Coherence in a piece of writing means that the reader can easily understand it. Coherence is about making everything flow smoothly. The reader can see that everything is logically arranged and connected, and relevance to the central focus of the essay is maintained throughout.

 Two key aspects of coherence

• Cohesion: This relates to the linking of ideas within a sentence, the linking of sentences (the ties between sentences) within a paragraph and the linking between paragraphs. 

• Unity: This relates to the question of relevance and maintaining the central focus of a single paragraph and throughout the essay. A paragraph has unity when the support sentences contribute to a greater understanding of the point made at the beginning of the paragraph.

How can you achieve coherence in your writing?

Even if English is not your first language, you can achieve coherence in your writing by using some cohesive devices.  Cohesive devices are the “glue” that holds a piece of writing together. They carry meaning within a sentence and from a previous sentence into the next. They allow the reader to follow from one part of the text to another, and to understand the logical relationships between sentences and paragraphs.

We will examine four cohesive devices: (Note: the symbols in brackets will be used in examples and practice activities.)

• Pronouns (P)

• Repetition (with exact word or parallel term/synonym) (R)

• Transitions (T)

• Parallelism (PllM): the use of similar grammatical forms and sentence structures

This diagram shows how the four cohesive devices - pronouns, repetition, transitions and parallelism -  are used to create a coherent text.

Pronouns are useful cohesive devices because they make it unnecessary to repeat words too often. Consider the following:

Repetitious referencing: 

When Gillette first invented disposable razor blades, he found it very hard to sell the disposable razor blades. He found it very hard to sell the disposable razor blades because nobody had marketed a throw-away product before.

Better:

When Gillette first invented disposable razor blades, he found it very hard to sell them. This was because nobody had marketed a throw-away product before.

Pronouns as cohesive devices 

This following presentation shows how pronouns can be used effectively to achieve coherence within a text and some common problems of use.  

Pronouns as cohesive devices

Repetition in a piece of writing does not always demonstrate cohesion.  Study these sentences:

When a pronoun is used, sometimes what the pronoun refers to (ie, the referent) is not always clear. Clarity is achieved by repeating a key noun or synonym. Repetition is a cohesive device used deliberately to improve coherence in a text.

In the following text, decide ifthe referent for the pronoun it is clear. Otherwise, replace it with the key noun English where clarity is needed.

Sometimes, repetition of a key noun is preferred even when the reference is clear. In the following text, it is clear that it refers to the key noun gold, but when used throughout the text, the style becomes monotonous.

Sometimes, greater cohesion can be achieved by using a pronoun followed by an appropriate key noun or synonym (a word with a similar meaning).

Transitions are like traffic signals. They guide the reader from one idea to the next. They signal a range of relationships between sentences, such as comparison, contrast, example and result. Click here for a more comprehensive list of Transitions (Logical Organisers).

Which of the three alternatives should follow the transition or logical organiser in capital letters to complete the second sentence?

While the use of appropriate transitions can improve coherence (as the previous practice activity shows), it can also be counterproductive if transitions are overused. Use transitions carefully to enhance and clarify the logical connection between ideas in extended texts. Write a range of sentences and vary sentence openings. 

Study the following examples:

Write the name of the cohesive device - pronoun, repetition or transition - in the space after each underlined word or phrase before the blank.

So far, we have looked at cohesion within paragraphs. In longer texts of several paragraphs, a combination of pronouns, transition and reptition can be used to maintain logical flow and connection between paragraphs.

The extract presented here consists of four paragraphs of an expository essay entitled Sustainable Development from a Historical Perspective: The Mayan Civilisation. Note how the bolded expressions at the start of the second, third and fourth paragraphs provide cohesive links to the paragraph preceding them.

Click to view Cohesion between paragraphs.

Sometimes known as parallel structures or balanced constructions, parallelism is the use of similar grammatical forms or sentence structures when listing or when comparing two or more items.

When used correctly, parallelism can improve the clarity of your writing.

Parallelism in extended texts

The following excerpt from Bertrand Russell's famous prologue to his autobiography has some classic examples of parallelism:

 

Problem areas

The main problem is the use of parallel structures with paired conjunctions, e.g. both ... and, neither ... nor, either ... or, not only ... but also.