[ACTCOMM] Unit 11: Coherence

cohaerentia

Latin word: “to stick together”

Coherence

a literary technique that refers to logical connections

Coherence

a written or spoken piece that is not only consistent and logical, but also unified and meaningful

Coherence

makes sense when read or listened to as a whole

Coherence

describes how an argument or any piece of writing “hangs together”

Coherence

parts are well-connected and all heading in the same direction

Logical flow

writing skill where all the aspects of your writing help the reader move smoothly from one sentence to the next, and one paragraph to another

Transition Words or Phrases

connect ideas and guide your readers from one thought to another in a text

Time
Spatial
Climactic

(3) Logical Order

Time order

start at the beginning and list each step in the exact order in which it must be done

Spatial order

details are organized according to their physical location

Climactic order

moving from the least important cause, effect or argument to the most important

Time order

Process

Time order

Narration

Spatial order

Description

Climactic order

Cause/effect

Climactic order

Argument

Old First Cohesion
New Last Cohesion

Principles of Cohesion

Old First Cohesion

begin your sentences with information familiar to the readers

New Last Cohesion

end your sentences with information your readers cannot anticipate – the new information you are trying to convey