Bailey 2.3 Cohesion
Bailey 2.3 Cohesion
Bailey 2.3 Cohesion
2.3
Cohesion
Cohesion means joining a text together with reference words (e.g. he, she, theirs,
the former) and conjunctions (e.g. but, then) so that the whole text is clear and
readable. This unit practises the use of reference words, while conjunctions are
examined in Unit 3.5.
1 Reference words
2 Practice A
La Ferrera (2007) has researched the life cycle of new businesses. She found that they
have an average life of only 4.7 years, and considers this is due to two main reasons;
one economic and one social. The former appears to be a lack of capital, the latter a
failure to carry out sufficient market research. La Ferrera considers that together
these account for approximately 70 per cent of business failures.
La Ferrera She
new businesses
one economic
one social
3 Preventing confusion
To avoid confusing the reader, it is important to use reference words only when the reference
is clear and unambiguous. For example:
Pablo Picasso moved to Paris in 1904 and worked with George Braque from 1908 to 1909.
He became interested in the analysis of form, which led to cubism.
In this case, it is not clear which person (Picasso or Braque) ‘he’ refers to. So, to avoid this,
write:
Pablo Picasso moved to Paris in 1904 and worked with George Braque from 1908 to 1909.
Picasso became interested in the analysis of form, which led to cubism.
98 Part 2: Elements of Writing
4 Practice B
䊏 In the following paragraph, insert suitable reference words from the box below in the
gaps (more words than gaps).
he × 3/his × 4/it/them/they/this/these
Famous For?
When Andy Warhol died at the age of 58 in 1987, few people guessed that (a)
_______________ would soon become one of the most valuable artists in the
world. In 2007, total sales of (b) _______________ work at auction reached $428
million. When, a year later, (c) _______________ painting ‘Eight Elvises’ sold for
over $100 million, (d) _______________ was one of the highest prices ever paid
for a work of art. In (e) _______________ working life, (f) _______________ made
about 10,000 artworks, and dealers believe that (g) _______________ will
continue to be popular with collectors in the future. (h) _______________ is
because of Warhol’s huge reputation as a super-cool trendsetter and innovator.
(i) _______________ is also remembered for (j) _______________ remark: ‘In the
future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes’, which seems to forecast
today’s celebrity culture.
5 Practice C
䊏 Read the paragraph below and replace the words in bold with reference words.
Velcro
Velcro is a fabric fastener used with clothes and shoes. Velcro was invented
by a Swiss engineer called George de Mestral. Mestral’s idea was derived
from studying the tiny hooks found on some plant seeds. The tiny hooks
cling to animals and help disperse the seeds. Velcro has two sides, one of
which is covered in small hooks and the other in loops. When the hooks and
loops are pressed together, they form a strong bond.
Mestral spent eight years perfecting Mestral’s invention, which Mestral
called ‘Velcro’ from the French words ‘velour’ and ‘crochet’. The invention
was patented in 1955 and today over 60 million metres of Velcro are sold
annually.
2.3: Cohesion 99
6 Practice D
䊏 Use the following information to write a paragraph about the invention of nylon,
paying careful attention to the use of reference words.
Nylon
Inventor: Wallace Carothers
Company: DuPont Corporation (USA)
Carothers’ position: Director of research centre
Carothers’ background: Chemistry student, specialising in polymers (molecules
composed of long chains of atoms)
Properties: Strong but fine synthetic fibre
Patented: 1935
Mass produced: 1939
Applications: Stockings, toothbrushes, parachutes, fishing lines,
surgical thread