COHERENCE
means “sticking together ” ; connecting sentences
Every sentence in a paragraph relates to a single idea
There are four ways to write coherent paragraphs:
1. Repeat key words or use clear pronouns.
2. Use parallel structure
3. Use transitional markers
4. Use a transitional sentence
( Winkler,C.A & Metherell,J.R., 2012)
LANGUAGE FOCUS:
Writing with coherence
1. REPEAT KEY WORDS OR USE CLEAR PRONOUNS
Example :
The vil lain in science fiction movies is always the personification
of evil . One way this concentration of evil is achieved is by
surrounding the vil lain with numerous henchmen. Without
henchmen, the vil lain would appear much less powerful. To
accentuate his vil lainy, he surrounds himself with the ruthless
storm troopers, evil robots, slime monsters. With these associates
by the vil lain’s side, the eventual triumph of the hero over the
vil lain takes place against a backdrop of overwhelming odds.
*Repeti t ion of the word v i l la in and the use of the pronouns he, h imself , h is
which refer to v i l la in , prov ide a common thread connect ing a l l f ive sentences.
LANGUAGE FOCUS:
Writing with coherence
2. USE PARALLEL STRUCTURE
Example :
Fleas of various species can jump 150 times their own length,
can survive months without feeding , can accelerate 50 times
faster than the space shuttle, can withstand enormous
pressure, and can remain frozen for a year and then revive.
* The repetition of certain words, phrases, or clauses in a
paragraph can give sentences a cohering rhythm and harmony,
as the repetition of can and a verb does in the above example.
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with
coherence
3. USE TRANSIONAL MARKERS
Words and phrases called transitional markers helps to
establish clear connections between ideas and ensure that
sentences and paragraph flow together smoothly, making
them easier to read.
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
TRANSIONAL MARKERS
i) COORDINATING CONJUCTION
iii) CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS
ii) SUBORDINATING CONJUNTION
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
i) COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
To show addition: and
To show choice : or , nor
To show consequences : so
To show contrast: but, yet
To show cause : for
Use a related group of paired coordinating conjunctions, called correlative conjunctions , to strengthen these relationships:
To show choice : either/or, neither/nor, whether/or
To show addition : both/and, not only/but also, not only/but
Example of an excerpt using transitional marker
( coordinating conjunction)
It is possible to diagnose AD(H)D later in life, but only if the
symptoms began before age 7. Also, symptoms should cause
problems in two or more settings, for example at both work and
home. Furthermore, AD(H)D can only be diagnosed if the
symptoms make it hard for the person to learn how to function
well socially, academically, and at work (DSM -IV, p. 78).
Symptoms might not show up if the person is under "very strict
control," is in a new place, or is doing "especially interesting"
activities, or is working with only one other person (p. 79).
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
I i ) SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
To show condition: if, even if, unless, provided that
To show contrast: though, although , even though, as if,
even as
To show cause: because, since
To show time: when, whenever, while, as, before, after,
since, once, until
To show place: where, whenever
To show purpose: so that, in order that, that
Example of an excerpt using transitional markers
( subordinating conjunctions)
In retrospect, the conclusions of Terrace et al. seem to have
been premature. Although some early ape language studies
had not been rigorously controlled to eliminate cuing, even as
early as the 1970s R. A. Gardner and B. T. Gardner were
conducting double-blind experiments that prevented any
possibility of cuing (Fouts, 1997, p. 99). Since 1979,
researchers have diligently guarded against cuing.
( Shaw, K. , Apes and Language)
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
i i i) CONJUNCTIVE ADVERBS:
To show contrast: however, nevertheless ,
nonetheless, stil l
To show cause and effect: accordingly , consequently, thus,
before
To show addition: also, besides, furthermore,
moreover, similarly
To show time: afterward, subsequently, then
To show emphasis: indeed
To show condition: otherwise
Example of a paragraph using transitional markers
( Conjunctive adverbs)
The third section of both surveys included an additional question in relation to the reasons for students committing academic misconduct. Students were asked to nominate from a list of twenty-one reasons for instance why they committed academic misconduct if they had admitted to it in section two, while staff were asked to indicate (from the same list) the reasons that students had given them when caught engaging in academic misconduct. Then , they were…….However , it was…….
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
4. USE A TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE
To make the transition from one paragraph to the
next is to open the second paragraph with a
straddling sentence. This is a sentence that stands with one
foot on the paragraph that is just ending and the other on the
one that is just beginning.
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
EXAMPLE :
Anyone wi th an in terest in b iography soon become in terested
in Boswel l ’s L i fe o f Johnson. I t s tands next to other
biographies as Shakespeare s tands bes ide other p laywr ights:
tower ing above them al l . For more than two centur ies i t has been
cont inuously in pr in t , and in that t ime i t has won innumerable admirers.
No other b iography has g iven so much p leasure; no
other b iography has created such viv id central character.
I t has become a t ru ism that , as a resul t o f Boswel l ’s
ext raordinary book, Samuel Johnson is bet ter known to us
than any other man in h is tory.
St r addle As wel l as be ing a famous and much loved book,
Sent ence the l i fe o f Johnson is a work that ra ises fundamental quest ions
about the nature of b iography i tsel f . Is i t possible for a b iographer
to fu l ly understand what i t is l ike to be another human being?
However carefu l and d i l igent the wr i ter, can b iography be accurate,
that is , fa i thful to l i fe? Everybody knows “Dr. Johnson,” or so we
th ink, but is the man we know f rom the pages of Boswel l ’s book
the same Johnson who s t rode the s t reets of London 250 years ago?
Is the b iography sc ience or ar t? His tory or f ic t ion?
Boswel l ’s Presumptuous Task, Adam Sisman
Sources:
Rosen, L.J. ( 2010). The Academis Writer’s Handbook . Longman,
Pearson
Wrinkler, A.C. & Metherell, J.R. ( 2012). Writing the Research
Paper A handbook. USA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Azar, B.S. (1992). Fundamentals of English Grammar. New
Jersey, USA: Prentice Hall.
LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity
and coherence
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