4. Paragraph Coherence – Ordering Sentences
Writers often organize body paragraphs in easily recognized patterns that give readers a sense of logical movement and order. Four common patterns of ordering sentences in a paragraph are order of time, order of space, deductive order, and inductive order. A writer might arrange details chronologically (beginning with the first step or event and ending with the last step or event). This is order of time. If the subject is a physical object, a writer might choose order of space: describing from left to right, top to bottom, or inside to outside. Sometimes writers use deductive order, moving from a generalization to particular details. Finally, a writer might begin with particular details and conclude with a larger point or generalization, which is inductive order.
Directions: Read the paragraphs and answer the questions that follow.
(1) Many American towns have quirky traditions. One American town has a cabbage-growing contest, another town has a rattlesnake roundup, and another races woolly worms. However, one of the quirkiest traditions happens in the fall in New England. In Damariscotta, Maine, the town comes together for the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. This regatta has little in common with yachts in full sail, atilt from the gusty wind and bouncing over white caps. Rather, giant, 500-pound (or more) pumpkins with their insides carved out have replaced sleek and buoyant boats. Also, unable to launch pumpkins like yachts, racers must drop into them, genuflect within the small carved-out spaces, and, quite literally, sink or swim. Participants are in as much a race against the water flooding into their orange vessels as they are against each other. One former champion, Topher Mallory, explains, “The minute you start moving, water inevitably comes into the pumpkin. . . . Before you know it, you’re sinking . . . so you’ve got to get the boat going as quickly as it can go and get your move on.” In addition to the paddle division, racers can compete in the pumpkin powerboat division. These pumpkins are mounted on a plank with a 10-horsepower (or less) engine to push the bulbous fruits to victory. This festival, complete with pumpkins floating or blasting through the water, certainly is one of a kind.
The previous paragraph predominantly uses……….
The writer does which of the following in the previous paragraph?
(a)Arranges details in chronological order
(b)Moves from a particular detail and then concludes with a larger point or generalization
(c)Moves from a generalization to particular details
(d)Arranges details from top to bottom
(2) Imagine being a musician, songwriter, and singer who is revered in one country but obscure in another. Sixto Rodriguez doesn’t have to use his imagination. In the early 1970s, Rodriguez made two albums in the United States, both of which flopped despite getting strong reviews. After 1974, Rodriguez decided to give up his music and return to Detroit, working in construction and living modestly. In the following decades, unknown to Rodriguez, many fans in South Africa were wearing out their vinyl or cassette copies with his songs about political discontent and greed. For South Africans in the grip of the apartheid system, Rodriguez was one of the most important American songwriters after Woodstock, on the same level as Bob Dylan and Neil Young. However, his fans never invited him to South Africa because they believed that he had committed suicide on stage. Rodriguez was resurrected from obscurity in 1998 when he was discovered to be alive and invited to play a tour in South Africa. However, Rodriguez remained in the shadows in his homeland until recently. This changed when he became the subject of Malik Bendjelloul’s documentary Searching for Sugar Man (2012), which played at Sundance. Now, Rodriguez is in the spotlight; his story has been picked up by 60 Minutes and Time magazine, and he has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.
This previous paragraph predominantly uses .
The writer does which of the following in the previous paragraph?
(a)Arranges details from top to bottom
(b)Moves from a particular detail and then concludes with a larger point or generalization
(c)Arranges details in chronological order
(d)Moves from a generalization to particular details
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5. Coherence – Ordering Sentences within a Paragraph
To cohere means “to hold together.” A paragraph coheres when the arrangement of sentences is in a clear, logical order and when the sentences all relate to one another. You can achieve coherence by ordering ideas using order of time or order of space.
Directions: The following table contains paragraph sentences. A topic sentence regarding the photo of Georgia O’Keeffe appears in the first row of the first column. The body sentences that follow are not in proper order. Choose the proper order by selecting the correct number for each sentence from the dropdown menus on the right.
The position is from 1-4
| Topic Sentence: Georgia O’Keeffe, the American painter, spent a lifetime learning and exploring art. | Correct Position |
| After charcoal, O’Keeffe, now a professional artist in New York, began painting close-ups of silky, bright flowers. | |
| Early in her career as an art student in Chicago, O’Keeffe used rough charcoal on smooth white paper for her drawings. | |
| At the end of her career in 1984, O’Keeffe was a widely recognized artist whose work remains internationally known and renowned. | |
| All in all, O’Keeffe’s works from all of her artistic stages show an artist who was willing to explore new mediums. |
How does this paragraph achieve coherence?
(a)Order of time
(b)Order of space
Which words or phrases help to determine the correct order for the jumbled paragraphs? Check all that apply.
All in all
After
Early
Recognized
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6. Paragraph Coherence – Transitional Words and Phrases, Repetitionof Key Words, and Pronouns Substituted for Key Nouns
In addition to achieving coherence between paragraphs, you must also create coherence within a paragraph. Transitional words and phrases, repetition of key words, and pronouns substituted for key nouns are some ways to help the reader move smoothly from one thought to the next.
Directions: Read the following passage. Then click on the blank lines on the right-hand side and select the correct statement about each sentence.
The Power of Music
1 Many people think of music as a source of entertainment, while others feel it’s just a tune playing in the background.
2 However, active listening of anything from a Mozart symphony to a Beatles song has an enormous, positive effect on the brain.
3 Engagement with music can improve memory and focus, especially in children, by stimulating the brain.
4 It also engages parts of the brain that control our emotions.
5 When you listen to music, the brain releases dopamine, prolactin, and serotonin, which are chemicals that boost your mood.
6 As a result, people tend to feel an increase in energy and a decrease in stress levels.
7 Finally, tuning out and turning on your tunes can shift your brain waves from beta to more relaxed alpha and theta states.
Source: “Music and Health: 11 Ways Playing and Listening to Music Help Both Body and Mind.” Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 11 April 2011. Web. 23 Oct. 2012.
Used these options to answer below below questions: A transitional word or phrase, Repetition of the key words, A pronoun substituted for the key word.
1[This sentence] introduces the key word “music.”
2 [This sentence] creates paragraph coherence through
3 [This sentence] creates paragraph coherence through
4 [This sentence] creates paragraph coherence through
5 [This sentence] creates paragraph coherence through
6 [This sentence] creates paragraph coherence through
7 [This sentence] creates paragraph coherence through
