Coherence in writing means that all the support connects to form a whole that makes sense. In other words, even when the support is arranged in a logical order, it still needs “glue” to connect the various points.
A piece of writing that lacks coherence sounds choppy, and is hard for the reader to follow. Revising an essay for coherence helps readers see how one point leads to another. The best way to improve coherence is to add transitions.
Transitions are words, phrases, and sentences that connect ideas so that writing moves smoothly from one point to another. Transitions can connect sentences and ideas within a paragraph and also connect one paragraph to another. The following box lists some, but not all, of the most common transitions and their purpose.
The following essay shows how transitions link ideas within sentences and paragraphs and connect one paragraph to the next. It also shows another technique for achieving coherence: repeating key words and ideas related to the main point. The transitions and key words in this piece are underlined.
Common Transitional Words and Phrases
| INDICATE SPACE RELATION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| above | below | near | to the right |
| across | beside | next to | to the side |
| at the bottom | beyond | opposite | under |
| at the top | farther | over | where |
| behind | inside | to the left | |
| INDICATE TIME ORDER | |||
| after | eventually | meanwhile | soon |
| as | finally | next | then |
| at last | first | now | when |
| before | last | second | while |
| during | later | since | |
| INDICATE IMPORTANCE | |||
| above all | in fact | more important | most |
| best | in particular | most important | worst |
| especially | |||
| SIGNAL EXAMPLES | |||
| for example | for instance | for one thing | one reason |
| SIGNAL ADDITIONS | |||
| additionally | and | as well as | in addition |
| also | another | furthermore | moreover |
| SIGNAL CONTRAST | |||
| although | in contrast | nevertheless | still |
| but | instead | on the other hand | yet |
| however | |||
| SIGNAL CAUSE OR CONSEQUENCE | |||
| as a result | finally | so | therefore |
| because | |||
I thought I would never make it to work today. I had an important meeting, and it seemed as if everything was conspiring against me. The conspiracy started before I even woke up.
I had set my alarm clock, but it did not go off, and therefore I did not wake up on time. When I did wake up, I was already late, not just by a few minutes but by an hour and a half. To save time, I brushed my teeth while I showered. Also, I figured out what I was going to wear. Finally, I hopped out of the shower ready to get dressed. But the conspiracy continued.
The next act of the conspiracy concerned my only clean shirt, which was missing two buttons right in front. After finding a sweater that would go over it, I ran to the bus stop.
When I got to the stop, I discovered that the buses were running late. When one finally came, it was one of the old, slow ones, and it made stops about every ten feet. In addition, the heat was blasting, and I was sweating but could not take off my sweater because my shirt was gaping open. Now I was sweating, and perspiration was running down my scalp and neck. At least, I thought, I will dry off by the time the bus gets to my work.
In fact, I did dry off a little, but the conspiracy did not end there. When I finally got to work, the elevator was out of service, so I had to walk up ten flights of stairs. I was drenched, late, and inappropriately dressed. By the time I got to my desk, I knew that the hardest part of the day was behind me.