64. Creating texts Part 3
Coherence
We all know people who ramble on in conversation, jumping from one idea to another, seemingly without connection except a vague chain of association. We call this incoherence as nothing seems to hang together. Texts too need to be coherent, otherwise we would hardly call them “texts” at all. There must be a flow of meaning and subject matter, with a clear linkage from sentence to sentence, and paragraph to paragraph. We don’t always remark on it when it’s there. But when it’s absent we know we’re with the fairies in the foliage.
A technical writer, especially, must be coherent: texts describing the use of electronic or mechanical equipment pose a danger to the user if they are not absolutely clear.
Cohesion
Cohesion is much more complicated to deal with and we will spend the rest of this section on this vital task in all written, or spoken, texts. Cohesion breaks down naturally into three main areas:
* Referring words which allow the writer to refer back or forward without repetition -
- pronouns
- determiners
- auxiliary verbs
- signpost words
* Ellipsis which enables the writer to refer back while missing out sections of text without confusion.
* Sentence adverbials which allow extra cohesion through the use of:
- conjuncts
- disjuncts.
Cohesion, then, is the process by which we fix or glue sentences together by the subtle use of grammar and vocabulary. Both choice of words and pattern of text are used for this essential, and usually unconscious, process. Repetition of a sound-bite or key word or phrase is a favourite trick of orators, sometimes effective, often irritating.
Grammatical devices, such as:
* anaphoric deixis - referring back, and
* cataphonic deixis - referring forward
are a central means of achieving cohesion in linear texts.
We will begin then with -
Referring words
Words which refer back are:
* Pronouns — which refer back to -
nouns
noun phrases
other pronouns; as in: “The man turned the corner, but his steering was faulty and he hit another vehicle.”
* Determiners — which imply or state a reference back; as in: “She bought three goldfish and a budgie. The budgie was blue.”
* Auxiliary verbs — which can stand in for a whole verb phrase; as in: “He had promised them all computers for Christmas, but was unable to do so because he had lost his job.”
Ellipsis
Pronouns and other words enable the writer to refer back, or forward, without repeating words or phrases. It’s possible to avoid repetition of a verb, for example, by using an auxiliary: “I have played many more instruments than she has.” where has stands in for the verb phrase have played.
There are several ways this can be done:
* Contrasting subjects
“Peter shaves more often than I do.”
* Contrasting objects
“He played rugby with more verve than he did cricket.”
Sentence adverbials
Conjuncts and disjuncts link different parts of a text together. For example:
* Adding and listing
“First we went to London. Then we headed north. Finally we went back to Brighton.”
Similar sentence adverbials include: meanwhile, next, last, soon, besides, also, as well, and many more.
Tracing simple grammar from a single character or word to the building of texts, is a useful exercise for all writers, whether technical or not. It will make you a better writer in the end, if you follow the time-honoured conventions, and avoid the glaring faux pas of the novice.
Next: 65. Proofreading
