Unity and Coherence

Technical terms for effective organization within the overall structure of a text include unity and coherence. You can think of a unified paragraph, for example, as one in which all of the sentences work to develop only a single point for the thesis. If a paragraph is coherent, all of those unified sentences make sense together, in a logical order with clear connections.

A strategy for unity is the use of topic sentences in your body paragraphs. A topic sentence states a specific point for your thesis that a paragraph develops. It can be anywhere in the paragraph, but it is often in the beginning. Read examples of topic sentences in Rhetoric and Composition (Bay College).

A strategy for coherence is the use of transitions, which are words and phrases that show relationships among ideas and can indicate development strategies. Use transitions to link sentences, paragraphs, and even across sections in a writing project. Read examples of transitions in Rhetoric and Composition (Bay College) and a transitions chart in Writing 250 – Writing & Rhetoric Advanced Composition.

Remember that transition words often signal writers’ development strategies—indicating for readers how writers are supporting their points and the relationships among those ideas. Composing effective transitions often requires more than simply inserting a transition word here and there. Transitions between paragraphs, for example, help readers move through sections of your projects. If you have done a good job arranging paragraphs so that the content of one leads logically to the next, the transition will highlight a relationship that already exists by summarizing the previous paragraph and telegraphing the content of the paragraph that follows.

One effective strategy to transition between paragraphs is to sum up what you said in the previous paragraph and then use a transition word or phrase to link it to what you’re going to say in the next paragraph. This may feel like you’re repeating yourself, but it’s very important to provide these cues in academic writing so that readers follow what you’re saying.

TRY THIS to understand unity and coherence. Let’s examine the following passage adapted from an Allyn and Bacon textbook for topic sentences and transitions.

Machines today are being integrated with all aspects of life, music included. For instance, we have seen the development of the synthesizer, the electric bass, and the electronic wind instrument (a flute-like instrument connected to a computer). These new instruments have slowly begun to infiltrate jazz clubs around the world. Recording techniques have also progressed to technologies such as multi-track digital recording and digital tone modulation and amplification. Jazz has definitely not gone untouched by the pervasive force of technology.

Yet, several jazz musicians are saying “No!” to technology and are pursuing, with acoustic instruments, what might be called the “roots” of jazz. Trumpeter and jazz historian Wynton Marsalis, saxophonist and bandleader Branford Marsalis, and acoustic guitarist Mark Whitfield—these musicians refuse to use the latest technologies in their music. They instead employ traditional instrumentation and jazz formats. On the face of it, this rejection is odd: as a culture, we are quick to demand and accept new technologies. We scramble for faster computers, we insist on cars with dual airbags, we debate which electric toothbrush will keep our smiles brightest. Why, then, do these young musicians, who have grown up in a technological age, refuse what has been designed to help them?

Respond to the following questions in your notes and then click on each question number to compare your responses to the feedback provided.

Question 1 - A topic sentence states the subject and focus for the paragraph; therefore, which sentence is the topic sentence for the first paragraph?

Question 2 - What does the transition phrase “for instance” used in the first paragraph signal to readers?

Question 3 - How would you sum up the topic for the second paragraph in your own words?

Question 4 - Which sentence serves as a transitional sentence between the two paragraphs?

Question 5 - What is the purpose of the question at the end of the second paragraph?

To review, an effective method for transitioning between your ideas, especially between paragraphs is old + new—linked with a transition word. Tell us your readers what you just told us in the previous paragraph and connect it to what you’re going to tell us in the next paragraph—signaling the relationship for us with a transition word:

Jazz has definitely not gone untouched by the pervasive force of technology.

Yet, several jazz musicians are saying “No!” to technology and are pursuing, with acoustic instruments, what might be called the “roots” of jazz.