Operating Definitions and Guidelines for Writing

Coherence, Flow, and Organization

What is coherence?
It is the quality of writing which means that the elements of a composition relate clearly to one another--the thesis is clearly related to each topic sentence; each topic sentence is clearly related to every sentence in the paragraph and, finally, every sentence is clearly related to each of the others.

A Synthesis of Coherence Strategies
Good writing is

• informative--it delivers new information, or a new perspective on old information, and/or entertainment value equal to the time it takes to read it. It goes beyond the predictable. When a reader finishes reading something that is truly informative, she often feels refreshed or enlightened.
• specific--most paragraphs narrow down to examples that consist of events director Ron Howard would know how to film, done by characters with names one can find in a phone book, who use items one can order from a catalog, in places with names one can find on a map, during times one can locate on a clock, calendar, or time line.
  
  When writing is specific, it is more likely to be informative, but sometimes informative writing seems to get off topic. To make the connections between specific detail and the general statements they are backing up clear, use coherence strategies. These are things a writer can do to make the relationships between ideas easy to see.

Transitions--words or phrases that indicate the exact relationship between one idea and another, one sentence and/or paragraph and another. These below are some examples for time, space, and order of importance. Go here to see which ones are most often applied to each method of development. 

Time Order

after a while
afterward
at last
at present
briefly
currently
during

eventually
finally
first
second
gradually
immediately
in the future

later
morning
meanwhile
night
now
recently
soon

suddenly
then
at breakfast (or whatever)

in the summer (or other season)

Space Order

above
below
beside
beyond
further

here
Inside
nearby
next to

on the far side
outside
to the east (south, …)
to the left (or right)

Order of Emphasis

the first
the next
another
yet another
above all

especially
In fact
In particular
indeed

most important
surely
of less significance (or more)

Organization Patterns for the
Methods of Development

It takes some experience before a new writer can get beyond summarizing or being controlled by the organization in the literature s/he is discussing. The stronger a writer's ideas control the organization, the more effectively his or her essay communicates. The initial tools for organizing all ideas are listed in the coherence discussion.

To construct academic/professional level text so that the information is immediately accessible to the reader, writers use the methods of development as the building blocks. The paragraphs in such analytical writing consist of narration, description, illustration, process, comparison, classification, cause/effect, and definition. Please click on each link and look for the organization patterns and transitions for each.

Narration | Description | Exemplification | Process

Comparison | Classify | Cause and Effect | Define

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Narration Most often Uses Time Order, , but the Others Are Conceivable -- See more on narrative here

Time Order Transitions
after a while afterward at last at present briefly currently during	eventually finally first second gradually immediately in the future	later morning meanwhile night now recently soon	suddenly then at breakfast (or whatever) in the summer (or other season)

.

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Description Most often Uses Space Order - see more on description here

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Illustration/Exemplification Most often Uses Order of Emphasis, but Time and Space Are also Possible - see more on illustration/exemplification here

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Process Most often Uses Time Order - see more on process here.

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Comparison Most often Uses Order of Emphasis, but Time and Space Are also Possible -- see more on comparison here.

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Classification Most often Uses Order of Emphasis, but Time and Space Are also Possible -- see more on classification here.

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Cause and Effect Most often Uses Order of Emphasis, but Time and Space Are also Possible -- see more on cause and effect here

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Definition Most often Uses Order of Emphasis, but Time and Space Are also Possible -- see more on definition here.

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Updated 7/16/04 by Maria Garcia - HyperClass[at]Hotmail.com

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