COHESIVE DEVICES
The term ‘cohesive devices’ refers to the conjunctions, connectives and pronouns used to link the parts of a piece of writing. Using the same verb tense throughout a text also offers ‘cohesion’.
Writers use transitional words and phrases to achieve a clear, logical flow of thought from
sentence to sentence and from paragraph to paragraph. Listed below are some of the techniques
that help the reader follow the writer’s train of thought.
A. LOGICAL DEVICES
(a) Addition
again equally in fact
also furthermore moreover
and in addition (to…) too
and then indeed what is more
besides
Examples:
The house faces north, so it never gets the sun. Also, it is rather damp.
The children do not like one another.Moreover, they often quarrelamd start to
fight
She hardly ever goes to the theatre. In fact, she has not been for months.
(b) Comparison
compared with in the same way similarly
in comparison with likewise
Examples:
I used to work fifteen hours a day. In comparison with that, my present job is
more like holiday!
The doctor advised him to give up smoking. Similarly, he recommended him to
eat much less and take plenty of exercise.
(c) Contrast and concession*
besides naturally still
but nevertheless whereas
however of course while
in contrast on the contrary yet
instead on the other hand
Examples:
He did not show anyone the papers. Instead, as soon as he got a chance, he
burnt them.
She is not as pretty as she used to be. Nevertheless, she is still a very attractive
girl.
His first novel took him only a few weeks to write, while his next one took over
a year.
*Some of these imply both contrast and concession (for example: however), while others such as
on the contrary, on the other hand, are more clearly concerned with contrastive relationships
between sentences. On the whole, however, it seemed more convenient to subsume these items
under one heading.
COHESIVE DEVICES: LIST OF ITEMS FOR WRITING A COMPOSITION
(d) Enumeration
first(ly) (second(ly)) last on top of (that)
finally next to (begin with)
in the (first) place more important then
Examples:
His job involves a number of things. First, he is responsible for general
administration in the office. Secondly, he has to look after the financial side of
the business… Finally, he has been asked to build up outside contacts.
There were several good reasons for changing the plan. To begin with, it
involved a lot of money. On top of that,it needed too many people.
(e) Exemplification
as (evidence of…) such as
for example thus
for instance to show what (I mean)
let us (take the case of…)
Examples:
Most countries do not grow enough food for their needs. Let us take the case
of the United Kingdom.
Most people are superstitious in some way. Thus, a lot of people believe that
the number 13 is unlucky…
(f) Inference
If not,… otherwise then
In (that) case that implies
Examples:
He left the country the same day. In that case, he must have had his passport
with him.
You must get some more petrol. Otherwise, we will not have enough to get us
to the next town.
(g) Summary
in all in short on the whole
in brief in conclusion to sum up
Examples:
She spends a lot of money on clothes. She is also fond of buying expensive
jewellery. In short, she is extremely extravagant.
The car is not new but it is in good condition. The price too is very reasonable.
On the whole, I think it is quite a good bargain.
The film has a very unusual plot, with plenty of action. Both the acting and
photography. To sum up, this is a film you should not miss.
COHESIVE DEVICES: LIST OF ITEMS FOR WRITING A COMPOSITION
(h) Time*
after (a while) before (that time) since (then)
afterwards finally so far
at first in the end then
at last meanwhile (up to) then
at (the same time) next
Examples:
He tried to open one of the small windows. At first it remained firmly closed
but, in the end, after a great deal of effort, he managed to open it a few inches.
… and the fire has finally been brought under control. Several men are still
missing. Meanwhile the causes of the explosion are still being investigated.
That is, indicating temporal relationships. This is a very open-ended group of devices, as the number of bracketed item shows. For example,instead of at the same time, we may have: at that time/at that moment. (i) Result accordingly for that reason then as a result hence therefore consequently the (consequence) of that is… thus Examples: Most people were opposes to the scheme on the grounds that it was too expensive. Accordingly, it is now being re-examined to see if costs can be reduced. Seven inches of snow fell during the night, blocking most main roads. As a result, traffic conditions have been chaotic. In the past, no one has taken his advice very seriously. Hence, it is very probable that he will not be inclined to help on this occasion. (j) Reformulation in other words that is (to say) rather to put it more (simply) Examples: Towards the end of the party he got up and danced on the table. In other words, he made a complete fool of himself. Most people felt that the project was not worthwhile in proportion to the amount of time it would take to complete it and equally the financial expenditure involved. To put it more simply, it was a waste of time and money. (k) Replacement Again (better) still the alternative is… Alternatively on the other hand Examples: COHESIVE DEVICES: LIST OF ITEMS FOR WRITING A COMPOSITION It is very likely that we shall go by car, even though it is a long drive, because we shall need some means of transport while we are there. Alternatively, we might fly out and hire a car when we arrive. If things get any worse, we might have to arrange apublic meeting to discuss the matter. Better still, we could even organise a demonstration. (l) Transition As far as… is concerned now As for… to turn to… Incidentally with (reference) to… Examples: We can leave most of the details of the proposal until the next meeting. Now, as far as money is concerned, this needs careful consideration. In the end, he decided to sell his car. This, incidentally, proved to be a mistake. B. GRAMMATICAL AND LEXICAL LINKING DEVICES (a) Use of pronominal forms to replace noun phrases Napoleon was a great soldier. He was also a great administrator. John bought a new car. It cost a lot of money, but it goes a lot better than his old one. John and Mary are going on holiday to brazil. Their friends are very envious. He decided to take some heavy shoes with him. He thought that these would be useful in case he went walking. (b) Use of pronominal forms to replace adverbials (noun phrases of time and place) He left the following day. He knew then that he was not coming back. We called on them soon after breakfast.. We should have realised that this was a bad time for a visit. (* Noun phrases are also used as replacives. For example: John
was born just before the war. At that time his parents lived in London)
I decided to take my books back to the library. When I got there, I found it
was closed.
(c) Use of pronominal forms to replace clauses or sentences.
Some students work all night just before an exam. This is a great mistake.
John has just resigned. It was quite unexpected.
Notice that in the examples above the pronominal forms all refer back to
something previously mentioned. They may also refer forward. For example:
This is what you should do. You should be very frank.
My advice is as follows. Be very frank.
COHESIVE DEVICES: LIST OF ITEMS FOR WRITING A COMPOSITION
(d) Use of determiners (the, this, that, etc.) to refer back to a previous noun
phrase
Thieves broke into a jeweller’s shop in North Street last night. The thieves
entered the shop through a small back window.
I bought a pocket calculator last year. That calculator has proved very useful.
Former and latter are used to refer back to one of two previous noun phrases:
John and Tom both took part in the play. Only the former has had any real
experience of acting. The latter had never even been on the stage before.
(e) Repetition of key words
These particular train services are not used very much by commuters. As a
rule, commuters tend to travel much earlier.
(f) Use of synonyms to avoid repetition
These cars were first made in 1972. When they were first produced, they were
not very popular.
If you have any thoughts onthe subject,please let me know. I shall be
interested to hear your ideas.
(g) Use of a construction implying whole part or part-whole relationship
You will need to take some tools with you. You can get a hammer, a saw and
a screwdriver from most big department stores.
Large cars and lorries are not advised to use this route. These vehicles
should take the other road.
(h) Use of related word forms
Seven people have been arrested so far. The arrests were made late last night.
(i) Use of parallel structures
It is possible that the plan will succeed. It is equally possible that it will fail.