Welcome to the "Glue" of Writing!

Have you ever read a story where the sentences felt like a bumpy road—lots of stops and starts that didn't quite fit together? In this chapter, we are going to learn about cohesion. Cohesion is like the "glue" that sticks your words, sentences, and paragraphs together so that your writing flows smoothly, like a river.

When your writing has good cohesion, it is easy for the reader to follow your ideas from the beginning to the end. Let’s look at the different ways we can build these bridges in our writing.

1. Using Pronouns to Avoid Repetition

One of the simplest ways to make your writing flow is to use pronouns. If we keep using the same name over and over again, the writing sounds clunky and repetitive.

The Repetitive Way: Sam ran to the park because Sam wanted to play. When Sam got there, Sam saw Sam's friends.
The Cohesive Way: Sam ran to the park because he wanted to play. When he got there, he saw his friends.

By swapping the noun (Sam) for pronouns (he, his), the sentences stick together much better. You can also use relative pronouns like who, which, where, when, whose, or that to add more detail without starting a brand-new sentence.

Key Takeaway: Swapping nouns for pronouns keeps your writing fresh and stops it from sounding like a robot!

2. Building Bridges Across Paragraphs

Paragraphs are great for organising different themes, but we don't want them to feel like separate islands. We use adverbials to build bridges between them. These tell the reader when, where, or in what order things are happening.

Adverbials of Time

These tell the reader when the next part of the story or report is happening.
Examples: After a while, Later that day, Soon after, Meanwhile,

Adverbials of Place

These tell the reader where the action has moved to.
Examples: At the edge of the forest, Inside the dark cave, Back at home,

Adverbials of Number (Order)

These are perfect for instructions or explanations to show the sequence of ideas.
Examples: Firstly, Secondly, Finally, Next,

Quick Tip: Remember to put a comma after a fronted adverbial!
Example: Suddenly, the door creaked open.

3. Keeping Your Tense Consistent

Imagine you are telling a story about yesterday, but suddenly you start talking about it as if it’s happening right now. It would be very confusing! To keep your writing cohesive, you must make sure your verbs stay in the same tense.

If you start in the past tense ("The dragon flew..."), try to stay in the past tense ("...and breathed fire"). If you jump to the present tense ("...and then he breathes fire"), the "glue" of your story starts to peel off!

Key Takeaway: Pick a tense and stick to it unless you have a very good reason to change (like a character talking in direct speech).

4. Advanced Cohesion: Repetition and Ellipsis

Once you are a "cohesion pro," you can use these clever tricks used by Year 6 writers:

Repetition of Key Ideas

Sometimes, repeating a word or a phrase on purpose can link two paragraphs together. If your first paragraph ends by talking about a "mysterious map," starting your next paragraph with "This ancient map..." reminds the reader exactly what you are talking about.

Ellipsis

In writing, ellipsis isn't just three dots (...). It can also mean leaving out words that are already understood. This prevents you from repeating yourself too much.
Example: "Would you like an apple?" "I’d love one." (We don't need to say "I'd love an apple" because we already know what we're talking about!)

Layout Devices

You can also use headings, sub-headings, and bullet points to help organise your ideas. These act as "signposts" for the reader, showing them how different bits of information are connected.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Here are two things to watch out for:

  • The "Then" Trap: Try not to start every sentence with "Then...". Instead of "Then he went to the shop," try "After finishing his breakfast, he walked to the shop."
  • The Missing Bridge: Sometimes we jump to a new paragraph without explaining how much time has passed. Always use a cohesive device (like "The next morning...") to help the reader travel with you.

Quick Review: How to make your writing "sticky":
1. Use pronouns so you don't repeat names too often.
2. Use adverbials (Time, Place, Number) to link paragraphs.
3. Keep your tenses the same.
4. Use layout devices like headings to signpost your ideas.

Note: For more help on how to group your ideas into themes, check out the chapter on Paragraphing and organising ideas.