Reading: Understanding Text Structure, Cohesion & Coherence (Mastery)
C1 Lesson 2: Understanding How Cohesion is Achieved in Complex and Stylistically Varied Texts
The 'Invisible Glue' of Advanced Writing
Cohesion1 is what makes a text flow smoothly and logically. At the C1 level, we analyze the sophisticated cohesive devices2 that writers use to connect their ideas.
Skilled writers use a variety of techniques beyond basic connectors to create this "invisible glue." Today, we will learn to recognize how different writing styles use different cohesive devices to achieve their purpose.
Analyzing Cohesion in Different Genres
Text 1: An Academic Text
Style Focus: Academic writing often uses formal discourse markers and precise reference words for clarity and logic.
The recent urbanization of provincial towns like Kampot presents a complex set of challenges. The primary issue is the strain on public infrastructure, which was designed for a much smaller population. Consequently, services such as waste management and electricity supply are often inadequate. A second challenge involves the social fabric; this rapid urban growth can lead to a loss of community identity. The former issue, infrastructure, can potentially be solved with sufficient investment; the latter, a loss of social cohesion, is a more intractable problem.
Cohesion Analysis:
- Discourse Markers: The author uses a formal marker, `Consequently,`, to signal a logical result.
- Lexical Cohesion3: The author refers to the main topic with a chain of related terms (`urbanization` → `urban growth`) to avoid repetition.
- Advanced Referencing: The author uses `the former / the latter5` to efficiently refer back to the two challenges (infrastructure and social cohesion) without rewriting the phrases.
Text 2: A Literary Description
Style Focus: Literary or descriptive writing often uses more subtle cohesion, relying on related vocabulary and repeated sentence structures (parallelism4) to create a smooth, rhythmic flow.
The rhythm of life by the Kampot river is dictated by the water. In the morning, there is a quiet energy as fishermen prepare their nets, their movements practiced and precise. By midday, this activity subsides, replaced by a sleepy stillness as the sun beats down. Then, as dusk descends, a new vitality emerges; the riverfront awakens with the chatter of families and the hum of evening markets. This daily ebb and flow is the town's constant, gentle pulse.
Cohesion Analysis:
- Lexical Cohesion: Instead of formal connectors, the author creates flow with a chain of related words describing the level of activity: `energy` → `activity subsides` → `stillness` → `vitality emerges` → `awakens` → `ebb and flow`.
- Advanced Referencing: In the final sentence, the phrase `This daily ebb and flow` refers back to the entire sequence of changing activity described in the whole paragraph, synthesizing the main idea.
Your Turn! Analyze the Cohesion.
Practice Quiz
Read the text and answer the question.
"The government is considering two main strategies to boost the economy: increasing foreign investment and supporting local small businesses. The former promises rapid growth but risks creating inequality, while the latter may be slower but builds a more resilient local economy."
In this text, what does "the former" refer to?
- A. The local economy
- B. Supporting local small businesses
- C. Increasing foreign investment
Answer: C. "The former" refers to the first of the two items mentioned in the preceding sentence, which is "increasing foreign investment."
Vocabulary Glossary
-
Cohesion (noun)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ភាពស្អិតរមួតនៃអត្ថបទ
The quality that makes a text's ideas flow smoothly and logically. ↩ back to text -
Cohesive Devices (noun phrase)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ពាក្យ ឃ្លា និងរចនាសម្ព័ន្ធវេយ្យាករណ៍ជាក់លាក់ដែលបង្កើតភាពស្អិតរមួតនៅក្នុងអត្ថបទ
The specific words, phrases, and grammatical structures that create cohesion in a text. ↩ back to text -
Lexical Cohesion (noun phrase)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: បង្កើតលំហូរដោយប្រើខ្សែសង្វាក់នៃពាក្យដែលមានអត្ថន័យពាក់ព័ន្ធ (ឧ. សទិសន័យ)
Creating flow by using chains of words with related meanings (e.g., synonyms). ↩ back to text -
Parallelism (noun)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ភាពស្របគ្នា
Using the same grammatical structure for two or more related ideas to create rhythm and balance. ↩ back to text -
The former / The latter (determiners)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: អតីត / ចុងក្រោយ
'The former' refers to the first of two things just mentioned; 'the latter' refers to the second. ↩ back to text
Homework Task
Cohesion Analysis!
Find a C1-level English article (an editorial or a feature article is best). Choose one or two paragraphs to analyze.
- Read the paragraph(s) carefully.
- Identify and write down at least three different cohesive devices the author uses.
- Label each one (e.g., "Discourse Marker," "Lexical Chain," "Advanced Referencing").
This will train your brain to see the "invisible glue" that holds advanced writing together.