Cohesion

An important element of good writing is coherence. The Latin verb

cohere means "hold together." In order to have coherence in writing, the
sentences must hold together; that is, the movement from one sentence
to the next, and from one paragraph to the next must be logical and
smooth. There must be no sudden jumps. Each sentence should flow
smoothly into the next one.
One way of achieving coherence is using transition signals to show how
one idea is related to the next.

Transition Signals
Compare paragraphs 1 and 2 below:

Paragraph 1:
A difference among the world's seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in
different climate zones. The Baltic sea in Northern Europe is only one-fourth as
saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East. There are reasons for this. In warm
climates, water evaporates rapidly. The concentration of salt is greater. The
surrounding land is dry and does not contribute much fresh water to dilute the
salty sea water. In cold climate zones, water evaporates slowly. The runoff
created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of fresh water to dilute the
saline sea water.

Paragraph 2:
Another difference among the world's seas and oceans is that the salinity varies in
different climate zones. For example, the Baltic sea in Northern Europe is only
one-fourth as saline as the Red Sea in the Middle East. There are two reasons for
this. First of all, in warm climates, water evaporates rapidly; therefore, the
concentration of salt is greater. Second, the surrounding land is dry and,
consequently, does not contribute much fresh water to dilute the salty sea water.
In cold climate zones, on the other hand, water evaporates slowly. Furthermore,
the runoff created by melting snow adds a considerable amount of fresh water to
dilute the saline sea water.
  Both paragraphs give the same information, yet one paragraph is
easier to understand than the other because it contains transitions
signals to lead the reader from one paragraph to the other.
 Paragraph 2 is more coherent because it contains transition
signals. Each transition signal has a special meaning. Each shows
how the following sentence relates to the preceding one.
TRANSITIONAL SIGNALS FOR GENERAL USE

Meaning/ Sentence Clause Connectors Others

Function Connectors Coordinating Subordinating
Conjunction Conjunction

To introduce In addition and Another (+noun)

an additional Furthermore An additional
idea Moreover (+noun)
Besides
Also

To introduce On the other hand But Although In spite of

an opposite In contrast Yet Though (+noun)
idea However Even though Despite (+noun)
Nevertheless Whereas
while

To introduce a Otherwise or If
choice or an Unless
alternative

To introduce For example An example of

an example For instance (+noun)
Such as (+noun)
To introduce a In conclusion
conclusion or In summary
summary In brief

To introduce a Accordingly so
result As a result
As a consequence
Therefore
Consequently
Hence
Thus
Exercise no. 1:
Choose the transition signals that best shows the relationship between the
sentences in each group from the choices given in parenthesis. Write the
signal in the space. Add punctuation and change capital letters to small
letters if necessary.
1. The same article said that the causes of inflation were easy to find
____________________ the cure for inflation was not so easy to
prescribe. (however, for example, therefore)
2. Era also suggested that rising wages were one of the primary
causes of inflation _____________________ the government
should take action to control wages. (however, therefore, for
example)
3. In physics, the weight of an object is the gravitational force² with
which the Earth attracts it _____________________ if a man
weighs 150 pounds, this means that the earth pulls him down with
a force of 150 pounds. (moreover, therefore, for example)
4. The farther away from the Earth a person is, the less the
gravitational force of the Earth _______________________ a man
weighs less when he is 50,000 miles from the Earth than when he
is only 5,000 miles away. (in conclusion, therefore, however)
5. A Tsunami is a tidal wave produced by an Earthquake on the ocean
floor. The waves are very long and low in open water, but when
they get close to land, they encounter friction because the water is
shallow ______________________ the waves increase in height
and can cause considerable damage when they finally reach land.
(on the other hand, as a result, for example)