Unity and coherence in writing is essential.

1. Karen S. Wright

2. For writing to be as effective as possible,
paragraphs and essays need to include unity,
coherence, and deliberate paragraph
development.

3. A paragraph has unity when each sentence
develops the idea stated in the topic sentence.
An essay has unity when each paragraph has
unity, AND when the topic sentence of each
paragraph develops the essay’s main idea (thesis).

4. It is difficult to follow an
essay where thoughts
leap from topic to topic.
Really??
Did you
say
spoiled? Unity is spoiled when
sentences do not
support the topic
Who’s
spoiled? sentences.

5. Hey
guys
!
Which sentence doesn’t fit?
By 1000 BC, horse-drawn chariots were standard equipment in
most armies and a great nuisance. The chariot was hard to use. A
two-man chariot team could manage nicely if one man drove while
the other bombarded the enemy with spears and arrows. Arrows
were very difficult to make during this time. But when a soldier
drove along in the chariot, he had to tie the reins around his waist
and control the horses with his body to keep his hands free for
fighting.
from Suzane Jurmain Once upon a Horse

6. Notice how each sentence supports the topic
sentence to produce unity.
Topic Sentence By 100 BC, horse-drawn chariots were standard
equipment in most armies, and soldiers had discovered that
the world’s greatest weapon was also the world’s greatest
nuisance. The chariot was hard to use. A two-man chariot
team could manage nicely if one man drove while the other
bombarded the enemy with spears and arrows. But when a
soldier drove along in the chariot, he had to tie the reins
around his waist and control the horses with his body to
keep his hands free for fighting.
Suzane Jurmain Once upon a Horse

7. When sentences in a paragraph flow together in
such good order, and the relationships between
the details are so clear, then a paragraph has
coherence.
Coherence is achieved in several ways:
Chronological order
Spatial order
Oder of importance
Logical sequence
Connections—direct
references and transitions

8. “Keep all of your ducks in a row.”
Logical Order=Coherence.
Your Turn
Chronological order and clear relationships between the details produce
coherence. Which words bind these sentences together cohesively?
By 1000 BC, horse-drawn chariots were standard equipment in
most armies, and soldiers had discovered that the world’s
greatest weapon was also the world’s greatest nuisance. In the
first place, the chariot was hard to use. Secondly, a two-man
chariot team could manage nicely if one man drove while the
other bombarded the enemy with spears and arrows. But when
a soldier drove along, he had to tie the reins around his waist
and control the horses with his body to keep his hands free for
fighting.
Suzane Jurmain Once upon a Horse

9. “Keep all of your ducks in a row.”
Logical Order=Coherence.
Chronological order and clear relationships between the details produce
coherence. Which words bind these sentences together cohesively?
By 1000 BC, horse-drawn chariots were standard equipment in
most armies, and soldiers had discovered that the world’s
greatest weapon was also the world’s greatest nuisance. In
the first place, the chariot was hard to use. Secondly, a two-
man chariot team could manage nicely if one man drove while
the other bombarded the enemy with spears and arrows. But
when a soldier drove along, he had to tie the reins around his
waist and control the horses with his body to keep his hands
free for fighting.
Suzane Jurmain Once upon a Horse

10. After developing a
strong focus
through unity and
coherence, the
next step is to
paint a picture in
your reader’s mind
with examples and
detail. How can
this be done?

11. P
A
R
A
G
R
A
P
H
Process D Definition
E
V
E
L
O
P
M
E
N
T Statistics
Story

12. Paragraph Development
Word Picture
Explanation Analogy

13. What technique develops this paragraph?
A process, definition, story, statistics, word picture,
an analogy, or an explanation?
Melton was one of those miserable in-between little
places, not large enough to be a town, nor small enough
to be a village -- that is, a village in the rural, charming
sense of the world. Melton had no charm about it. It was
merely a nondescript collection of houses and buildings in
a region of farms -- one of those sad American places with
sidewalks, but no paved streets; electric lights, but no
sewage; a station, but no trains that stopped, save a jerky
local, morning and evening. And it was 150 miles from any
city at all -- even Sioux City. “Cora Unashamed,” Langston Hughes

14. In the following paragraph, there are elements
that diminish development. What are they?
Although many people scorn the idea
of having one or two four-legged pets
thinking they require so much care,
there are actually quite a few
advantages to keeping pets. First of
all, pets welcome their owner home
from a long day of work. Related to
this, is the second advantage of having
pets is that they are incapable of being
disloyal. Perhaps pets require some
care, but it would be wise to look at all
they add to life.

15. In the following paragraph, there are elements
that diminish development. What are they?
Although many people scorn the
idea of having one or two four-
legged pets thinking they require
so much care, there are actually
several advantages to keeping
pets. First, pets welcome their
owner home from a long day of
work. Second, pets are incapable
of being disloyal. Perhaps pets
require some care, but it would be
wise to look at all they add to life.

16. Put it All Together
Unity, coherence, and
deliberate paragraph
development produce
organized paragraphs
and essays—this kind
of “sticking together”
makes a unified
whole.