your thoughts in logical order , which is a paramount feature of any good essay.