让文章连贯紧凑的三个窍门

Academic writing 3: Three methods to develop a coherent paragraph

Hey, it’s Dr. Liu here with Better LIFE Research TIPS. Today I want to talk about the three methods that can be used to develop a coherent paragraph.

Paragraphs are used to break our writing into easy-to-read sections. Good paragraphing is a way to organize our ideas, and is also a way to help the reader to better understand our ideas. Since a paragraph is a collection of sentences, a basic requirement for a good paragraph is these sentences needs to be cohesive and coherent. Cohesive and coherent are two words that have similar but slightly different meaning. Basically, to be cohesive means the ideas or sentences are linked to each other and they are tied together. While to be coherent means these linked ideas are presented in a logical way, and they flow smoothly. A cohesive paragraph is not always coherent, but a coherent paragraph must first be cohesive. So, to be cohesive is just one good thing, and to be coherent is our real and ultimate goal.

Generally, there are three methods we can use to develop a coherent paragraph. They are structure, transition words, and echo words.

First, a coherent paragraph must have a clear structure. It is important that each paragraph only have one main point clearly stated in a topic sentence, and all other sentences in the paragraph should clearly relate to this main point in the topic sentence. In the previous video, I recommended that in order to maximize clarity of our writing, it is always a good practice to put the topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph. The red line here represent the topic sentence. After the topic sentence, these black lines represent the supporting sentences. The functions of the supporting sentences can be summarized as the 4 “E”. They are explanations, examples, evidences, and evaluations that serve the topic sentence. A good structure of the paragraph requires it contains the topic sentence and the supporting sentences in an orderly manner. The supporting sentences need to be placed in appropriate order so that they can flow smoothly. The order may be depend on their importance, the time sequence, or the logic flow. Also, in the supporting sentences, when comparing or listing different ideas, we should use parallel structures. Sometimes, we may want to add a concluding sentence at the end of the paragraph. Both the topic sentence and the concluding sentence can help the reader to keep the paragraph's main point in mind. Some writer may also want to add a introduction, or a transition sentence before the topic sentence. But again, a good practice is, always consider to put the topic sentence first unless we have a very good reason not to do so.

After we establish the basic structure that includes the topic sentence and the supporting sentences, we can improve the cohesion and coherence of the paragraph by using transition words to link these sentences. Those blue lines represent the transition words used to provide linkage between different ideas expressed in these sentences. Basically, there are three general categories of transitions. The first category indicates adding similar ideas, or sequencing. The common transition words in this category include: in addition, furthermore, moreover, also, besides, first, next, and many others. The second category indicates a turning point, a contrasting idea. The common transition words in this category include:  however, nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary, otherwise, although, in spite of, and many others. The third category indicates resulting, or a cause-effect relation. The common transition words in this category include: therefore, thus, consequently, because of that, for this reason, as a result, and many others. When we use these transition words, we should be careful not to overuse them, especially for the turning point transitions. It would be confusing if we have more than two turning points in one paragraph. For the transition of adding similar ideas, we can use more. But before we use them, we want make sure we do have at least two different ideas that need to be linked, and they must have something similar. And when we try to link more than two similar ideas, we’d better keep some variations in the selection of the transition words. We do not want to keep saying “in addition” repeatedly.

The third method to improve cohesion and coherence is to use echo words, which are represented here as green circles. The use of echo words includes the repetition of key words, especially those used in the topic sentence. We may also use ‘synonyms, ‘antonyms, ‘hyponyms, and pronouns to relate to the key words, and thus improve the cohesion of the paragraph.

These are the three basic methods we can use to develop a coherent paragraph. In addition to that, consistency in verb tense and point of view, are also important for coherence. If we shift from past to present tense within a paragraph, we may make our paragraph less coherent. A paragraph's coherence may also be related to its length. If we have a very long paragraph occupying a whole page, we should check it carefully to see if it contains more than one main idea, and consider to break it into more easy-to-read short paragraphs. Finally,  we should keep some variations in lengths and structures of sentences. Too many look-alike simple sentences will make our paragraphs sound choppy and stilted. Variations will make our paragraphs sound better and make the reading more enjoyable. How to achieve sentence variety is another topic for better writing.

Today, we talked about how to develop a coherent paragraph. In fact, the basic principles are the same as to how to develop a coherent full article. To develop a coherent article, first, we need to establish a clear structure, including introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs. In a paragraph, every sentence should serve the topic sentence. Likewise, in an article, every paragraph should serve the thesis statement. To make a paragraph coherent, we use transition words between sentences. To make an article coherent, we use transition sentences at the beginning, and at the end of paragraphs. And finally, we should be consistent on the terminologies we use throughout the whole article.

Thanks for watching, I am Dr. Liu with research tips for the underdogs. Happy new year. Until next time, keep studying for a better life.

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