When is writing coherent

Summary, repetition, exemplification, intensification : to sum up, in brief, on the whole, in sum, in short, as I have said, in other words, that is, to be sure, as has been noted, for example, for instance, in fact, indeed, to tell the truth, in any event. See the improvement in coherence that results when transitions are added to the following paragraph:.

Cable television sounds like a good deal at first. All available local channels can be piped into a television set for a relatively low cost per month. Several channels for news and local access are in the basic monthly fee. A cable connection to a second or third TV set costs extra.

In most places subscribers have to pay as much as thirty dollars a month extra to get the channels like Home Box Office and The Disney Channel. The movies change each month. Many of the films offered each month are box office flops or reruns of old movies that can be viewed on regular channels.

Cable television isn't really a bargain. Moreover , several channels for news and local access are in the basic monthly fee. On the other hand , a cable connection to a second or third TV set costs extra.

And in most places subscribers have to pay as much as thirty dollars a month extra to get the channels like Home Box Office and The Disney Channel. In sum , cable television isn't really a bargain.

Close navigation Home. Special Collections. Academic Commons. Search Open navigation My account. Search this Guide Search. A collaboration between the English Department and the Hege Library. Home Why Write? Repetition in a piece of writing does not always demonstrate cohesion. Study these sentences:.

The purpose of the simulation exercise is to simulate the racing performance of a racing car as it will perform in an actual race. The purpose of the simulation exercise is to recreate the performance of a car in an actual race.

When a pronoun is used, sometimes what the pronoun refers to ie, the referent is not always clear. Clarity is achieved by repeating a key noun or synonym. Repetition is a cohesive device used deliberately to improve coherence in a text. In the following text, decide ifthe referent for the pronoun it is clear. Otherwise, replace it with the key noun English where clarity is needed. English has almost become an international language.

Spanish is the official language of more countries in the world, but more countries have English as their official or unofficial second language. Text source: Oshima, A. Writing academic English 4th ed. NY: Pearson Education. Click here to view the revised text. Suggested improvement. Except for Chinese, more people speak it clear reference; retain than any other language. Spanish is the official language of more countries in the world, but more countries have English it is replaced with a key noun as their official or unofficial second language.

It clear reference; retain is the primary language on the Internet. Sometimes, repetition of a key noun is preferred even when the reference is clear. In the following text, it is clear that it refers to the key noun gold , but when used throughout the text, the style becomes monotonous.

Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, it has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable for jewellery, coins and ornamental purposes.

It never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted 23 centuries ago. Another characteristic of it is its usefulness to industry and science.

For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. Astronauts wear heat shields made from it for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, it is treasured not only for its beauty but also its utility. Improved text: Note where the key noun gold is repeated. The deliberate repetition creates interest and adds maturity to the writing style. Gold , a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.

First of all, gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Gold never needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was made 23 centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. Astronauts wear gold -plated shields when they go outside spaceships in space. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also its utility.

Sometimes, greater cohesion can be achieved by using a pronoun followed by an appropriate key noun or synonym a word with a similar meaning. In the two main studies, no dramatic change was found in the rate of corrosion. This finding could be due to several reasons.

Generally speaking, crime rates in Europe have fallen over the past two years. When a group of school children was interviewed, the majority said they preferred their teachers to be humorous yet kind.

However, such qualities were not as highly rated by teachers. Transitions are like traffic signals. They guide the reader from one idea to the next.

They signal a range of relationships between sentences, such as comparison, contrast, example and result. Click here for a more comprehensive list of Transitions Logical Organisers.

Which of the three alternatives should follow the transition or logical organiser in capital letters to complete the second sentence? Improve the coherence of the following paragraph by adding transitions in the blank spaces. Use the italicised hint in brackets to help you choose an apporpriate transition for each blank. If you need to, review the list of Transitions Logical Organisers before you start. First, CDs brought digital sound into people's homes.

Then DVD technology brought digital sound and video and completely revolutionised the movie industry. Soon there will be 1. A Blu-ray disc will have several advantages. First sequence , it has an enormous data storage capacity.

A single-sided DVD can hold 4. A single-sided BD, 3. A double-layer BD can store about 50 gigabytes, enough for 4. The cost will be the same. In addition addition , a BD has a higher data transfer rate - 36 megabits per second - than today's DVDs, which transfer at 10 megabits per second. Consequently result , a BD can record 25 gigabytes of data in just over an hour and a half.

Therefore conclusion, result , because of their storage capacity and comparable cost, BDs will probably take over the market when they become widely available.

NY: Pearson Longman Ltd. There are three separate sources of hazards related to the use of nuclear reactions to supply us with energy. Firstly , the radioactive material must travel from its place of manufacture to the power station. Although the power stations themselves are solidly built, the containers used for the transport of the material are not. Unfortunately, there are normally only two methods of transport available, namely road or rail, and both of these involve close contact with the general public, since the routes are bound to pass near or through heavily-populated areas.

Secondly , there is the problem of waste. All nuclear power stations produce wastes which in most cases will remain radioactive for thousands of years. It is impossible to de-activiate these wastes; consequently , they must be disposed of carefully. For example , they may be buried under the ground, dropped into disused mineshafts, or sunk in the sea.

However , these methods do not solve the problem; they merely store it, since an earthquake could crack open the containers. Thirdly , there is the problem of accidental exposure due to a leak or an explosion at the power station. As with the other two hazards, this is extremely unlikely. Nevertheless it can happen. Separately, and during short periods, these three types of risk are no great cause for concern. Taken together, though , and especially over much longer periods, the probability of a disaster is extremely high.

Text source: Coe, N. Writing skills: A problem-solving approach for upper-intermediate and more advacned students. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. While the use of appropriate transitions can improve coherence as the previous practice activity shows , it can also be counterproductive if transitions are overused. After all, the goal of writing is to benefit the readers. Without both coherence and cohesion, the readers may detect choppiness in the text and feel as if there are gaps in the ideas presented.

Needless to say, texts without coherence are difficult to read and understand. It defeats the whole purpose of writing, which is to relay ideas in a clear and efficient manner.

There are strategies that you can use to ensure coherence and cohesion in academic writing. Paragraph coherence and cohesion results in paragraph unity. To ensure that your paragraphs have unity, there are two things to keep in mind: it must have a single topic found in the topic sentence and sentences provide more detail than the topic sentence, while maintaining the focus on the idea presented.

The paragraph below shows a lack of unity:. Non-cohesive sample: Dogs are canines that people domesticated a long time ago. Wolves are predecessors of dogs and they help people in a variety of ways. There are various reasons for owning a dog, and the most important is companionship. Cohesive sample: Dogs are canines that people domesticated a long time ago, primarily for practical reasons. Even though dogs descended from wolves, they are tame and can be kept in households. Since they are tame, people have various reasons for owning a dog, such as companionship.

Notice that the ideas in the non-cohesive sample are not arranged logically. The sentences are not connected by transitions and give the readers new ideas that are not found in the topic sentence. Thus, the paragraph is hard to read, leaving readers confused about the topic.