UNIVERSITY OF EL SALVADOR

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

SUBJECT: ENGLISH COMPOSITION

TOPIC: “COHERENCE,COHESION, AND UNITY”

TEACHER: ORLANDO GÓMEZ

STUDENTS:
RAMÍREZ GONZÁLEZ, BEATRIZ ADRIANA
RG06033
AGUILAR HERNÁNDEZ, MARGARITA
AH07006

DATE:TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH ,2016

AGENDA:

1. Topic Presentation
2. Presentation’s Dinamic
3. Topic Development:
3.1 Unity
3.2 Cohesion
3.3 Coherence
4. Conclusion
5. Questions
6. Teacher’s Evaluation
 HOW DO YOU WRITE A GOOD
PARAGRAPH?
 Good organization:
 topic sentence, supporting sentences,
concluding sentence
 You also need three characteristics:
 Unity
 Cohesion
 coherence
What does the word
“Unity” mean to
you?
 UNITY
 In a sentence: It expresses only one main idea.

 In a paragraph: It makes sure of two things

only.
1. Single generalization…a topic sentence.
2. Keep control of the content of every other
sentence by giving and maintaining the same
focus of attention as the topic sentence.
EXAMPLE:
Why I Don't Make My Bed
Ever since I moved into my own apartment last fall, I have gotten out of the habit of
making my bed--except on Fridays, of course, when I change the sheets. Although
some people may think that I am a slob, I have some sound reasons for breaking the
bed-making habit. In the first place, I am not concerned about maintaining a tidy
bedroom because no one except me ever ventures in there. If there is ever a fire
inspection or a surprise date, I suppose I can dash in there to fluff up the pillow and
slap on a spread. Otherwise, I am not bothered. In addition, I find nothing
uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of sheets and blankets. On the
contrary, I enjoy poking out a cozy space for myself before drifting off to
sleep. Also, I think that a tightly made bed is downright uncomfortable: entering one
makes me feel like a loaf of bread being wrapped and sealed. Finally, and most
importantly, I think bed-making is an awful way to waste time in the morning. I would
rather spend those precious minutes checking my email or feeding the cat than
tucking in corners or snapping the spread.
LET’S PRACTICE!
What does the word
“Cohesion” mean to
you?
 COHESION

 Cohesion is the grammatical and

lexical linking within a text or sentence that
holds a text together and gives it meaning.

 In simple words: cohesion is about sentences

connection.
 COHESIVE DEVICES
 All the supporting sentences connect to each other and to the
topic sentence.
 Use COHESIVE DEVICES:
 connectors

 and, but, so, when, in addition, before

 definite articles
 the

 personal pronouns
 he, she, they
 demonstrative pronouns
 this, that, these, those
 REMEMBER...

A strong paragraph is more than just

a collection of loose sentences. Those
sentences need to be clearly connected so
that readers can follow along, recognizing
how one detail leads to the next. A paragraph
with clearly connected sentences is said to
be cohesive.
EXAMPLE:
Why I Don't Make My Bed
Ever since I moved into my own apartment last fall, I have gotten out of
the habit of making my bed--except on Fridays, of course, when I change
the sheets. Although some people may think that I am a slob, I have some
sound reasons for breaking the bed-making habit. In the first place, I am
not concerned about maintaining a tidy bedroom because no one except me
ever ventures in there. If there is ever a fire inspection or a surprise date,
I suppose I can dash in there to fluff up the pillow and slap on a
spread. Otherwise, I am not bothered. In addition, I find nothing
uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of sheets and
blankets. On the contrary, I enjoy poking out a cozy space for myself
before drifting off to sleep. Also, I think that a tightly made bed is
downright uncomfortable: entering one makes me feel like a loaf of bread
being wrapped and sealed. Finally, and most importantly, I think bed-
making is an awful way to waste time in the morning. I would rather spend
those precious minutes checking my email or feeding the cat than tucking in
corners or snapping the spread.
LET’S PRACTICE!
What does the word
“Coherence” mean
to
you?
 COHERENCE

 Coherence in writing means that all the ideas in a

paragraph flow smoothly from one sentence to the
next sentence.

 With coherence, the reader has an easy time

understanding the ideas that you wish to express.
 REMEMBER...

 Coherence in writing is the "logical glue" that allows

readers to move easily and clearly from one idea to the
next.
 To achieve coherence, writers usually turn to
conjunctions, adverbs, and prepositional phrases and
clauses that function as adverbs.
EXAMPLE: Look at the bold words.
My hometown is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is
noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. On either
side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are many willow trees which
have long branches that can move gracefully in the wind. In autumn the
leaves of these trees fall and cover the riverbanks like golden
snow. Second, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is
unusual because it is very steep. Even though it is steep, climbing this hill
is not dangerous, because there are some firm rocks along the sides that
can be used as stairs. There are no trees around this hill, so it stands
clearly against the sky and can be seen from many miles away. The third
amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall
and is probably about six hundred years old. These three landmarks are
truly amazing and make my hometown a famous place.
LET’S PRACTICE!
 CONCLUSION

UNITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ONE MAIN IDEA

COHESION . . . . . . . . . SENTENCES CONNECTION

COHERENCE . . . . IDEAS IN A PARAGRAPH FLOW SMOOTHLY

QUESTIONS
TEACHER´S EVALUATION
FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND
PARTICIPATION…