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7. These facts can clearly be interpreted as
expressions of...
g. I hope I've managed to convince you that...
8. Little is known about...
h. (I read this somewhere, but I can't remember
where).
SECTION III
DEALING WITH PARAGRAPHS
UNIT 1. COHERENCE
COHERENCE means «reasonable connection» — «an orderly relationship between parts». It's the quality
that makes the difference between a set of UNconnected phrases or clauses, on the one hand, and a simple,
compound or complex sentence, on the other hand (see Unit 2 of the Appendix [Section V of Part II] on
Compound and Complex Sentence Patterns). It also makes the difference between a set of UNconnected
sentences and a PARAGRAPH (which is a set of CONNECTED sentences). Finally, the same quality —
COHERENCE — makes the difference between a set of UNconnected paragraphs and a TEXT.
The writer makes his sentences, paragraphs and text coherent by using various cues and signals that establish
the «orderly relationship» between the various parts of his sentences, between the various sentences in his
paragraphs, and between the various paragraphs in his text. It is the job of the reader to follow these cues and
signals and understand the relationships.
CUES AND SIGNALS USED TO ESTABLISH COHERENCE
1. Grammatical Signals such as conjunctions (Section V of Part II Unit 4; the position of a given word in the
sentence (Section V, Unit 2); and grammatically meaningful word endings (Word Power [Part I] Section X,
Unit IE).
2. Punctuation Signals (Section V of Part II, Unit 3).
3. Visual Cues such as paragraph indentation.
4. Verbal Cues such as repeated words (to emphasize connections).
5. Pronouns (to refer backwards and forwards instead of simply repeating words).
6. Various Other Verbal Cues (Section V of part II, Unit 6).
A. Which of these two «sentences» makes some kind of sense (and why)? (How can a sentence make
«sense» without being logical?)
a. Sleep green colorless furiously ideas.
b. Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
B. The sentences that make up a coherent paragraph must be grammatically and logically connected. What
makes the «paragraph» below incoherent?
People love music. There are carbon granules in the telephone receiver. Although the Japanese people are
remarkable. Her dog was killed. In the southern part of Jordan there is a place of unique historical interest.
C. Now consider the paragraph below:
Cecil, the aardvark, was a strange pet. Because of his exotic eating habits, he was able to rid the house of
insects. What he devoured most often were the little dark ants. He was often seen routing these out with his
long ugly snout. Granted, his snout made him an excellent exterminator. However, it also made him an unusual
household pet.
List the features that make this a coherent paragraph.
D. Below is another example of a COHERENT parapraph. The various devices used by the writer to
establish coherence have been clearly marked, and they include the following: