Purdue University North Central Writing Center Handout

Coherence

Coherence helps the reader see the relationships among sentences, paragraphs, or larger segments of writing.  Some kinds of writing are coherent when they contain details that clearly support the writer's argument, or when they provide general statements which clue the reader about what to expect in a section of a piece.  Other kinds of writing, such as narratives or personal experience essays, are coherent when they follow a clear, chronological sequence, or if they include only those details relevant to the tone or mood of the essay or story.

Coherent relationships "beyond the sentence" according to Ross Winterowd (1976)

coordinate -- and, furthermore, also

obversative-- but, yet, however

causative-- because, since

conclusive

alternative

inclusive

sequential

"Cohesive ties" identified by Hassan & Halladay (1975):  linguistic features which indicate that one sentence or clause is remitted to another.

Five basic types (not all possible categories)

Reference:  I haven't finished grading the essays.  They have been on my desk for several days.

By referring to a noun in another clause, the pronoun they serves as a cohesive tie between the two clauses.

Substitution:  I have finished grading the first set of essays, but I haven't read the others.

In the second clause, the phrase “set of essays” is omitted, and nothing is substituted for it.

Ellipsis:  I have finished grading the first set of essays, but I have not graded the second. 

In the second clause, the phrase set of essays is omitted and nothing is substituted for it.

Conjunction:  I have graded the first set of essays, but I have not graded the others.

The conjunction but indicated an adversative relationship between the two clauses;  other conjunctions may indicate an additive relationship (in addition, moreover), a causal relationship (because, consequently), or a temporal relationship (first, then, now).

Lexical Cohesion:  I have not finished grading my students' essays.  I'm afraid their papers will not be as good as I had hoped.

The repetition of a related word-- or in other instances, the same word-- makes two clauses cohesive.

Halladay, M.A., and Hassan, R. Cohesion in English.  London:  Longman, 1976

Winterowd, Ross W.  “The Grammar of Coherence.”  In Contemporary Rhetoric: A Conceptual Background with Readings, ed. by W. Ross Winterowd.  New York:  Harcourt, 1975.