Cohesion and Coherence

Cohesion & Coherence
Cohesion: Cohesion is the grammatical and lexical linking within a text or sentence that holds a text
together and gives it meaning. It is related to the broader concept of coherence. In other words,
cohesion refer to how the words are connected to each other in a sentence of a text. It can also refer to
how the sentences in a text are linked together.
There are two main types of cohesion:
 Grammatical cohesion: Grammatical cohesion refers to the use of grammatical devices to link
sentences together. It is based on structural content. Some common grammatical cohesive
devices include:
 Reference words: These are words that refer back to previously mentioned words or
phrases. For example, the pronoun "it" in the sentence "The cat sat on the mat. It was black and
white" refers back to the noun "cat."
 Conjunctions: These words connect sentences and show how they are related. For
example, the conjunction "and" in the sentence "The cat sat on the mat and purred" shows that
the two actions happened at the same time.
 Ellipsis: This is the omission of a word or phrase that is understood from the context. For
example, the sentence "The cat sat on the mat. Then it purred" uses ellipsis to ignore the word
"and" between the two clauses.
 Lexical cohesion: Cohesion can refer to how the words are connected to each other in a
sentence of a text. This is called lexical cohesion. Lexical cohesion is the use of lexical devices to
link sentences together. It is based on lexical (relating to the words or vocabulary of a language)
content and background knowledge. Some common lexical cohesive devices include:
 Repetition: This is the use of the same word or phrase multiple times in a text. For
example, the repetition of the word "cat" in the sentence "The cat sat on the mat. The cat was
black and white. The cat was purring" helps to emphasize the main point of the paragraph.
 Synonyms: These are words that have the same or similar meaning. For example, the
sentence "The cat is black and white" uses the synonym "black" to refer to the color "black."
 Antonyms: These are words that have opposite meanings. For example, the sentence
"The cat is not white" uses the antonym "white" to refer to the color "black."
 Collocations: Collocations are often idiomatic, which means that they have a meaning
that is different from the literal meaning of the individual words. For example, the collocation
"make a decision" does not mean to literally make a decision out of something. Instead, it means
to come to a conclusion about something.
Coherence: Coherence is the logical connection between the ideas in a text. It refers to the overall logical
structure of a text, which means that the ideas in the text should flow smoothly and make sense to the
reader. The ideas presented in the sentences should be connected with the immediate sentence or
sentences, and the text should have a clear claim/main point.
So, one can say that cohesion is the "glue" that holds a text together, while coherence is the
"architecture" of the text. Cohesion is about how the sentences are linked together, while coherence is
about how the ideas are linked together.
Here is an example of a text that is cohesive but not coherent:

The cat sat on the mat. The mat was made of green felt. The cat was black and white. The cat was purring.
The paragraph is cohesive because the sentences are linked together using pronouns ("it," "the") and
conjunctions ("and"). However, the paragraph is not coherent because the ideas are not presented in a
logical order. For example, the reader does not know why the cat is sitting on the mat or why the mat is
made of green felt.
Here is an example of a text that is coherent:

The cat sat on the mat, purring contentedly. The mat was made of soft green felt, and the cat's fur was a
beautiful black and white. The cat had been sitting on the mat for a long time, and it was starting to get
tired. Soon, the cat would curl up on the mat and take a nap.
The paragraph is coherent because the ideas are presented in a logical order. The reader knows why the
cat is sitting on the mat, and the paragraph ends with a clear conclusion.

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Cohesion & Coherence

There are two main types of cohesion:

Here is an example of a text that is cohesive but not coherent:

Here is an example of a text that is coherent:

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