The sentences are not connected by transitions and give the readers new ideas that are not found in the topic sentence. Notice that the ideas in the non-cohesive sample are not arranged logically. Since they are tame, people have various reasons for owning a dog, such as companionship. Even though dogs descended from wolves, they are tame and can be kept in households. There are various reasons for owning a dog, and the most important is companionship.Ĭohesive sample: Dogs are canines that people domesticated a long time ago, primarily for practical reasons. Wolves are predecessors of dogs and they help people in a variety of ways. Non-cohesive sample: Dogs are canines that people domesticated a long time ago. The paragraph below shows a lack of unity: To ensure that your paragraphs have unity, there are two things to keep in mind: it must have a single topic (found in the topic sentence) and sentences provide more detail than the topic sentence, while maintaining the focus on the idea presented. Paragraph coherence and cohesion results in paragraph unity.

There are strategies that you can use to ensure coherence and cohesion in academic writing.Įxamples of Cohesive and Non-Cohesive Paragraphs It defeats the whole purpose of writing, which is to relay ideas in a clear and efficient manner. Needless to say, texts without coherence are difficult to read and understand. Without both coherence and cohesion, the readers may detect choppiness in the text and feel as if there are gaps in the ideas presented. After all, the goal of writing is to benefit the readers. What is Coherence in Writing?Ĭoherence also means “clarity of expression” and it is created when correct vocabulary and grammar are used. In addition, cohesion focuses on the grammar and style of your paper. There is a difference between cohesion and coherence: cohesion is achieved when sentences are connected at the sentence level, whereas as coherence is achieved when ideas are connected. Without cohesion, the reader will not understand the main points that you are trying to make. In academic writing, the flow of ideas from one sentence to the next should be smooth and logical. Coherence is an essential quality for good academic writing.

Coherent sentence