Coherence
You’ve achieved coherence in a paragraph when a reader (usually an
instructor) congratulates you on good “flow.” A paragraph that is coherent
flows because it is arranged according to a definite plan, and as a result, all
the sentences are not just about the same main topic, but they also “stick
together” and lead readers smoothly from the topic sentence to the concluding
one. This “stickiness” results from sentences that follow, one from the other,
in a way that makes sense. Each sentence takes a logical step forward. There
are a number of ways to achieve coherence: through use of ordering principles,
pronouns, transitional words, and repetition.
Using an
ordering principle to achieve coherence
One way to achieve the flow of coherence is to decide on an
ordering principle for the ideas in your paragraph. This means that there is a
pattern of development that creates a logical flow between the sentences. For
example, the first paragraph under the title “Types of Paragraphs in a Basic
Essay” uses enumeration to list the different types of paragraphs. Narrative paragraphs use a chronological ordering principle and usually relate events
connected by time. You’ll usually find narrative paragraphs using transitions
of time like “then,” “next,” and “finally.” There are many other ordering
principles used to create coherent paragraphs including comparison-contrast andcause-effect methods. The important point is to choose one method that
fits your material, and make sure you use it consistently to link the ideas in
your paragraph together. For more on choosing the right ordering principle, see
the section on paragraph development
Using pronouns to achieve coherence
Another way to help achieve coherence is to use pronouns to refer
to nouns in previous sentences in the paragraph, thus “sticking” the sentences
together. For example, if you refer to people in one sentence you can
“point back” to that noun in the next sentence by using the pronoun them. In
this case, people is the antecedent of the pronoun them.
A word of caution about using pronouns: make sure it is clear what
noun (antecedent) the pronoun is pointing to or you could cause confusion
instead of coherence. Consider these two sentences, for example: Turnbull
chooses words that could be found in any newspaper. Like a newspaper reporter,
he writes it so most readers at a grade nine level could read it.
Here, it is clear that Turnbull’s work is being compared to that of
a newspaper writer, but it’s not clear what noun “it” refers to. The noun could
be newspaper, but then it sounds like Turnbull is writing a newspaper
article, which is probably not what the writer intended. A simple edit creates
coherence by making the antecedent of the pronoun clear: Turnbull chooses
words that could be found in any newspaper. Like a newspaper reporter, he picks
them to make his work readable at a grade nine level. In the edited
version, the pronoun “them” clearly refers to the antecedent, “words” and
creates a connection between the two sentences.
Another thing to remember about using pronouns to create coherence
is to use them judiciously. Just as a vague reference can create confusion, so
can using too many pronouns in a paragraph. In this paragraph, notice how the
numerous pronouns combine to make the writer’s meaning unclear: In addition,
Turnbull chooses words that could be found in any newspaper. Like a newspaper
reporter, he writes it so most readers at a grade nine level could read it.
They are also at most, one or two syllables. It makes this very readable and
informal, and they create a nice style.
In this case, even though most of the pronouns refer to a noun in a
previous sentence, the sheer number of pronouns makes the whole piece, well,
incoherent.
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