Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Thanks and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Tasks
- Introductory unit
- 1 Language standards and rules
- 2 Varieties of English
- 3 Types of grammar
- 4 Language systems and syllabuses
- 5 Forms and functions
- 6 An introduction to phonology
- 7 The consonants
- 8 The vowels
- 9 Rhythm and connected speech
- 10 Sentence stress and intonation
- 11 Word formation, spelling and word stress
- 12 Lexical meaning
- 13 Word classes and phrases
- 14 Sentence structure: the simple sentence
- 15 Sentence structure: the complex sentence
- 16 Negatives and questions
- 17 The verb phrase
- 18 Time and tense
- 19 Aspect: progressive
- 20 Aspect: perfect
- 21 Modality
- 22 Futurity
- 23 Hypothetical meaning and conditionals
- 24 The noun phrase
- 25 Determiners
- 26 Adjectives and adverbs
- 27 Prepositions and phrasal verbs
- 28 Cohesion
- 29 Texts
- 30 Conversation
- Key and commentaries
- Introductory unit
- 1 Language standards and rules
- 2 Varieties of English
- 3 Types of grammar
- 4 Language systems and syllabuses
- 5 Forms and functions
- 6 An introduction to phonology
- 7 The consonants
- 8 The vowels
- 9 Rhythm and connected speech
- 10 Sentence stress and intonation
- 11 Word formation, spelling and word stress
- 12 Lexical meaning
- 13 Word classes and phrases
- 14 Sentence structure: the simple sentence
- 15 Sentence structure: the complex sentence
- 16 Negatives and questions
- 17 The verb phrase
- 18 Time and tense
- 19 Aspect: progressive
- 20 Aspect: perfect
- 21 Modality
- 22 Futurity
- 23 Hypothetical meaning and conditionals
- 24 The noun phrase
- 25 Determiners
- 26 Adjectives and adverbs
- 27 Prepositions and phrasal verbs
- 28 Cohesion
- 29 Texts
- 30 Conversation
- References
- Index
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Thanks and Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Tasks
- Introductory unit
- 1 Language standards and rules
- 2 Varieties of English
- 3 Types of grammar
- 4 Language systems and syllabuses
- 5 Forms and functions
- 6 An introduction to phonology
- 7 The consonants
- 8 The vowels
- 9 Rhythm and connected speech
- 10 Sentence stress and intonation
- 11 Word formation, spelling and word stress
- 12 Lexical meaning
- 13 Word classes and phrases
- 14 Sentence structure: the simple sentence
- 15 Sentence structure: the complex sentence
- 16 Negatives and questions
- 17 The verb phrase
- 18 Time and tense
- 19 Aspect: progressive
- 20 Aspect: perfect
- 21 Modality
- 22 Futurity
- 23 Hypothetical meaning and conditionals
- 24 The noun phrase
- 25 Determiners
- 26 Adjectives and adverbs
- 27 Prepositions and phrasal verbs
- 28 Cohesion
- 29 Texts
- 30 Conversation
- Key and commentaries
- Introductory unit
- 1 Language standards and rules
- 2 Varieties of English
- 3 Types of grammar
- 4 Language systems and syllabuses
- 5 Forms and functions
- 6 An introduction to phonology
- 7 The consonants
- 8 The vowels
- 9 Rhythm and connected speech
- 10 Sentence stress and intonation
- 11 Word formation, spelling and word stress
- 12 Lexical meaning
- 13 Word classes and phrases
- 14 Sentence structure: the simple sentence
- 15 Sentence structure: the complex sentence
- 16 Negatives and questions
- 17 The verb phrase
- 18 Time and tense
- 19 Aspect: progressive
- 20 Aspect: perfect
- 21 Modality
- 22 Futurity
- 23 Hypothetical meaning and conditionals
- 24 The noun phrase
- 25 Determiners
- 26 Adjectives and adverbs
- 27 Prepositions and phrasal verbs
- 28 Cohesion
- 29 Texts
- 30 Conversation
- References
- Index
Summary
1 Possible cohesive features are identified in brackets:
The earth draws us all toward it. Inside its [pronoun reference] round fruits, called bolls, are masses of white fibres. But [conjunct] what kind of environment is this [pronoun reference]? I prefer other people’s [ellipsis]. The Canal and River Trust is launching a campaign this week which urges people to feed ducks with frozen peas and sweetcorn instead [conjunct]. Now [conjunct], why should it [pronoun reference] do so [clause substitution]? Only people who can’t get in do that [clause substitution].
In other words, the text is superficially cohesive, but this does not mean that it makes sense: clearly it does not. It is not coherent. Coherence is a less tangible quality than cohesion, and less easily defined or accounted for. It is perhaps a ‘feeling’ that the reader (or listener) has: what may be coherent for one may be incoherent for another. Nevertheless, the task of making sense of a text is made easier if the text is a recognisable text type (or ‘genre’) and conforms to the conventions of this genre. It also helps if the content of the text is organised in such a way as to make its meaning easily recoverable. The order in which information is presented in a text is an important factor in determining how coherent it is likely to be to the reader, and is the focus of a number of the following tasks.
2 a and b The split texts – and their logical relations – are:
– 1 and f: The logical relation between the first and the second sentence is a contrastive one, e.g. ‘However….’
– 2 and h: The logical relation is causal: e.g. ‘This is because …’
– 3 and a: This is a causal relation: e.g. ‘So …’
– 4 and g: This is a temporal relation: e.g. ‘Then …’
– 5 and d: This is a causal relation: e.g. ‘Therefore …’
– 6 and b: Temporal: e.g. ‘Then …’
– 7 and c: Additive: e.g. ‘Also …’
– 8 and e: Contrastive: e.g. ‘But …’
c This exercise demonstrates that, to be coherent, a text relies less on explicit cohesive linkers than on the logical juxtaposition of its parts. A text also ‘makes sense’ because we recognise what kind of text it is (its ‘genre’) and its communicative purpose (see the next task).
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- Information
- About LanguageTasks for Teachers of English, pp. 331 - 335Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2017