The line graph depicts the number of chocolate bars (dark, white, and milk chocolate) which were consumed over 10 years from 2000 to 2010.

Notice that there is a range of words and phrases to make this task cohesive in an effective way. Some examples of cohesive devices that were used are highlighted. Also, the body paragraphs are grouped into similar trends and opposite trends within the graph. The writing is coherent because there's an introduction and body paragraphs. Sentences (and essays) that begin “Every since time began…” encompass too much information for the writer and reader to manage.Below is a sample of an Academic Task 1. If you do use a general-to-specific pattern in your paragraph, avoid beginning with an overly broad claim. Regardless of whether you move from general to specific or specific to general, be consistent with your pattern. Typically, a well written paragraph will move from general to increasingly more specific claims or vice versa. In contrast, Paragraph B is much more coherent because it focuses on one central topic: readers.Īlong with limiting the topics in your paragraph, consider a specific strategy for developing your paragraphs. Most readers find Paragraph A incoherent, because its string of topics is inconsistent and diffuse they do not focus our attention on a limited set of related ideas. *Paragraphs A & B are adapted from Williamson and Bizup (2011). For many readers, such an experience is like riding in a car that has a poor transmission.”* But if topics seem to shift randomly, then readers have to begin each sentence from no coherent point of view, and when that happens, readers feel dislocated, disoriented, and the passage seems out of focus. Paragraph B: “Readerslook for the topics of sentences to tell them what a whole passage is “about.” If theyfeel that its sequence of topics focuses on a limited set of related topics, then they will feel that they are moving through that passage from a cumulatively coherent point of view. Feelings of dislocation, disorientation, and a lack of focus in a passage occur when that happens.”* A seeming absence of context for each sentence is one consequence of making random shifts in topics. Moving through a paragraph from a cumulatively coherent point of view is made possible by a sequence of topics that seem to constitute a limited set of related ideas. Paragraph A: “The particular ideas toward the beginning of sentences define what a passage is “about” for a reader. Let’s look at the difference between two paragraphs, which are about the same thing. To ensure that your paragraphs are coherent, make sure each paragraph is structured to make a particular point. The rest of the paragraph should be focused on that topic.

It is helpful to first state the topic of the paragraph thus informing the reader of its purpose and summarizing what the paragraph is about. Paragraphs should contain a single focus supported by related sentences that form into a major and coherent point. Just as sentences are cohesive when they “stick” together, paragraphs are coherent when they contain one controlling idea. This enables readers to solidify the connection between one idea and the next. The second sentence begins by recapping the ending of the first sentence. Such policy included the Federal Reserve’s failure to regulate interest rates and Great Britain’s return to Pre-WWI gold standard rate. Notice how these two sentences work together:įor many economists, the Great Depression was less a result of historical events than it was of poor international monetary policy. To ensure your writing is cohesive, consider using the old-new principle, where sentences begin with old information and end with new information. Sentences should logically fit together in writing, connecting one idea to the next.

Coherence examples in sentence