Linkage
Transition signals are expressions such as first, finally, and however, or phrases such
as in conclusion, on the other hand, and as a result. Other kinds of words such as
subordinators (when, although), coordinators (and, but), adjectives (another, additional), and prepositions (because
of, in spite of) can serve as transition signals.
Transition signals are like traffic signs; they tell your reader when to go forward,
turn around, slow down, and stop. In other words, they tell your reader when you
are giving a similar idea (similarly, and, in addition), an opposite idea (on the other
hand, but, in contrast), an example (for example), a result (therefore, as a result), or
a conclusion (in conclusion).
Transition signals give a paragraph coherence because they guide your reader
from one idea to the next.
Unity
An important element of a good paragraph is unity. Unity means that a paragraph discusses one and only one main
idea from beginning to end. For example, if your paragraph is about the advantages of owning a compact car,
discuss only that. Do not discuss the disadvantages. Furthermore, discuss only one advantage, such as gas economy,
in each paragraph. If you begin to discuss another advantage, start a new paragraph. Sometimes it is possible to
discuss more than one aspect of the same idea in one paragraph if they are closely related to each other. For
example, you could discuss fuel economy and low maintenance costs in the same paragraph because they are closely
related, but you should not discuss both fuel economy and easier parking in the same paragraph because they are not
closely related. The second part of unity is that every supporting sentence must directly explain or prove the main
idea. For example, in a paragraph about the high cost of prescription drugs in the United States, you could mention
buying drugs from pharmacies outside the United States as an alternative, but if you write several sentences about
buying drugs outside the United States, you are getting off the topic, and your paragraph will not have unity.
A. The three paragraphs that follow all discuss the same topic. Only one of them shows unity. First read the
paragraphs. Then answer these questions.
1. Which paragraph has unity?
2. Which paragraph does not have unity because it discusses two different topics?
3. Which paragraph does not have unity because it has sentences that are not related to the main topic?
Paragraph 1
Effects of Color
Colors create biological reactions in our bodies. These reactions, in turn, can change our behavior. In one study,
prisoners were put in a pink room, and they underwent a drastic and measurable decrease in muscle strength and
hostility within 2.7 seconds. In another study, athletes needing short bursts of energy were exposed to red light.
Their muscle strength increased by 13.5 percent, and electrical activity in their arm muscles increased by 5.8
percent. Athletes needing more endurance for longer performances responded best when exposed to blue light. Other
studies have shown that the color green is calming. Green was a sacred color to the Egyptians, representing the hope
and joy of spring. It is also a sacred color to Moslems. Many mosques and religious temples throughout the world
use green (the color of renewal and growth) and blue (the color of heaven) to balance heavenly peace with spiritual
growth. To sum up, color influences us in many ways (Daniels 10).'
Paragraph 2
Effects of Color
Colors create biological reactions in our bodies. These reactions, in turn, can change our behavior. In one study,
prisoners were put in a pink room, and they underwent a drastic and measurable decrease in muscle strength and
hostility within 2.7 seconds. In another study, athletes needing short bursts of energy were exposed to red light.
Their muscle strength increased by 13.5 percent, and electrical activity in their arm muscles increased by 5.8
percent. Athletes needing more endurance for longer performances responded best when exposed to blue light. Other
studies have shown that the color green is calming. After London's Blackfriars Bridge was painted green, the
number of suicides decreased by 34 percent. These and other studies clearly demonstrate that color affects not only
our moods but our behavior as well (Daniels 10)
Paragraph 3
Effects of Color
Colors create biological reactions in our bodies. These reactions, in turn, can change our behavior. In one study,
athletes needing short bursts of energy were exposed to red light. Their muscle strength increased by 13.5 percent,
and electrical activity in their arm muscles increased by 5.8 percent. Athletes needing more endurance for longer
performances responded best when exposed to blue light. Blue is not a good color for dinnerware, however. Food
looks less appetizing when it is served on blue plates, perhaps because very few foods in nature are of that color.
Other studies have shown that the color green is calming. After London's Blackfriars Bridge was painted green, the
number of suicides from it decreased by 34 percent. It is clear that color affects not just our moods, but our behavior
as well (Daniels 10).
B. Both of the following paragraphs break the rule of unity because they contain one or more sentences that are off
the topic.
Step 1 Locate and underline the topic sentence of each paragraph.
Step 2 Cross out the sentence or sentences that are off the topic.
Paragraph 1
Adventure travel is the hot trend in the tourism industry. Ordinary people are no longer content to spend their two
weeks away from the office resting on a sunny beach in Florida. More and more often, they are choosing to spend
their vacations rafting down wild rivers, hiking through steamy rain forests, climbing the world's highest mountains,
or crossing slippery glaciers.J People of all ages are choosing educational study tours for their vacations. Paragraph
2 DaredevW sports are also becoming popular. Young people especially are increasingly willing to risk life and
limb3 while mountain biking, backcountry snowboarding, or high-speed skateboarding. Soccer is also popular in the
United States now, although football is still more popular. One of the riskiest new sports is skysurfing, in which
people jump out of airplanes with boards attached to their feet. Skysurfing rivals4 skydiving and bungee jumping for
the amount of thrillsand risk. c. Both of the following paragraphs not only have sentences that are off the topic but
also discuss two or more topics. Step 1 Decide where each paragraph should be divided into two paragraphs.
Underline the topic sentence of each. Step 2 Find sentence(s) that are off the topic and cross them out.
Coherence
Another element of a good paragraph is coherence. The Latin verb cohere means
"hold together." For coherence in writing, the sentences must hold together; that is,
the movement from one sentence to the next must be logical and smooth. There must
be no sudden jumps. Each sentence should flow smoothly into the next one.
There are four ways to achieve coherence:
1. Repeat key nouns.
2. Use consistent pronouns.
3. Use transition signals to link ideas.
4. Arrange your ideas in logical order.
Gold
1Gold, a precious metal,is prized for two important characteristics. 2First of all,
gold has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. 3Therefore, it is suitable for
jewelry, coins, an ornamental purposes. 4Gold never needs to be polished and will
remain beautiful forever. 5For example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished
today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago. 6Another important characteristic
of gold is its usefulness to industry and science. 7For many years, it has been used
in hundreds of industrial applications, such as photography and dentistry. 8The .'.
most recent use of gold is in astronauts' suits. 9Astronauts wear gold-plated heat
shields for protection when they go outside spaceships in space. 10ln conclusion,
gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its utility.
The easiest way to achieve coherence is to repeat key nouns frequently in your paragraph. Read the model paragraph
about gold to see how it uses this technique to
smooth the flow of sentences. The key noun in this paragraph is gold. Circle the
word gold and all pronouns that refer to it.
MODEl.:. ..
Paragraph with Coherence
Repetition
OfKey Nouns
You should have circled the noun gold seven times, the pronoun it twice, and the
pronoun its three times. (The word it in sentence 5 refers to coin, not gold, so you
should not have circled it.)
There is no fixed rule about how often to repeat key nouns or when to substitute
pronouns. You should repeat a key noun instead of using a pronoun when the meaning is not clear.
Throughout the following paragraph, the word gold has been replaced by pronouns, making the paragraph much less
coherent.
MODEL 5 : ..
Paragraph without Coherence
Gold
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of
all, it has a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore, it is suitable
for jewelry, coins, and ornamental purposes. It never needs to be polished and
will remain beautiful forever. For example, a Macedonian coin remains as
untarnished today as the day it was made 25 centuries ago. Another of its
important characteristics is its usefulness to industry and science. For many
years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications, such as
photography and dentistry. Its most recent use is in astronauts' suits. Astronauts
wear heat shields made from it for protection when they go outside spaceships
in space. In conclusion, it is treasured not only for its beauty but also for its
utility.
In the following paragraph, the key noun is never repeated. Replace the pronoun it with the key noun English
wherever you think doing so would make the paragraph more coherent.
English
1English has almost become an international language. 2Except for Chinese, more people speak it than any other
language. Spanish is the official language of more countries in the world, but more countries have it as their official
or unofficial second language. 4More than 70 percent of the world's mail is written in it. 51t is the primary language
on the Internet. Bin international business, it is used more than any other language, and it is the language of airline
pilots and air traffic controllers all over the world. 7Moreover, although French used to be the language of
diplomacy, it has displaced it throughout the world. Therefore, unless you plan to spend your life alone on a desert
island in the middle--of the Pacific Ocean, it is a useful language to know.
B. In the following passage about dolphins, replace some of the pronouns with appropriate singular or plural nouns.
Dolphins
1Dolphins are interesting because they display almost human behavior at times. 2For example, they display the
human emotions of joy and sadness. 3During training, when they do something correctly, they squeal excitedly and
race toward their trainer. Jhey are so intelligent and helpful, in fact, that the U.S. Navy is training them to become
underwater bomb disposal experts. If you do not wish to repeat a key noun again and again, you can use synonyms
or expressions with the same meaning. For example, in sentence 8 of the first paragraph about gold, the writer
substituted the noun use as a synonym for application in sentence 7, thereby smoothing the flow of thought from one
sentence to the next.
Consistent Pronouns.
When you use pronouns, make sure that you use the same person and number throughout your paragraph. Don't
change from you to he or she (change of person) or from he to they (change of number). Notice the changes the
writer made for consistency in the following examples.
In the following paragraph, the pronouns are not consistent. Correct them to make this paragraph more coherent.
Olympic Athletes Olympic athletes must be strong both physically and mentally. First of all, if you hope to compete
in an Olympic sport, you must be physically strong. Furthermore, aspiring4 Olympians must train rigorously for
many years. For the most demanding sports, they train several hours a day, five or six days a week, for ten or more
years. In addition to being physically strong, athletes must also be mentally tough. This means that you have to be
totally dedicated to your sport, often giving up a normal school, family, and social life. Being mentally strong also
means that he or she must be able to withstand the intense pressure of international competition with its
accompanying media6 coverage. Finally, not everyone can win a medal, so Olympians must possess the inner
strength to live with defeat.
