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1. Coherence in Writing
October 1st, 2012

2. liquid honey
• it flows
• it sticks together

3. a working definition
 Coherence refers to a certain
characteristic or aspect of
writing. Literally, the word
means "to stick together.“
 Coherence in writing means that
all the ideas in a paragraph flow
smoothly from one sentence to
the next sentence. With
coherence, the reader has an
easy time understanding the
ideas that you wish to express.
 [TOEFL- Prep Writing: Coherence]
 co·her·ence – noun
 logical interconnection; overall
sense or understandability.
 Linguistics. the property of
unity in a written text that
stems from the links among its
underlying ideas and from the
logical organization and
development of its thematic
content.
 [Dictionary.com - Reference]

4. Coherent… or not?
 For me, the worst thing
about waiting tables was
the uniform. All the
waitresses had to wear
this ugly brown striped
jumper. The shirts were
polyester. Sometimes
someone you know
comes in. Now I have a
job in an office.
 For me, the worst thing about
waiting tables was the
uniform. At the last place I
worked, all the waitresses had
to wear an ugly brown striped
jumper. Underneath it we had
to wear an even uglier
polyester shirt. Sometimes
someone I knew would come
in and I'd feel embarrassed by
my outfit. Now I have a job in
an office, where I can wear my
own clothes.

5. ways to achieve Coherence
 ordering principles
 pronouns
 combining sentences
 transitional words
 repetition

6. ordering principles
 e.g. chronological order
for narrative paragraphs
 choose principle that fits
your material
 use it consistently
 narration
 description
 process
 exemplification
 comparison/contrast
 definition
 cause &effect
(paragraph type)

7.  While there were many contributing factors to the French
Revolution, a primary cause was a financial crisis brought on by
royal extravagance. For years before the revolution finally
exploded in 1789, the royal government had been borrowing
heavily to cover deficit spending. (Cobb, 1988.) Even though
France’s high courts of appeal cautioned against such borrowing,
the royal’s extravagance continued, eventually resulting in a
financial crisis that required the government to institute a series
of taxes. As the press highlighted the government’s spending
with cartoons and stories, the peasants, already burdened by
high taxes, low wages and poor harvests, began to resent the
demands of the royals. Finally, in 1789, the Third Estate- the
common people- became so enraged, they demanded a new
constitution and refused to compromise with the existing
government until it was written. This demand set off the first
sparks of revolution.
cause & effect ordering principle

8. pronouns
 Murdoch could hear Seymour’s whoops
and Katie’s laughter. He stepped up to
the window and, leaning in close,
rapped hard… He let himself into the
hall, hung up his hat and coat, and
opened the door to the parlour.
Seymour greeted him with more
exuberance than Murdoch had ever
seen him express before.
(antecedent!?)

9. combining sentences
 Fred Smith has a problem.
He has too many cats. This
problem started innocently
enough with one female cat.
She had kittens. They grew
up, and the kittens had
kittens. Fred has thirty cats.
He spends most of his
energy and resources on
maintaining them. He is
exhausted.
 Fred Smith has a problem. He
has too many cats. This
problem started innocently
enough with one female cat,
but she had kittens that
grew up and had more
kittens. Fred now has thirty
cats and spends most of his
energy and resources on
maintaining them. He is
exhausted.

10. transitional words
 addition:
 also / in addition to /
additionally
 detail or example:
 for example / that is / more
specifically
 logic:
 therefore / thus / in
conclusion
 contrast:
 yet / nevertheless / on the
other hand
 similarity:
 likewise / similarly / in other
words
 reinforcement of ideas:
 also / in other words / in
addition / for example /
moreover
 change in ideas:
 instead / on the other hand / yet
/ although / however / but / in
contrast / nevertheless
 conclusion:
 thus / therefore / in conclusion /
finally / accordingly / so
(linking words)

11.  It’s perhaps not surprising that Marshall McLuhan, the
most influential communications expert of the
twentieth century, was a Canadian. As a nation , we
have been preoccupied with forging communication
links among a sparse, widespread population. The old
Canadian one-dollar bill, with its line of telephone poles
receding to the distant horizon, illustrates this
preoccupation. Year after year we strive to maintain a
national radio and television broadcasting system in
the face of foreign competition. We have been
aggressive in entering the international high technology
market with our telecommunications equipment.
repetition
(optimal redundancy;
deliberate & judicious)

12. putting it all together
 Throughout most of my school days my eyes failed to
focus correctly when reading. Consequently, I saw
different symbols every time I read a sentence. As a
result, the printed page was a chaotic kaleidoscope of
constantly changing letters that made no sense. For
example, when reading the last sentence I would see: “
A tters made sense,” or “As le ter that made no ense,” or
“Letters mad no sens,” depending on how my eyes
focused on a sentence. After my eye problem was
corrected, my real problems began because it was
assumed that I could now read like everyone else. This
was a big mistake that overlooked the psychological
effects created by my visual disability. Most
importantly, I was left doubting my understanding
when reading unfamiliar material while teachers began
to give me increasingly complex material to read.
 ordering
principles
 pronouns
 combining
sentences
 transitional
words
 repetition

13.  Test Yourself: Make It Coherent
 http://www2.athabascau.ca/services/write-
site/paragraph-resource/make-it-coherent/quiz/
 Athabasca University Write Site 
Coherent for you?