Cohesive devices

Cohesive devices

The player threw the ball toward the goalkeeper. Balls are used in many sports. Most balls are spheres, but American football is an ellipsoid. Fortunately, the goalkeeper jumped to catch the ball. The crossbar in the soccer game is made of iron. The goalkeeper was standing there.

Anaphoric reference

Anaphoric Reference means that a word in a text refers back to other ideas in the text for its meaning. 

For example:

‘I went out with Jane on Sunday. She looked awful.’ ´She` clearly refers to Jane, so there is no need to repeat her name. 

Cataphoric reference

Cataphoric reference means that a word in a text refers to another later in the text and you need to look forward to understanding

For example:

When he arrived, Liam noticed that the door was open.

Exophoric reference

Exophoric reference refers to an idea outside the text. This is a reference to world knowledge shared by the reader

For Example:

” The Prime Minister responded quickly to the threat. Here we are expected to know who the Prime Minister is”

Tense agreement

Tense agreement refers to the way that writers use tenses to make a text hang together

Example

“She knew then that he… “had found her letter” is a logical ending to the sentence. We are not surprised to see past perfect after simple past in a narrative sentence.”

Linkers

Linkers refer to words or phrases that describe the relationship between ideas in the text

Example:

“And, but, therefore, first of all”

Substitution/Ellipsis

Substitution or Ellipsis refers to replacing words, or leaving them out– this is how writers reduce repetition in a text

Example:

“Now we’re finishing our essays. I know you want to go out, but before you can do that, please finish. ‘do that’ avoids the repetition of ‘go out’. Instead of repeating ‘finish our essays’ ‘our essays’ is dropped from the sentence”

Substitution/Ellipsis

Substitution or Ellipsis refers to replacing words, or leaving them out– this is how writers reduce repetition in a text

Example:

“Now we’re finishing our essays. I know you want to go out, but before you can do that, please finish. ‘do that’ avoids the repetition of ‘go out’. Instead of repeating ‘finish our essays’ ‘our essays’ is dropped from the sentence”