Ylenia Schembri Cohesion Essay Group 4A

Cohesion is a linguistic term that refers to the techniques and devices used to connect
different parts of a text with each other. Cohesion must be achieved in a sentence, both
within and across paragraphs for a text to make sense. There are two main types of
cohesion; grammatical and lexical. These cohesion devices can also be referred to as
cohesive links or ties.

Grammatical cohesion involves the use of sentence structure and the grammatical functions
of words. This encapsulates within it the use of reference, identification, ellipses and
conjunction. Grammatical reference involves the use of pronouns (he, she, it, they) and the
use of comparatives. Demonstrative pronouns (this, that) can also be used in a similar way.
Reference can be of two distinct types; either anaphoric or cataphoric. An anaphoric
reference would be when a word refers back to somebody or something that has already
been mentioned while a cataphoric reference references forward, something which is still not
known. An example of anaphoric reference would be “They were graphic and textile
designers” where the word “they” reverts back to the personalities of Charles and Ray
Eames who had been introduced in the previous sentence. Other examples include “they
had confined” or “they spread” which once again refer back to the two people initially
mentioned. Additionally, “this was merely one” is also an anaphoric reference.

Grammatical identification refers to the use of determiners (such as the, this, and that) to
indicate that a noun had previously been mentioned. When a noun is initially used it is often
preceded by the indefinite article (a), then the definite article is used (the). Examples from
the given text include “confined their efforts” where "their" replaces the before mentioned
couple and “this dynamic couple” where "this" specifies the identities of Charles and Ray
Eames.

Ellipsis occurs when there is an omission of words. An earlier part of the text would enable
the reader to supply and understand the missing elements in the incomplete sentence.
Ellipsis is most often used in speech as people would still understand since the missing
information can be inferred from the context. A prominent example of ellipses would be the
specification of “graphic and textile” designers which is later on reduced to simply
“designers” as the text progresses.

Conjunction or connectives refer to grammatical devices namely conjunctions and

conjunctive adverbs which link sentences to each other. These words also indicate the
relationship between the two parts of the text. An example would be “but this was merely
one facet” where but shows that the following sentence contrasts with the previous one.
Other instances include “Charles and Ray” or “graphic and textile” which make use of the
cohesive device and.

On the other hand, lexical cohesion involves the meanings of words. This is divided into two
categories, repetition and collocation. Lexical repetition refers to the straightforward
repetition of a single word. Sometimes it is not the same word but a synonym which is
repeated, creating a link between the sentences. For instance in the given text, the synonym
“passed away” is used instead of repeating “died” to infer that Ray Eames also passed on.
Another occurrence is the use of “partner” instead of wife.

Collocation refers to the tendency for certain words to occur together. This applies to both
shorter expressions and longer stretches of text. It is cohesive as it involves words that
because of their meaning are already linked in the reader’s subconscious. This is evident in
“far and wide”, a clear and easy idiom to remember which means to a great extent of area.
Another possible example is “ground breaking”, which means something new and innovative
or something that introduces a significant change or advancement.

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Ylenia Schembri Cohesion Essay Group 4A

All the aforementioned techniques and devices provide flow and sequence in one’s text;
essentially contributing to the overall clarity of the writing.
Cohesion is a linguistic term that refers to the techniques and devices used to connect
different parts of a text with each other. Cohesion must be achieved in a sentence, both
within and across paragraphs for a text to make sense. There are two main types of
cohesion; grammatical and lexical. These cohesion devices can also be referred to as
cohesive links or ties.

Grammatical cohesion involves the use of sentence structure and the grammatical functions
of words. This encapsulates within it the use of reference, identification, ellipses, and
conjunction. Grammatical reference involves the use of pronouns (he, she, it, they) and the
use of comparatives. Demonstrative pronouns (this, that) can also be used similarly.
Reference can be of two distinct types; either anaphoric or cataphoric. An anaphoric
reference would be when a word refers back to somebody or something that has already
been mentioned while a cataphoric reference references forward, something which is still not
known. An example of anaphoric reference would be “They were graphic and textile
designers” where the word “they” revert to the personalities of Charles and Ray Eames who
had been introduced in the previous sentence. Other examples include “they had confined”
or “they spread” which once again refer back to the two people initially mentioned.
Additionally, “this was merely one” is both an anaphoric reference and an example of
grammatical identification.

Ellipsis occurs when there is an omission of words. An earlier part of the text would enable
the reader to supply and understand the missing elements in the incomplete sentence.
Ellipsis is most often used in speech as people would still understand since the missing
information can be inferred from the context. A prominent example of ellipses would be the
specification of “graphic and textile” designers which is later on reduced to simply
“designers” as the text progresses.

Conjunction or connectives refer to grammatical devices namely conjunctions and

conjunctive adverbs which link sentences to each other. These words also indicate the
relationship between the two parts of the text. An example would be “but this was merely
one facet” where "but" shows that the following sentence contrasts with the previous one.
Other instances include “Charles and Ray” or “graphic and textile” which make use of the
cohesive device and.

On the other hand, lexical cohesion involves the meanings of words. This is divided into two
categories; repetition and collocation. Lexical repetition refers to the straightforward
repetition of a single word. Sometimes it is not the same word but a synonym that is
repeated, creating a link between the sentences. For instance, in the given text, the
synonym “passed away” is used instead of repeating “died” to infer that Ray Eames also
passed on. Another occurrence is the use of “partner” instead of wife.

Collocation refers to the tendency for certain words to occur together. This applies to both
shorter expressions and longer stretches of text. It is cohesive as it involves words that
because of their meaning are already linked in the reader’s subconscious. This is evident in
“far and wide”, a clear and easy idiom to remember which means to a great extent of area.
Another possible example is “ground breaking”, which means something new and innovative
or something that introduces a significant change or advancement.

All the aforementioned techniques and devices provide flow and sequence in one’s text;
essentially contributing to the overall clarity of the writing.