11/10/2022 0 Comments Coherence vs cohesion![]() ![]() WordinessĪll else being equal, shorter writing is better: it takes less time to read and it uses less space. If you want to learn more, I wrote a focus article on dangling modifiers. Our chief objection to the passive voice is that it sometimes seems to make authors forget to watch for dangling modifiers.Ī dangling modifier is a modifying phrase whose implicit subject does not match the explicit subject of the clause it modifies.ĭangling modifiers are common errors in scientific writing. Putting the new, important information at the end will help inform the readers of what you intend to emphasize. Putting new information last also helps with emphasis: readers naturally emphasize the ideas at the end of the sentence. This is where the passive can be so useful: if it improves cohesion. If your sentences are regularly beginning with unfamiliar concepts, your writing won’t be very cohesive. When your sentences “glue”, your writing is said to be cohesive. This makes the sentences easier to read, because the reader doesn’t need to jump around in thought process. In the revision, each sentence leans forward to new information at the end, instead of tying backward at the end. Agricultural limestone is often added to naturally acidic soils, such as clay soil. One way to raise the pH of the soil is an additive made from pulverized chalk called garden lime or agricultural limestone. Here’s one possible revision:įarmers try to provide optimal growing conditions for crops by using soil additives to adjust soil pH. To solve the problem, we can try swapping the new and old info. The reader may then think “clay soil” as another additive, perhaps one that lowers the pH? At the end of the sentence ( requires…lime), you finally get the connection back to the previous sentence and the context for “clay soil,” but this causes the reader to backtrack. It begins with “Clay soil…”, similarly without context. This backward-glance at the end of the sentence causes the reader to backtrack, costing concentration. At the end of the sentence, we are given the context and the connection: “raise the pH”. There are at least two possible connections to the previous sentence, and readers will be split. When the reader begins sentence #2, reading “Garden lime…”, there is little context the reader may guess “limes” are a crop we will now discuss, or that it is a “soil additive”. Now, let’s follow the reader through this paragraph. Garden lime, or agricultural limestone, is made from pulverized chalk, and can be used to raise the pH of the soil.Ĭlay soil, which is naturally acidic, often requires addition of agricultural lime. Imagine these sentences in an article about farming:įarmers try to provide optimal growing conditions for crops by using soil additives to adjust soil pH. It also allows you to put new, important information in the position of emphasis at the end of the sentence. Beginning sentences with old information makes writing cohesive. Going backwards like this slows the reader down and takes energy. If you do this too much, it makes your writing confusing because it lacks cohesion. After reading the rest of the sentence, the reader may have to revise his or her understanding. He or she may try (incorrectly) to link this information to the previous sentence. What happens when you begin a sentence with new information? Your reader gets a new idea without any context. Most readers will find your writing more clear if you consistently begin sentences with familiar (old) information and conclude sentences with unfamiliar (new) information. Your sentences will contain both new and old information - think carefully about where you put them. “Old information” is something familiar to the reader, either because it’s background knowledge or because you’ve already introduced it. Ideas or characters that have not yet appeared in your manuscript are called New information. Make sure the first and last sentences of a paragraph match.In this lesson, you will learn ways to improve the cohesion and coherence of your writing. Second, you can structure your sentences and paragraphs to flow - that’s what cohesion and coherence are all about.Ĭohesion is the degree to which sentences “glue.” Coherence is the logical division of the writing into internally consistent units (usually paragraph units). Structure has several other important uses: First, you can structure sentences for emphasis, drawing attention to the most important part of the sentence. If you structure your sentences carefully, you encourage readers to interpret your meaning correctly. In lesson 1, we covered how the structure of the sentence cues the reader to important information. Lesson 2: Cohesion, Coherence, and Emphasis ![]()
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