Do you know a text filled with fancy vocabulary can be considered poor too? Why one might ask, the answer is simple, content that is well structured and can be understood with the flow is what stands out amongst others. The helper behind a well-constructed write-up is Cohesion! But, how can one define it?
Cohesion in writing is like a tapestry, each sentence and paragraph is a thread woven together to create a beautiful and intricate design. It creates a sense of flow and harmony, taking the reader on a journey through the writer’s thoughts and ideas. A cohesive piece of writing is like a puzzle, where each piece fits perfectly together to create a complete picture. It’s like a symphony, where each sentence plays its own unique melody, yet together they create a harmonious composition. In short, cohesion in writing adds a touch of magic, making the writing come alive in the minds of the readers. As the importance of cohesion in writing is immense, the article below is all about this phenomenal strategy, its benefits, and its implementation.
What is cohesion in writing?
Cohesion in writing refers to the ways in which different parts of a text are connected and work together to create a unified and coherent whole. It is the glue that holds a text together and makes it easy for readers to understand the author’s message. Cohesion can be achieved through a variety of techniques, such as the use of transitional devices, repetition of keywords and phrases, and the use of parallel structure.
Transitional devices, such as conjunctions, adverbs, and pronouns, help link sentences and paragraphs together and guide the reader through the text. Repetition of keywords and phrases helps to establish connections and relationships between ideas, making the text more cohesive. Parallel structure, where similar grammatical structures are used throughout a text, creates a sense of unity and coherence.
A text that lacks cohesion is disjointed and confusing, making it difficult for readers to understand the author’s message. Thus cohesion is a vital aspect of writing, and it is essential for writers to pay attention to it in order to produce clear and effective texts.
Advantages of implementing cohesion in writing
Cohesion transforms a written piece and generates a lot of benefits for both the reader and the writer.
- Clarity: Cohesion helps to make the meaning of a text clear and easy to understand. By linking sentences and paragraphs together, transitional devices guide the reader through the text and help to establish connections and relationships between ideas. This makes the reading experience more enjoyable for the reader and helps to ensure that the author’s message is communicated effectively.
- Flow: Cohesion creates a sense of flow in a text, making it easy for the reader to follow the author’s train of thought. This is achieved through the use of repetition of keywords and phrases, as well as the use of parallel structure, which creates a sense of unity and coherence. This makes the text more engaging and enjoyable to read.
- Organization: Cohesion helps to organize a text, making it easy for the reader to identify the main ideas and how they relate to one another. This is achieved through the use of transitional devices and the repetition of keywords and phrases, which help to establish connections and relationships between ideas. Furthermore, graphical organizers can be used for reading and writing to make the text more cohesive.
- Credibility: A text that is cohesive is seen as more credible and trustworthy. It shows that the author has put in the effort to make the text well-structured, easy to understand, and has a clear flow. Therefore, the readers are more likely to believe the author’s message.
- Professionalism: Cohesion is a key aspect of professional writing, and it is essential for writers to pay attention to it in order to produce clear and effective texts. A text that is cohesive is seen as more polished and professional, and it is more likely to be taken seriously by readers. This can be especially important in academic, professional, or technical writing.
Cohesion in action: Real-World examples of effective unity
Cohesion in writing can be used and is visible in the following ways:
- Transitional Devices: “I love to eat pizza, but I also enjoy trying new foods. For example, I recently discovered a love for Thai cuisine.”
In this example, the conjunction “but” and the adverb “for example” serve as transitional devices, linking the two ideas together and guiding the reader through the text.
- Repetition of keywords: “The dog barked loudly, causing the cat to flee in fear. The loud barking scared the cat.”
In this example, the repetition of the keywords “loudly” and “scared” helps to establish a connection between the dog’s barking and the cat’s reaction and creates a cohesive text.
- Parallel Structure: “I like to read books, watch movies, and listen to music.”
In this example, the use of parallel structure (verb + object) creates a sense of unity and coherence throughout the sentence.
- Pronouns: “She went to the store to buy groceries. While she was there, she picked up a few items for her sister.”
In this example, the use of the pronoun “she” helps to establish a connection between the two actions and guides the reader through the text.
- Repetition of phrases: “I woke up early this morning, with the sun just beginning to rise. I opened the window and took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and energized.”
In this example, the repetition of the phrase “with the sun just beginning to rise” and “feeling refreshed and energized” helps to establish a connection between the two actions and create a cohesive text.
Is Cohesion in writing better than coherence?
Cohesion and coherence are related but distinct concepts in writing. Cohesion refers to the ways in which different parts of a text are connected and work together to create a unified and coherent whole. This includes the use of transitional devices, such as conjunctions and pronouns, to link sentences and paragraphs, as well as the repetition of keywords and phrases. Cohesion helps make the meaning of a text clear and makes it easy for readers to follow the author’s train of thought.
Coherence, on the other hand, refers to the logical and meaningful relationships between the ideas in a text. A text is coherent when its ideas are connected in a logical and meaningful way, and the author’s message is easily understood. Coherence is achieved when the author presents their ideas in a clear and logical order, and when the relationships between the ideas are explicit.
Both cohesion and coherence are essential for effective writing. Cohesion is necessary to create a sense of unity and coherence in a text, while coherence is necessary to ensure that the ideas in a text are connected in a logical and meaningful way. A text that is cohesive but not coherent can be disjoint and may not be easily understood. On the other hand, a text that is coherent but not cohesive can be difficult to follow and may lack a sense of unity. Therefore, both cohesion and coherence are important for effective writing and both should be considered when writing a text.
Conclusion
Cohesion is a vital element of writing that helps to create a logical and coherent flow of ideas. It enables the writer to connect their thoughts and ideas in a way that is easy for the reader to understand, making the writing clear, effective, and engaging. A cohesive piece of writing is like a well-crafted work of art, where each sentence and paragraph is perfectly placed to create a harmonious and beautiful whole. It is a skill that takes practice to master but once achieved, it can elevate any piece of writing to a new level of excellence.
I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn