1. Chapter 2
Unity and Coherence

2. Unity
An important element of a good paragraph is unity. Unity means
that a paragraph discusses one and only one main idea from
beginning to end. For example, if your paragraph is about the
advantages of owning a compact car, discuss only that. Do not
discuss the disadvantages.
The second part of unity is that every supporting sentence must
directly explain or prove the main idea. For example, in a
paragraph about the high cost of prescription drugs in the United
States, you could mention buying drugs from pharmacies outside
the United States as an alternative, but if you write several
sentences about buying drugs outside the United States, you are
getting off the topic, and your para- graph will not have unity.
Study the book and check the exercises on pages 19-20-21

3. Coherence
Another element of a good paragraph is coherence. The Latin
verb cohere means "hold together." For coherence in writing, the
sentences must hold together; that is, the movement from one
sentence to the next must be logical and smooth. There must be
no sudden jumps. Each sentence should flow smoothly into the
next one.
There are four ways to achieve coherence:
• 1. Repeat key nouns.
2. Use consistent pronouns.
3. Use transition signals to link ideas.
• 4. Arrange your ideas in logical order.

4. The easiest way to achieve coherence is to
repeat key nouns frequently in your para- graph.
Read the model paragraph about gold to see how
it uses this technique to smooth the flow of
sentences. The key noun in this paragraph is
gold. Circle the word gold and all pronouns that
refer to it.
Repetition of Key Nouns
SAMPLE with Coherence
You should have circled the noun gold seven times,
the pronoun it twice, and the pronoun its three times.
(The word it in sentence 5 refers to coin, not gold, so
you should not have circled it.)
There is no fixed rule about how often to repeat key
nouns or when to substitute pronouns. You should
repeat a key noun instead of using a pronoun when the
mean- ing is not clear.
Throughout the following paragraph, the word gold has
been replaced by pro- nouns, making the paragraph
much less coherent.

5. Consistent Pronouns
When you use pronouns, make sure that you use the same person and number throughout your
paragraph. Don't change from you to he or she (change of person) or from he to they (change of
number).
For example, how can pronouns eliminate repetition in the following passage?
• Jamie enjoys playing the clarinet. Jamie plays the clarinet every evening. Jamie’s brother becomes annoyed when Jamie practices.
• When the passage is revised using pronouns, it conveys the same information much more concisely.
• Jamie enjoys playing the clarinet. She practices it every evening. Her brother becomes annoyed when she practices.

6. Transition Signals
Transition signals can be categorized
into three groups by grammatical
function. The three groups are:
• sentence connectors (including
transition phrases and conjunctive
adverbs) ,
• clause connectors (including
coordinating conjunctions and
subordinating conjunctions), and
• mixed group called others.

7. Transition Signals
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Meaning/ Function
Sentence
Connectors
Clause Connectors Others (Adjectives, Verbs,
and Prepositions)
Coordinators Subordinators
To introduce similar
additional idea
also
besides
furthermore
in addition
moreover
too
and
nor
(“and not)
another
an additional
To compare things also
likewise
similarly
too
and
both ... and
not only ... but also
neither ... nor
as
just as
as ... as
like/ alike
just like
similar to
be alike
be similar
To introduce an
opposite idea, and to
contrast things
however
in contrast
instead
in/ by comparison
nevertheless
nonetheless
on the other hand
on the contrary
still
but
yet
although
even though
though
whereas
while
despite
in spite of
compared to/ with
be different (from)
be dissimilar
be unlike
differ (from)

8. Transition Signals
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Meaning/ Function
Sentence
Connectors
Clause Connectors Others (Adjectives, Verbs,
and Prepositions)
Coordinators Subordinators
To introduce an
example
for example
for instance
such as
an example of
To emphasize in fact
To explain and
restate
indeed
that is
To introduce an
alternative
otherwise or if
unless
To signal
chronological order
first, second, etc.
first of all
then, next
now, then, soon
last finally
meanwhile
gradually
after that
since then
after
as
as soon as
before
since
until
when
while
the first, the second
the next, the last, the final
before lunch
after the war
since ....
in the year ...

9. Transition Signals
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Meaning/ Function
Sentence
Connectors
Clause Connectors Others (Adjectives, Verbs,
and Prepositions)
Coordinators Subordinators
To indicate order of
importance
above all
first and foremost
more/ most
importantly/
significantly
primarily
a more important
the most important
the second most significant
the primaily
To introduce a
cause or reason
for because
since
as
result from
be the result of
due to
because of
the effect of
the consequence of
as a result of
as a consequence of
To introduce an
effect or result
accordingly
as a result
as a consequence
consequently
hence, thus
therefore
So result in
cause
have an effect on
affect
the cause of
the reason for

10. Transition Signals
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Meaning/ Function
Sentence
Connectors
Clause Connectors Others (Adjectives, Verbs,
and Prepositions)
Coordinators Subordinators
To conclude all in all,
in brief,
in conclusion,
in short,
in summary,
indeed,
It is clear that ...
We can see that ...
The evidence suggets that ...
These examples show that ...

11. Practice
Circle all the transition signals in the following paragraphs.

12. Check your coursebook pages 30-31-32-33-34

13. Logical Order
• In addition to using transition signals and repeating key nouns and pronouns, a fourth
way to achieve coherence is to arrange your sentences in some kind of logical order.
• Your choice of one kind of logical order over another will, of course, depend on your
topic and your purpose. You may even combine two or more different logical orders
in the same paragraph. The important point to remember is to arrange your ideas in
some kind of order that is logical to a reader accustomed to the English way of
writing.
• Some common kinds of logical order in English are chronological order, logical
division of ideas, and comparison/contrast.

14. Chronological order is order by time-a sequence of events
or steps in
a process. The model paragraph on how to grow an
avocado tree (check your coursebook page 33) uses time
order to organize the steps.
In logical division of ideas, a topic is divided into parts, and
each part is discussed separately.
In a comparison/contrast paragraph, the similarities and/or
differences between two or more items are discussed.

15. Sources:
http://www.starkstate.edu/public/system/uplo
ads/files/Writing-Center/Pronoun-
consistancy.pdf
http://www.slideshare.net/edibrata/essay-
writing-unity-and-coherence-7968332
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