Lecture 10: Techniques for working on Writing 1. Cohesion Cohesion is concerned with the way in which parts of written texts fit together to make a whole rather than a series of disconnected bits. This is important in a scientific paper Various connecting devices are used to connect ideas in one sentence to the previous sentence and to the following sentence They also connect paragraphs to each other. Connecting devices link all the different parts of your writing together so that it makes sense to any body who reads it Reading aloud your writing gives you a sense of how well the connections are made and thus how cohesive is your writing
1 Lecture 10: Techniques for working on Writing 1. Cohesion Cohesion is concerned with the way in which parts of written texts fit together to make a whole rather than a series of disconnected bits. This is important in a scientific paper. Various connecting devices are used to connect ideas in one sentence to the previous sentence and to the following sentence. They also connect paragraphs to each other. Connecting devices link all the different parts of your writing together so that it makes sense to anybody who reads it. Reading aloud your writing gives you a sense of how well the connections are made and thus how cohesive is your writing
One of the connecting devices is using connecting words and phrases Connecting words phrases However Despite Consequently Nevertheless Therefore Yet Although Because ince Firstly Furthermore In contrast In addition An example of Similarly Clearl But And as a result On the other hand Moreover Likewise
2 One of the connecting devices is using connecting words and phrases Connecting Words & Phrases Then However Despite Consequently Nevertheless Therefore Yet Although Because Since Firstly, secondly Furthermore In contrast In addition An example of Similarly Clearly But And As a result On the other hand Moreover Likewise
Scientific writing tends to make heavy use of connectors or connecting phrases such as however, on the other hand, as a result Part of technical writing is to learn to use these connecting phrases correctl Exl: I intend to vote for chang in the election next week. he is a diligent worker with a good personality. Moreover, he has experience in student government Ex2: I suggest you take the course on polymer Science. The material is interesting. Furthermore, the professor is liked by all the students Ex3: After going over the problem several times, I decided to ask my teacher for help. After she had explained it fully, I looked over the problem one more time. Finally, I arrived at the correct solution Ex 4. Previous workers proposed that the organic compound should have a certain structure. However, our present studies have proved the proposed structure wrong Ex 5. Previous scientists working on the structure of the gene had come to propose completely different structures. As a result, there appears to be some uncertainty on the true structure. On the other hand, these previous studies have helped us in our own investigations on the same gen
3 Scientific writing tends to make heavy use of connectors or connecting phrases such as however, on the other hand, as a result. Part of technical writing is to learn to use these connecting phrases correctly. Ex1: I intend to vote for Chang in the election next week. He is a diligent worker with a good personality. Moreover, he has experience in student government Ex2: I suggest you take the course on Polymer Science. The material is interesting. Furthermore, the professor is liked by all the students. Ex3: After going over the problem several times, I decided to ask my teacher for help. After she had explained it fully, I looked over the problem one more time. Finally, I arrived at the correct solution. Ex 4. Previous workers proposed that the organic compound should have a certain structure. However, our present studies have proved the proposed structure wrong. Ex 5. Previous scientists working on the structure of the gene had come to propose completely different structures. As a result, there appears to be some uncertainty on the true structure. On the other hand, these previous studies have helped us in our own investigations on the same gene
Exercises Take any ten of the connecting phrases and illustrate their uses in short paragraphs 1.1 Checking for cohesion Read your writing aloud. Pause at the end of each sentence. Ask yourself the following questions Does the sentence make sense? Does it relate to the sentence which follows:?How?2> Does it relate to the sentence which went before it? Ho Are there too many ideas in one sentence? How are the paragraphs related to each other? Does each paragraph introduce a new theme? Look out for and use connecting devices
4 Exercises: Take any ten of the connecting phrases and illustrate their uses in short paragraphs. 1.1 Checking for Cohesion Read your writing aloud. Pause at the end of each sentence. Ask yourself the following questions: • Does the sentence make sense? • Does it relate to the sentence which went before it? How? • Does it relate to the sentence which follows? How? • Are there too many ideas in one sentence? • How are the paragraphs related to each other? • Does each paragraph introduce a new theme? • Look out for and use connecting devices
2. The Articles- a, an, the The most common used adjectives a, an, the are also the shortest. They describe or signal nouns A and an are called indefinite articles because they refer to any unspecific member of a group or class. The is called a definite article because it refers to a specific member of a group or class The articles function as adjectives because they limit a noun or pronoun 2. 1 Indefinite articles- a, an A pen, a refrigerator, a tree, a secretary, an onion, an error 2.2 Definite article- the the pen( a specific pen the tree( a specific tree the error(a specific error) A is used before words beginning with a consonant sound, and an before words with a vowel sound. This is an important distinction it is not the spelling that determines whether to use a or an, but the sound An umbrella bUt a university A radio but an rca record
5 2. The Articles- a, an, the The most common used adjectives a, an, the are also the shortest. They describe or signal nouns. A and an are called indefinite articles because they refer to any unspecific member of a group or class. The is called a definite article because it refers to a specific member of a group or class. The articles function as adjectives because they limit a noun or pronoun. 2.1 Indefinite articles- a, an A pen, a refrigerator, a tree, a secretary, an onion, an error 2.2 Definite article- the the pen ( a specific pen) the tree ( a specific tree) the error (a specific error) A is used before words beginning with a consonant sound, and an before words with a vowel sound. This is an important distinction: it is not the spelling that determines whether to use a or an, but the sound. An umbrella BUT a university A radio BUT an RCA record