week 10

IV. Paragraph Coherence (P66)

1. What is paragraph coherence?

Coherence means “sticking together; or connection and consistency”; and it is

concerned with the organization of a paragraph. To be coherent, the paragraph must

have order or sequence and all the sentences that compose it should be logically

arranged and connected in explaining the controlling idea.

A coherent paragraph is one in which every sentence after the first is connected

to the one before it, to the topic sentence, or to both, and readers can readily follow

the writer’s train of thought (=a related series of thoughts).

An incoherent paragraph is one in which the sentence are badly connected or not

connected at all, and the readers are likely to lose their way.

2. Devices/Methods/Ways to Achieve Coherence (P66)

To ensure the smooth flow of ideas within a paragraph, you can use pronouns,

repeat key words or phrases, avoid pronoun shifts, and resort to transitional signals.

These are the most commonly used connecting devices; sometimes there may be

several devices used to achieve coherence in a paragraph.

1) Arranging sentences in a clear order

You can write a coherent paragraph by arranging sentences in it in space order,

time order, climatic order, general-to-specific order / deductive order, and

specific-to-general order / inductive order. For example, Passage 2 on Page 52 is

developed in time order, while Passage 3 on Page 67 in climatic order.

2) Using correct pronouns

Pronouns stand for nouns that appear earlier in the sentence or in previous

sentences. Using correct pronouns in proper places prevents monotony and promotes

clarity.

Sample 1

English is considered as an international language. It is spoken by more than 260 million

people all over the world.

Sample 2

Professional writers begin by trying to interest readers. They never start by saying, “How

can I avoid making mistakes?” They ask themselves this question instead: “How can I make

people pay attention to what I am saying-and take my writing seriously?” Good writers want to be

correct. They know that if they use incorrect spelling, sloppy punctuation, erratic grammar, and

rough syntax, they will destroy the effect of their writing -just as a pianist who hits a few wrong

notes will destroy the effect of a Beethoven concerto. But professional writers never assume that

correctness is enough in itself. They want to engage readers and keep them engaged.

3) Reaping key nouns and keyword groups Repeating the important words in the previous sentences, particularly the

controlling ideas in the topic sentence, helps to remind the reader of the focus. These

words will remove the trouble of going back to see what you are talking about.

Sometimes the word may appear in different forms. Passage 3 on Page 37 is a good

example.

(In the following samples, the italicized words are the repetition of the key words.)

Sample 3

Although most people know that the success of a television show is measured by its ratings,

few know exactly how shows are rated. First, a rating company installs meters in a few thousand

representative homes in a particular area. When the television set in one of these homes is turned

on, the meter records the day, time, and the channel. The meter then electronically sends this

information to the rating company's headquarters. A computer at the headquarters tallies all of

the information from all the homes in the area. Finally, the computer prints 4 rating sheet that

shows how many homes watched each show and which shows are the most popular.

Sample 4

Good writers want to be correct. They know that if they use incorrect spelling, sloppy

punctuation, erratic grammar and rough syntax they will destroy the effect of their writing ... But

professional writers never assume that correctness is enough itself. They want to engage readers

and keep them engaged.

Sample 5

If your objective is to score a goal, you must kick the ball. The ball may not go where you

aim because of a missed kick or an interception by an opponent. But if you continue to run after

the ball, then the ball will eventually get nearer to your target. You may need more training or the

help of team members to score a goal.

4) Avoiding Pronoun Shifts

A common problem student writers have is switching different pronouns within

the same paragraph. Note that coherence is broken in the paragraph below because it

contains a number of pronoun shifts. The writer switches to different personal

pronoun sometimes the second person, sometimes the third person, to refer to people

in general.

Sample 6

You can make a lot of money selling door-to-door if you have the right personality. A person