Cohesive Devices

COHESION
COHESIVE DEVICES
Often referred to as linkers, linking words,

connectors, transitional expressions, discourse
markers, cohesive devices define their
relationship between and among paragraphs
or sentences within a paragraph.
Cohesion concerns the flow of sentences and
paragraphs from one to another. It involves
the tying together of old information and
new.
There are two main types of cohesion:

GRAMMATICAL COHESION
and
LEXICAL COHESION
Example: Lexical Cohesion
through General Nouns
GRAMMATICAL COHESION
ANAPHORIC REFERENCE
occurs when a word or phrase refers
to something mentioned earlier in
the discourse
Example:
Michael went to the bank. He was
annoyed because it was closed.
Anaphoric reference often makes use of the definite
article the, because one of the functions of the definite
article is to indicate that something has already been
mentioned.
Here’s another example:
He sat down at the table and took a small box from his
pocket. The object felt heavy in his hands. Inside it was the
key to his future.
CATAPHORIC REFERENCE
to something mentioned later in the
discourse.
Example:
Although I phone her every week,
my mother still complains that I
don’t keep in touch often enough.
EXOPHORIC REFERENCE
to something outside the discourse.
Example:
They‘re late again, can you believe it?”
“I know! Well, they’d better get here soon
or it‘ll get cold.”
EXOPHORIC REFERENCE
The use of exophoric reference

requires some shared knowledge
between two speakers, or between
writer and reader(s).
EXERCISE
For many years, East German people devised (1) creative ways
to sneak out of East Germany. Some people dug tunnels;
(2) others tried crashing through checkpoints with cars, trucks,
or buses; (3) still others flew out in small airplanes or balloons.
One woman tied herself to the bottom of a car and passed
through a checkpoint unnoticed. And one family sewed fake
Russian uniforms for (4) themselves; then, they pretended to
be Russian soldiers and simply drove through a checkpoint.
Some desperate people tried scrambling over a barbed-wire
fence or a wall. (5) These people were often shot.
1. creative ways
cataphoric:: creative ways is cataphoric, referring downward to digging
tunnels, crashing through checkpoints, flying out, tying oneself to the bottom of
a car, sewing fake Russian uniforms, and scrambling over a fence or wall.
2. Others
'anaphoric:: others is anaphoric, referring upward to people.
3. still others
anaphoric:: still others is anaphoric, referring upward to people.
4. themselves
anaphoric: themselves is anaphoric, referring upward to family.
5. These people
anaphoric: CORRECT: These people is anaphoric, referring upward to
desperate people
EXERCISE
On 21 December 1972, (6) the Basic Treaty was signed by East
and West Germany, and relations between (7) the two
countries started to improve. During the next two decades, they
began to cooperate with (8) each other by sharing cultural and
commercial (9) activities such as arts exchange programs and
joint business ventures. However, East Germans were still
dissatisfied, for (10) their living standard was lower than
(11) that of West Germany. (12) Their industries produced
inferior goods, and (13) their country was polluted from inferior
mining methods and careless industrial waste.
6. the Basic Treaty
exophoric:: the Basic Treaty is exophoric, referring out of the text to the de facto
recognition of East Germany by the West German government. This is not mentioned
anywhere in the text; the reader is assumed to know what it is, making it exophoric.
Note also the use of exophoric the, indicating that only one example of this item exists
in the time and place mentioned and that the reader most likely knows about it.
7. the two countries

anaphoric:: the two countries is anaphoric, referring upward to East and West
Germany.
8. each other
anaphoric:: each other is anaphoric, referring upward to East and West Germany.
9. activities
cataphoric: CORRECT: activities is cataphoric, referring downward to arts
exchange programs and joint business ventures.'
10. their
anaphoric: CORRECT: their is anaphoric, referring upward to East Germany's.
11. That
anaphoric: CORRECT: that is anaphoric, referring upward to living standard.
12. Their
anaphoric: CORRECT: Their is anaphoric, referring upward to East Germans
13. their country

anaphoric: CORRECT: their country is anaphoric, referring upward to East
Germany.
TENSE AGREEMENT
Refers to the way that writers use

tenses to make a text hang together.
Example:
The students knew who their
teacher was.
LINKERS
Are words or phrases that describe
the relationship between ideas in the
text.
Example:
Jane is not only smart but she is also
good-looking.
LINKERS - Conjunctions
A. Coordinating Conjunctions:
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
B. Correlative Conjunction:
either...or, neither...nor, not only...but also
whether...or
LINKERS - Conjunctions
Substitution in English grammar, replaces a
word previously used with another word.
Common words to do this are do/does, one/ones,
here, there, that, so, then.
Examples:
A new theme park has opened near me but I've
never been there.
I really loved your biscuits. Can I have another
one?
More Examples of Substitution:
● A new theme park has opened near me but I've
never been there
● I really loved your biscuits. Can I have another

one?
● I don't think you should go to meet her but that is

your decision
Ellipsis
With ellipsis, rather than using a new word, the
previously used word, phrase or clause, is left
out.
The context of what is being said or written

makes the meaning clear without the words
being there.
Examples:
● I'm going to eat the spicy food but do you think you
should eat the spicy food?
● They were going to have a big wedding but they've

decided not to have a big wedding.
● I went shopping in the morning and I went to the

doctors in the afternoon.
More Examples
● A: Could you come and see me?
B: I could Maybe come and see you.

● Are You doing ok?
● While you are running you should listen to music.
● The man who is wearing the suit is the MP for

Greenwich.

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COHESION

Often referred to as linkers, linking words,

There are two main types of cohesion:

Here’s another example:

The use of exophoric reference

7. the two countries

13. their country

Refers to the way that writers use

● I really loved your biscuits. Can I have another

● I don't think you should go to meet her but that is

The context of what is being said or written

● They were going to have a big wedding but they've

● I went shopping in the morning and I went to the

B: I could Maybe come and see you.

● While you are running you should listen to music.

● The man who is wearing the suit is the MP for

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