Exercise 5: Cohesion Analysis. Text VII (informal interview, children; transcribed)
(Halliday and Hasan, 1976: 353)
Cohesion
Sentence
2
3
4
Cohesive items
 what else
 else
a seed maker
one
Yes?
5
 the nail box
6
 the (nail
box)
 nail box
 made...box
7
 this
 box
 it
8
 nail box
 and
 pack
10
 the (box)
 box
11
12
it
 what did it?
 it
 Well
13
 base
 end
Presupposed items
Cohesive tie
 (have you made) (1)
 Clausal ellipsis
 a boat, garden dibber,
 Comparative reference
teapot stand (1)
(we have made) (1)
Clausal ellipsis
a boat, garden dibber, teapot
Nominal substitution
stand (1)  thing in prec. text
(do you think your nail box
Clausal ellipsis
was the best one that you
made) (4)
 (yes, I think the nail box
 Clausal ellipsis
was the best one) (5)
 our nail box (4)
 Anaphoric reference:
determiner
 nail box (4)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 made...box (4)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 nail box (6)
 Anaphoric reference:
determiner
 nail box (6)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 this little box (7)
 Anaphoric pronominal
reference
 nail box (6)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 links sentences 9 - 10
 Additive conjunction,
internal
 pack of seeds (9)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 it (8)  this little box (7)
 Anaphoric reference:
determiner
 a nail box (8)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
the box (10)
Anaphoric pronominal
reference
 (look like) (11)
 Verbal ellipsis
 it (11)  the box (10)
 Anaphoric pronominal
reference
 links sentences 11-12
 Conjunction:
continuative, internal
 box (10)
 Lexical cohesion:
collocation (meronymy)
 box (10)
 Lexical cohesion:
collocation (meronymy)
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
 sides
 box (10)
 wood
 wood (10)




And
no lid
the (lid)
lid
it
We didn't
Not
 But
 could have
done
 at home




links sentences 13-14
(we had) (13)
no lid (14)
lid (14)
it (12)  it (11)  the box
(10)
(paint it) (16)
(we didn't paint it) (17) (16)
 links sentences 18-19
 paint it (16)
 in school (18)
 painted
 paint (16)
 the (boat)
 a boat (1)
 boat
 boat (1)
 at home
 at home (19)
 Lexical cohesion:
collocation (meronymy)
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 Conjunction: additive
 Clausal ellipsis
 Reference: determiner
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
Anaphoric pronominal
reference
Verbal ellipsis
Clausal substitution
 Conjunction: adversative
 Verbal substitution
 Lexical cohesion:
collocation
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 Anaphoric reference:
determiner
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition
 Lexical cohesion:
repetition