![]() Do your sentences "hang together"? Readers must feel that sentences in a paragraph are not just individually clear, but are unified with each other. Questions to ask yourself as you reviseġ. In this revision, the phrase “what a passage is ‘about,’” comes before “Readers depend…” This coheres better than the initial draft because the writer sets the reader up for a definition, or in-depth explanation of what the word “about”’ means. If readers feel that a sequence of topics is coherent, then they will feel they are moving through a paragraph from a cumulatively coherent point of view. Topics tell readers what a whole passage is "about." Readers depend on topics to focus their attention on particular ideas toward the beginning of sentences. ![]() In the sample passage, the highlighted phrase seems out of place. Think about the importance of your topics and what happens to the paragraph if these topics are not utilized. Decide what you will focus on in each paragraph. Sample Title: “How Topics Coherently Guide the Reader” Do the themes in the above passage match with this title?Ĥ. The words in the title should identify what should be the topics of most of the sentences. This variation is direct, concise, and surprising: “Readers feel dislocated,” begins this clause.ģ. The third time it is used, there’s a variation to the pattern. In terms of repetition, the phrase “readers feel that” is used twice. It also has a pattern of progression: in the first sentence, the phrase, “topics are crucial” is used and then the writer explains how topics are crucial in the rest of this sentence and the next. What this sample passage does really well is that it works with repetition. Utilize repetition and patterns of progression. Will your reader see these connections among the topics? Do these words help guide your reader along?Ģ. Here are some significant words from the clauses that are underlined in the above example: topics, readers, topics, readers, they, readers, they, readers. Is there a consistent set of related topics? When that happens, readers feel dislocated, disoriented, and out of focus.ġ. But if throughout the paragraph readers feel that its topics shift randomly, then they have to begin each sentence out of context, from no coherent point of view. Topics tell readers what a whole passage is "about." If readers feel that a sequence of topics is coherent, then they will feel they are moving through a paragraph from a cumulatively coherent point of view. Topics are crucial for readers because readers depend on topics to focus their attention on particular ideas toward the beginning of sentences. Avoid hiding your topic behind long introductory phrases or clauses. Move your topics to the beginning of your sentences.In most sentences, make your topics subjects that do the action in the sentences.Decide what you will focus on in each paragraph.Will your reader see these connections among the topics?.(Remember that a clause has a subject and verb) If you can, underline the first few words of every clause.Underline the first few words of every sentence in a paragraph, ignoring short introductory phrases such as "In the beginning," or "For the most part.".If your words progress from “investigate, remedy, resolve” or “negate, discover, re-invent” the reader should be able to follow the line of action and they will feel like your ideas cohere. Tip: Create a list of words to draw from that intuitively tells the reader what to focus on. Within a paragraph, keep your topics, or main points, direct and reasonably consistent.These phrases should communicate information that appeared in previous sentences, or build on knowledge that you share with your reader.Begin sentences with short, simple words and phrases.This material is adapted from Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, by Joseph Williams.įor a video guide to cutting unnecessary essay content, visit the Purdue OWL's vidcast on cutting. ![]() This resource will also enable students to look closely at their sentences and see how each sentence relates to another within a paragraph. This resource will focus primarily on topic sentences that begin each paragraph and on topics, or main points, within a paragraph. Writing a cohesive paper takes time and revision. ![]() Use this resource to help you find and fix common errors. Proofreading is primarily about searching your writing for errors, both grammatical and typographical, before submitting your paper for an audience (a teacher, a publisher, etc.). Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students.
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