PROPERTIES OF A WELL -
WRITTEN TEXT
(Coherence, Cohesion)
Coherence refers to the interconnection between and among
ideas in the text. It means all ideas or expressions in the text are
clear. This also means that all ideas cohere systematically with
each other. When ideas are integrated in a text they should be
unified in terms of logical connection and consistency. Supporting
or developing ideas, for example is needed and a writer should
know if the supporting ideas are relevant to the main idea of the
text. These ideas must be provided in advancing the thesis or the
main point of the text. In other words, coherence refers to the
smooth transition among the ideas represented in the sentences
and paragraphs, facilitated by the grammatically correct
connections within among sentences.
Tips to Achieve Coherence:
• If you are writing, the positive and negative points of a topic, discuss the
positives before the negative, or vice versa. Do not discuss with
interchanging positive and negative because this will confuse the
readers.
• Within a paragraph be sure to discuss only one main point to avoid
cluttering the ideas.
• Stick to one topic and finish it first, instead of reverting back to it again
and again.
• Use what you learned about clustering and outlining to place the related
ideas under respective categories. If one idea is misplaced, that will
make the text incoherent.
Forms of Reasoning:
1. Deductive reasoning starts with a general conclusion to specific details
that support the general conclusion. In your paragraph therefore you
begin with topic sentence and this will be followed by supporting
sentences.
2. Inductive reasoning starts with an observation of particular
representatives leading to a general statement based on these particular
representatives. Applying this to your paragraph you must begin with a
particular detail and end your paragraph with your topic sentence.
Parallelism
Another way to ensure coherence is to observe parallelism.
This means that ideas of the same nature must be expressed
in the same grammatical structures. This consistency of
grammatical structure helps you to present your ideas clearly.
Example:
Parallel: swimming, eating, jogging
Not parallel: to swim, eating, jogging
Repetition
There are instances when important ideas in your
paragraph need furtherhighlighting to emphasize their
importance. One way to do this is by repetition ofkey
words or phrases. These repeated ideas will further call
attention to a coherent statement which the paragraph
talks about.
Cohesion is the connection of ideas at the sentence level, it can
be readily seen in a text through the smooth flow of the
sentences and the connection of ideas.
Cohesion can be applied using three techniques.
1. The use of pronouns to refrain from using a specific word
repeatedly.
2. The use of transitional devices to connect sentences with
linked ideas.
3. The employs of repetition of keywords to tie up the
paragraphs subtly.
Substitution
One way of promoting cohesion is via substitution.
The use of pronouns as substitute for key nouns in
your paragraph aids you in presenting clear flow of
ideas. Substituting nouns with pronouns avoid
repetition and confusion in your paragraph. To
achieve this, you need to brush on your knowledge of
pronoun- antecedent agreement.
Transitional Devices
In writing a paragraph or an essay, clear
connection between ideas is a must. As a writer, it
your challenge to sustain the smooth flow of your
ideas so the readers can easily comprehend what
you are writing. You can use transitional
devices to achieve this. These transitions help you
show connections between
your sentences.
Remember: To observe coherence and cohesion
in writing, you must be aware of organizing your
ideas by using organizational tools like outline
and graphic organizers. While in achieving
cohesion in writing, you must understand and
remember how the different transitional devices
are used.
THANK
YOU
