Who knew?

Chapter 4

The sentences lose their individuality and become meshed into one unit. Any sentence that deviates from the topic disrupts the continuity of the paragraph, and the coherence is destroyed. Any gaps in thought or any portions left out confuse the reader and contribute to the lack of coherence. Unity, as we have studied previously, is an essential part of paragraph coherence; but even more important to coherence than the development methods are transitions.Transitions are bridges that unite two thoughts by forming one continuous statement. The methods of transition that aid the writer in achieving coherence are continuity of thought, pronoun reference, and transitional words.

A major concept in combating the lack of coherence in a paragraph is continuity of thought. If a writer thinks only in sentences instead of paragraphs, his paragraphs will not be coherent. Instead of writing in short spurts, or sentence by sentence, the writer must develop his paragraph as a single unit. He must think and write in paragraphs. Since most incoherent paragraphs are a result of thinking in sentences, the writer who thinks in paragraphs will have more continuity of thought or coherence. Using this method, the writer will avoid leaving out any important details. 

Another method of transition is the use of pronoun reference. Since every pronoun in a sentence has an antecedent (a word it refers to), pronouns are good transitional techniques. By using pronouns, the writer avoids monotony by not repeating the noun.

The only danger in using pronouns is the possibility of ambiguity. Always be sure that the antecedent of the pronoun is clear. Too many pronouns could easily confuse the reader. In the following passage, taken from "Bartleby the Scrivener" by Herman Melville, coherence is achieved by the use of the three cases of of personal pronouns:nominative (I, she, we, etc.), objective (me, her, us, etc.), and possessive (my, her, our, etc.).

A third and final transitional device is the use of transitional words. Words or groups of words (phrases) placed at the beginning of a sentence or between clauses indicate the relationship between the new sentence or clause and the one preceding it. Their function is to provide a link between the clauses or sentences that allow you to understand the conncection between the two ideas. Some of the most common transitional words are the coordinating conjunctions, and, but, or, nor, for, so, and yet. As you learned in Language Arts 806, transitional words are "bridges" that enable the reader to transfer his thoughts from one sentence or clause to another. Other transitional words, or connectives, prepare the reader for what is to follow. These connectives are grouped into categories of purpose. Each group serves the writer's different needs. 

As a writer, learn to use transitional words and phrases according to their specialized functions. Transitional words will give paragraphs coherence, and writing will become much easier for you. 

Coherence, then, is a mixture of thoughts, pronouns, and transitional words worked into paragraphs to give them unity and clarity." 

He finishes and then turns off the light and hands out pillows and blankets that he had stored in the closet next to his desk. We all fall asleep until a loud bell rings. "Alright, that it of nap time, now come on. Get up. Time to go to your next class." Mr. Blofis pushes. We all slowly start getting up and exiting his classroom. 

"That was awesome."Percy says stretching his limbs. "It really was." I agree. "Now it's time for...math." Grover says with a sour face. We HATED the math teacher Mrs. Dodds. She was so mean and harsh, especially on Percy. She picks on us and brings us down. "Welcome maggots, time to start learning." We hear outside of the classroom. "Ready?" Annabeth asks. "I was born ready." Will says. We walk through the door, and sit down at our sits. "Alright you little terds, today we're learning about-" I zone out not wanting to hear any of this. 

After what felt like forever, the class was finally over and Annabeth and I head to the girls locker room to get int our Gym clothes, which were a bright orange tank top, and black sports shorts. 

When we finish, we walk to the gymnasium and meet the boys by the bleachers. They were wearing the same thing except that their top was a t-shirt and their bottoms went below the knee. "Well look who finally decided to show up." Percy says to me. "Well I'm sorry if the girls locker room was a while away." I respond. 

"LISTEN UP CUPCAKES!!" A voice yell. We turn to see our gym teacher, Coach Hedge. "Today we are going to play boys vs. girls dodgeball!" There were cheers and groans, but we get situated for the game. 

Coach Hedge sets up the balls, and steps back. "3! 2! 1!" Everyone rushes towards the line of balls, runs back to their base, and starts to throw them.  The girls end up winning and I rub into Percy's face. "I get it Mclean, you won, you are superior over us male's." Percy admits. "Well, now we have lunch." Will says.