Strategies for Coherence

張寧

Abstract：The writing skills are complex and sometimes difficult to master， requiring not simply the absence of grammatical error but the presence of idiomatic expression. This paper puts forward some advice to help Chinese students write effectively in English.

Key words：Paragraph；Coherence；Transitional words and phrases

中圖分類號：G632.0 文獻標識碼：A 文章編號：1992-7711（2017）03-0004

I. The Importance of Transition in English Writing

To produce a unified and smooth paragraph， in addition to unity， we need coherence. Coherence derives from a sufficient supply of supporting details and our firm sense of the way our ideas go together. When a paragraph is coherent， the reader can see a continuous line of thought passing from one sentence to the next. When a paragraph is incoherent， it confuses and sometimes even irritates， the reader.

Both in English and in Chinese， the chief way to secure coherence is to order material in meaningful sequence consistent with logic and our thought pattern. The commonly used logical arrangements include time order （particularly chronological order），spatial order， climatic order， cause-and-effect or its reversal， illustration and so on. Frequently we combine various methods in developing a paragraph. However， coherence may not be perfect even if the writer arranges his sentences in a clear， logical order. He has to use good transitions so that one sentence runs smoothly to another.

Problems thus come into being： coherence in English belongs to hypotactic which pays a lot of attention to grammatical forms， while in Chinese， it belongs to paratactic which thinks highly of the semantic meaning. English writers automatically use many kinds of transitions， unconsciously responding to the need for flow and continuity. With the aid of transitional words and phrases to reach coherence is the most glaring feature of hypotactic. Certain transitional words and phrases—for instance， moreover， however， generally， etc.—can make an especially helpful contribution to paragraph coherence by giving gentle directions to readers. On the contrary， under the influence of Chinese rhetorical figures Chinese student writers often disregard the applying of transitional words and phrases， but use internal meaning or repetition.

Therefore， in order to write good English paragraphs， great emphases must be laid on the use of transitional words and phrases， which help to show the relationship of one sentence or clause to another. These signals guide the readers through a paragraph by signaling turns in our thought， shifts in our viewpoint， or movement from one point to another； speed up readers understanding and tie together ideas before the reader has a chance to forget them.

Sample Paragraph

A student acquires knowledge mainly from the textbooks and in class. When he graduates from school he can do nothing. Everything is different from what teachers told him. He may be disappointed. He may be frustrated. He may be afraid to face the real world. Our universities have turned out people of no use.

Although the main idea of this paragraph is clear， it lacks coherence. The sentences offer no signals to establish relationships among events. To some extent， it reads like a list. After adding some transitional words and phrases， it turns out to be totally different：

A student acquires knowledge mainly from the textbooks and in class. As a result， when he graduates from school he can do nothing. For everything is different from teachers told him. He may be disappointed and frustrated. In the end， he may be afraid to face the real world. Our universities have turned out people of no use.

Thus it can be seen that effective transitional words and phrases help to make paragraphs coherent， meanwhile， to channel the flow of writers and readers thoughts.

II. Transitional Words and Phrases

Its up to us as writers to make the connections between our ideas clear to our readers. When write and revise， we must look for the areas that seem choppy or unconnected—that lack coherence and establish better coherence by using transitional words and phrases. They can help to develop a paragraph as well as hold it together.

Here is a list of some commonly used transitional expressions. We can signal our turns with proper choice of any of them.

1. Words that signal examples： for example， for instance， as a case， in point， in the case of， as an illustration， such as， like， that is， say

2. Words that signal comparison： similarly， likewise， in the same manner， the same... as， like， both， equally important

3. Words that signal contrast： on the contrary， on the other hand， by contrast， unlike， whereas， rather than， conversely， instead， the opposite is true

4. Words that signal concession： although， though， nevertheless， however， but， yet， admittedly， it is true... but， in spite of， even though

5. Words that signal time： earlier， previous， formerly， before， after， as， until， meanwhile， later， afterwards， next

6. Words that signal addition： first， second， in the first place， in the second place， next， also， besides， furthermore， moreover， in addition， what is more， for one thing， for another， not only... but also...

7. Words that signal reason： because， as， since， for， owing to， due to， as a result of， on account of

8. Words that signal conclusions or summaries： thus， so， hence， consequently， therefore， accordingly， for this reason， as a consequence， in conclusion， in short， on the whole， finally， lastly， to sum up， to conclude， in any event

9. Words that signal emphasis： chiefly， especially， indeed， in fact， certainly， particularly， to be sure， actually， above all， most important， worse， as a matter of fact， no doubt

10. Words that signal space： above， across， beyond， in front of， next to， opposite， under， below， nearby， close to

III. Conclusion

To end this paper， The author would like to say a few words to those who fear to meet the challenge posed by composition writing. Difficult writing is， but inaccessible it is not. If you want to write well， then read the best authors， observe the best speakers and do much exercise of your own style. Do remember： Where there is a will， there is a way！

References：

[1] 蔡基剛.英漢寫作對比研究[M].上海：復旦大學出版社，2001.

[2] Heffernan James A.W & Lincoin John E.1990.“Writing： A College Handbook”，New York： W.W. Norton & Company， Inc.

[3] Kirszner Laurie G.& Mandell Stephen R. “Writing： A College Rhetoric”， New York： CBS College Publishing，1985..

[4] Reinking James A.Hart Andrew W.& Osten Robert Vonder “Strategies for Successful Writing： A Rhetoric and Reader”， NewJersey： Prentice-Hall， Inc.1993.

（作者單位：山西省太原市成成中學 030000）