chapter 10, essay essentials

Copyright © 2015 by Nelson Education Ltd.

NETA PowerPoint® Slides to accompany

prepared by

Rhonda DynesMohawk College

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Developing Unity, Coherence, and Tone

Chapter 10

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Writer’s Responsibilities

It is your responsibility to make it as easy as possible for your readers to follow you through your essay.

Unity, coherence, and tone can make the difference between a paper that confuses or annoys your

readers and one that enlightens and pleases them.

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UnityUnity means “oneness.” Just as the thesis of your paper links all the paragraphs together, the topic sentence of a paragraph links all the other sentences to that single main idea.

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Unity cont’dWhen you’ve completed your first draft, you will have your introduction and conclusion, and all your quotations and ideas will have been put into paragraphs. Then it’s time to revise and ensure the paragraphs all work together, or unite. This is where real writing begins. Check each paragraph carefully. Any material that does not clearly and directly support the topic sentence should be deleted; if it’s relevant elsewhere in the essay, move it there.

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CoherenceThe sentences in the body of a paragraph are individual points that support the controlling idea of the topic sentence and link to your thesis. But if a paragraph is just supporting points, then it is little more than a shopping list. Good paragraphs have coherence, which means that the sentences “stick together.” The sentences within a paragraph should read as a unit, with one sentence flowing smoothly into the next.

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Ensuring Coherence

There are two ways to ensure coherence in your writing, and you need to use both:

1. Arrange your ideas in an appropriate order.2. Use transitions to guide your reader.

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TransitionsTransitions are written cues that connect one idea to the next. Whether expressed or implied, transitions are the sparks that jump the gaps between sentences in a paragraph and between paragraphs in an essay.

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Five Transition Strategies

1. Repeat a Key WordRepetition focuses the reader’s attention on an idea and creates a thread of meaning that runs through a paragraph or a paper, tying the whole thing together. (Don’t overdo it, though.)

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Five Transition Strategies cont’d

2. Use synonyms. Frequent repetition of a keyword can become monotonous after a while. You can keep the reader both focused and interested by using synonyms— different words that convey the same meaning.

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3. Use pronoun references. Another way of maintaining the focus but varying the wording is to use appropriate pronouns to refer back to a key noun.

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4. Use parallel structure. Phrasing your sentences in parallel form helps to maintain focus, reinforce the unity of your thoughts, and add emphasis. Parallelism adds “punch” to your writing.

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5. Use transitional words and phrases. Transitional words and phrases show the relationships between sentences in a paragraph as well as between paragraphs in an essay. They act like tape, sticking together the elements of a paragraph or a paper so your reader does not misread the direction you are taking.

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Tone

As you write the paragraphs of your paper, be especially conscious of your tone. Your audience, purpose, and subject will all influence the tone you choose, which must be appropriate to all three.

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Finding and Maintaining Tone● Be tactful. Avoid phrases such as “Any idiot can

see,” “No sane person could believe,” and “It is obvious that….”

● Don’t talk down to your readers as though they were children or hopelessly ignorant. Never use sarcasm, profanity, or slang.

● Don’t apologize for your interpretation of your subject. Have confidence in yourself. Present your subject in a positive manner.

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Tone and Online WritingIt is essential to discuss tone when it comes to online writing (responding to others via email, chat, blog, or other online forum).

Communicating clearly becomes notoriously tricky when writers take shortcuts or use online slang to try to get their points across. Be creative but also make sure that your intentions don’t require winks ;) or result in getting written up :( .

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Tone in Writing versus SpeakingTo expect our readers to “hear” us the way we want to be heard isn’t really fair. This is why, when writing, it is better to use appropriate language, strong examples, and relevant experiences.

In writing, the final interpretation is up to the reader, and we need to be clear, be concise, and convey the proper tone.

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SummaryIn this chapter, you’ve learned •it is your responsibility to ensure that your paper has unity, coherence, and the right tone•unity is making sure that your paper links all your ideas together•coherence is about having your paper make sense and using transitions effectively•tone must take into account our audience and purpose and be used correctly so that our ideas are understood, whether on paper or online

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