LANGUAGE FOCUS : Writing with

coherence

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

THE END

LANGUAGE FOCUS: Writing with unity

and coherence