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Key Points
- Cohesion is makes your writing easy to follow, feel connected and flow well.
- It helps the reader to understand where you are going with your discussion. Without cohesion, your reader can feel lost. Your role as a writer is to make those connections for your reader.
- Cohesion can be achieved by using language to connect between sentences, transition between paragraphs, and link meanings across your introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion.
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Linking words and phrases
Linking words and phrases show the relationship between the ideas within or between sentences and paragraphs. Like signposts, they highlight the information that follows or that the discussion is changing in some way. Without them, the paper will seem to consist of a list of sentences that do not link to each other.
Linking words and phrases can have different purposes. For example:
- to list items, use words such as first(ly), second(ly), finally
- to make a comparison or indicate similarity, use words such as likewise, correspondingly, similarly
- to indicate contrast, use words such as however, nevertheless, on the other hand
- to indicate addition, use words such as also, in addition, furthermore, moreover
- to make a generalisation, use words such as usually, typically, mainly
- to give a reason, use words such as because (of), due to, for this reason
- to indicate result or consequence, use words such as therefore, thus, as a result, consequently
- to come to a conclusion, use words such as in summary, in brief
Signposts
- The style of language used in a critical review is often evaluative and demonstrates your perspectives of the literature. Evaluative language can be positive/endorsing or negative/less endorsing.
- Signposts signal key aspects of the paper, such as purpose, structure, main points, direction of the argument, conclusions.
- The aim of this report is to.......
This essay will firstly discuss.......
The main reason reflection is critical in coaching is.....
Several researchers argue that....... For example, .......
This argument leads to the overall conclusion that....... .
- Topic sentences are types of signposts as they signal a movement from one part of the argument to the next and also signal what the paragraph is about
Reference chains
Reference chains are used to track entities such as people, objects, concepts, situations, and statements through a text, so that the reader is clear about what is being referred to. They are formed by using nouns and pronouns (it, he, they) and demonstratives (this, that, these, those).
When using a demonstrative, make sure it is followed by a noun construction (e.g: These factors, This method, Those participants). Many writers use just “this” which is too vague.
TEEL Model
