Properties of a

well – written text

Coherence and
Cohesion
 Lesson Objectives
1 2
identify the evaluate a
features of a written text
coherent and based on its
cohesive text coherence and
cohesion
 Vocabulary builder
1. Coherence - the connection of ideas at the idea level.
2. Cohesion - the connection of ideas at the sentence level
3. Reference words - are words which are used to refer to
something which is mentioned
elsewhere in the text usually in a preceding sentence
4. Transitional signals - are also called cohesive devices or
linking words
5. Synonyms - are words that have the same or nearly the
same meaning as another word
6. Parallelism - is the use of matching words, phrases,
clauses or sentence structures to
express similar ideas
Warming Up!
Read and analyze the short paragraphs below and underline one
sentence in each which is irrelevant or not related to the topic.
Write your responses on a separate sheet.

1. I dislike being stressed in the morning. Therefore, I wake up two

hours before leaving for work. This means having to go to bed
very early in the evening. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be well enough
rested. Eating my breakfast is a thing I should not forget.
Eating my breakfast is a thing I should not forget.
2. Public transportation plays a pivotal role in human life
nowadays. Many people use different modes to travel between
places, such as train, bus, and taxi. Fare should be taken into
consideration. However, using public transit has its own
advantages and disadvantages.
Fare should be taken into consideration.
3. My favorite color is blue. Blue sports cars go very fast. I like it because it is
calming and it relaxes me. I often go outside in the summer and lie on the grass
and look into the clear sky when I am stressed. For this reason, I’d have to say my
favorite color is blue.
Blue sports cars go very fast.
4. Mr. Park resisted pressure to take a job with a large corporation and rejected the
security and prestige that comes with such employment. He spent two years trying
to convince his wife and family that he had real entrepreneurial talent. His children
are very supportive of him. Finally, he entered the business plan in a competition
and won.
His children are very supportive of him.
5. International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th of March of every year. It
began as a Socialist political event in several Western countries. Women are more
powerful than men. Then, other countries also started celebrating the holiday just
as a way to express their love for women. Currently, the United Nations observes
the holiday as a way to bring to light women’s issues around the world.
Women are more powerful than men.
 Read and analyze the given sentences in the

box.
1. When cats are hungry, they rub on your leg and demand
immediate attention. They find a quiet place and sleep
when they are satisfied?

2. When cats are hungry, they rub on your leg and demand
immediate attention. However, when they are satisfied,
they find a quiet place and sleep.
What is Cohesion?

- it is the connection of ideas at the sentence

level

- it focuses on the “grammatical” aspects of

writing.
 If there is
Cohesion, there
should be
Coherence.
 What is Coherence?

- it is the connection of ideas at the idea level

- “rhetorical” aspects of writing which include
developing and supporting arguments (e.g., thesis
statement development, synthesizing and integrating
readings, organizing and clarifying ideas)
- it is the overall sense of unity in a passage including
both the main point of sentences and the main point
of each paragraph.
A text will be cohesive if cohesive ties are
used.
However, it will only be coherent if the
cohesive ties are used appropriately to
create meaning
Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main

methods:
1. Repeated words/ideas – one way to achieve cohesion
is to repeat words, or to repeat ideas
using different words.

Example:

Most students are intimidated by the

works of William Shakespeare.
They believe Shakespeare’s sonnets
and plays are far too complicated to
read and understand
Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main

methods:
2. Reference words – are words which are used to refer
to something which is mentioned
elsewhere in the text, usually in a preceding sentence. The
most common type is pronoun.

Example:

Mr. Thompson agreed to meet with

members of the worker’s union before he
signed the contract. He was interested in
hearing their concerns about the new
insurance plan.
Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main

3. Transitional Signalsmethods:
– are also called cohesive
devices or linking words. These are words or phrases
which show the relationship between ides.
Some examples of transitional signals are:
a. Time – first, immediately, afterward, before, at the same time,
after, earlier, simultaneously, finally, next, in the meantime, later,
eventually, then, meanwhile, now, subsequent, etc.
b. Sequence – moreover, furthermore, next, also, finally, last,
another, first, second, third, besides, additionally, etc.
c. Space – above, next to, below, behind, beside, etc.
d. Illustration – for instance, specifically, for example, namely, in
this case, to illustrate, etc.
Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main

Some examples of transitional

methods: signals are:
e. Comparison – similarly, also, in the same way, still, likewise, in
comparison, too, etc.
f. Contrast – but, despite, however, even though, yet, on the other
hand, although, on the contrary, otherwise, conversely, nevertheless,
instead, in spite of; etc.
g. Cause and effect – because, as a result, consequently, then, so,
since,
Example:
Many students believe they cannot write a good essay
because they are not writers. However, as they practice
writing and work on developing their writing skills, most
students are able to gain the needed confidence to start
thinking of themselves as writers
Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main

4. Synonyms – are wordsmethods:

that have the same or nearly the same
meaning as another word. They provide alternative word choices
that can add variety to a text and can help eliminate unnecessary
repetition.

Example:

Teenagers face an enormous amount of peer pressure from

friends and schoolmates. As a result, many young adults
are
exhibiting signs of severe stress or depression at an early
age.
Good cohesion is achieved through the following five main

5. Parallelism – is the usemethods:

of matching words, phrases, clauses or
sentence structures to express similar ideas. Parallel structures
allow the reader to flow smoothly from one idea, sentence or
paragraph to the next and to understand the relationships and
connections between ideas.

Example:

Usually, the children spend the summer weekends playing

ball in park, swimming in the neighbor’s pool, eating ice
cream under the three, or camping in the backyard.
 Coherence
involves…

summarizing the
overall argument of presenting ideas
an essay in in a logical
the introductory sequence
paragraph
FEATURES
beginning each
putting separate,
paragraph with a
major points into
‘topic sentence’,
separate
followed by
paragraphs
supporting sentences
Coherence can be achieved by:

 writing a concept map or outline

 write down the main idea of each paragraph – called a
topic sentence
 check to see if the topic sentences are connected to
the thesis statement of the paper of have strayed from
the main argument
 How do you check whether you achieve
coherence?
1. Analyze the essay paragraph by paragraph.

 Do the paragraph breaks come in natural places?

 Does every paragraph focus only on one aspect of the problem?

2. Read the paper from beginning until the end without any pauses.

 Does it give you a sense of completeness and unity?

3. Think about your impressions

 Can you tell straight away what the main idea of the text is after you
have read it?
 It is clear what opinion the author sticks with?
 Example:

Poor Coherence STRONG

Coherence
• The industry has many • The industry has many advantages.
advantages. It can draw on great It can draw on great deal of
deal of research. It can also research, particularly in terms of
export products to key trading strategies used for entering new
partners. It has significant growth markets. While there is a significant
potential in the medium to long growth potential in the medium to
term. Workers within this industry long term, it is clear that workers
need training. It is important to within this sector need training.
keep staff up-to-date with Therefore, it is important to keep
software used in this industry. staff up-to-date with software used
in this industry.
Practice Task :
Get LOGICAL
Read and analyze the given sentence in each item. Tick off (√) the
sentence which follows logically from the first sentence. Do this activity on
a separate answer sheet.

1. Studying when you’re older should not be a problem.

____a. In fact, some say that the additional experience older
people have is a plus.
____b. Despite this, there are many benefits to being a mature
student.

2. Colleges recognize that not everyone can physically

attend a course of study.
____a. For instance, online courses are now very popular.
____b. For this reason, many now offer study-at-home courses.
3. Going back to studying after a long gap can be
problematic.
____a. As a result, people can greatly improve their job
prospects.
____b. Mature students often have family commitments as well
as academic difficulties.

4. Distance learning has been greatly helped by the

internet.
____a. Due to its popularity, television soon became a popular
medium for education.
____b. Advantages such as real-time communication make it
much more effective than using
the radio, television or the postal service. these.
5. Subjects such as philosophy and sociology
are popular choices at degree level.

____a. Nevertheless, these subjects do not lead

directly to a job.
____b. In addition, it is difficult to find work with a
degree in either of these.
 Number the sentences in an appropriate order to form a
coherent and cohesive paragraph. Do this on a separate
sheet of paper.

1) _____a. Therefore, I wake up two hours before leaving for work

_____b. Otherwise I wouldn’t be well enough rested
_____c. I dislike being stressed in the morning
_____d. This means having to go to bed very early in the evening

2) _____a. The set, sounds, and actors in the movie captured the essence of
horror films.
_____b. The sounds, too, were appropriate; especially terrifying was the hard,
hollow sound of footsteps throughout the film.
_____c. The set was ideal: looming shadows of large and unlighted houses,
deserted streets, trees dipping their branches over the sidewalks, and mist
hugging the ground.
_____d. But the best feature of the movie was its actors, all of them, tall, pale
and extremely thin.
Thank You!