Download Coherence, A Transitional Idea is Missing - Paper | LING 12 and more Papers Linguistics in PDF only on Docsity! Coherence 1 Problem 1: A transitional idea is missing Example A—poor coherence: From the moment an elevator delivers a tray loaded with a half-made computer until the moment the elevator returns to take the tray back to the overhead conveyor line, a worker has only one to three minutes to install his or her components. Since Dell’s success depends at least as much on the efficiency of its processes as on the quality of its product, nothing is dreaded more than a red light. Explanation: The reader can only guess at the meaning of “red light.” Example B—Better coherence: From the moment an elevator delivers a tray loaded with a half-made computer until the moment the elevator returns to take the tray back to the overhead conveyor line, a worker has only one to three minutes to install his or her components. Drop goggles in the elevator gearing and the light atop the workstation will flick from green to red. Since Dell’s success depends at least as much on the efficiency of its processes as on the quality of its product, nothing is dreaded more than a red light. 2 Explanation: The missing transitional idea has been restored Problem 2: Combine sentences Two or more statements should often be combined into one complex sentence. For example, we often combine statements into complex sentences in order to prevent old ideas, or minor details being stated as whole sentences. For another example, we often combine statements in a such a way that the paragraph is subdivided into logical divisions—one sentence per sub-topic. New ideas and major details should be stated as main (independent) clauses, while old ideas or minor details should be stated as dependent phrases or dependent clauses. Example A—Not correct: In 1941, A. F. Osborne originated brainstorming. The advertising profession used it extensively. Osborne was a member of the advertising profession. Example B—Correct: In 1941, A. F. Osborne originated brainstorming. The advertising profession, of which he was a member, used it extensively. 3 Explanation: The idea “Osborne was a member of the advertising profession” is a minor detail. “The advertising profession used brainstorming extensively” is a major detail. 1 These rules and examples are from http://www.esl.ucsb.edu/people/rightmire/tools/Coherence.htm. 2 Source: “Unmade in America: The True Cost of a Global Assembly Line,” by Barry Lynn. Harper's Magazine, June 2002. 3 Source: Gerard I. Nierenberg (1996), The Art of Creative Thinking. Pages 195-196.
