Cohesion
Rhetorical Grammar (7ed)
Chapter 5
Cohesion=Anticipating and Fulfilling Reader Expectations
 comments include "flow," "awkward,"
conjunctions and transitions-->connections between ideas (within/across sentences)
(Ch. 4)
Fulfilling Reader Expectation
 repetition
 known-new contract
 parallelism
Repetition ("lexical cohesion")
 Repetition vs. Redundancy
 consider synonyms and "classes"
Known-New Contract
first sentence of a paragraph-->reader expectations
subsequent sentences
subject=known information
predicate=new information
Discuss (p.89)
Beginning in October, as the expedition made its way through present northern
South Dakota, it passed numerous abandoned villages, composed of earth-lodge
dwellings and cultivated fields. Some of the fields, although unattended, still had squash
and corn growing in them. These had once been home to the mighty Arikara tribe. About
thirty thousand persons strong in the year the United States won its independence, the
tribe had been reduced by smallpox epidemics in 1780 to not much more than one-fifth
that size. Another epidemic swept through in 1803-4, devastating the tribe. What had
been eighteen villages the previous year had been reduced to three by the time Lewis
arrived.
Pronouns
pronoun--antecedent relationship
possessive pronouns as determiners
demonstrative pronouns (this, these, that, those)
proximity
broad reference (p. 93-94, Exercise #16)
 Many women in the nineteenth century joined the fight for equal legal and
political status. This eventually led to the establishment in 1890 of the National
American Woman Suffrage Association.
Cohesion


Some married women in the 1830s were able to have their own property, but it
didn't mean they could vote.
In 1920 the Constitution was finally amended to give women the right to vote.
That did not, however, provide all women with the right to vote: In some states,
many African-American women (and men) had to pass tests to vote.
Revising for Known-New Contract
Passive Voice (pp.96-97)
Thomas Jefferson, an exceptionally accomplished and well-educated man, is
probably best known for writing the Declaration of Independence, a work composed
under the eyes of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and the Continental Congress,
whish spent two and a half days going over every word. A committee developed the
substance of the document, but they chose Jefferson to do the actual writing because
of the grace of his style. The result is one of the most memorable documents in
American history.
Movable Adverbial
Revise for Cohesion (Ex 16, p. 89-90)
 The Gateway Arch at the edge of the Mississippi river in St. Louis is the world's
tallest monument. Eero Saarinen designed the stainless steel structure that
commemorates the Westward Movement.
 The relentless heat of California's great Central Valley make the summer almost
unbearable at times. Over 110˚ is not an unusual temperature reading from June
through September. Bakersfield often records the hottest temperature in the
valley.
 The federal-witness protection service began in 1968. The U.S. Marshal Service
directs the program. Over four thousand people have been relocated under the
program. New identities are created for people in the program. The people are
in extreme danger because they have testified against criminals.
 The sweep is so rare and difficult because each race has unique demands and
the series as a whole requires unusual ruggedness. Racehorses usually do best
with about a month between races. In the Triple Crown they must race three
times in 36 days, over three different tracks, and at three different distances, all
longer than most have ever tried before.
Cohesion and Levels of Detail
College students can be divided into several groups (1). One group is those who
cling-on to their high school friends (2). They go home every weekend and have their room
with pictures of everyone at home (3). Then there are those who only come to party (2).
They go out every night and like to tell everyone what they did (3). Then there are those
who constantly study and do not like to be social (2). They never get involved or stay away
from school (3).
College students can be divided into several large groups. Most commonly are those
who are in school to learn. Therefore, they put priority on their studies. In contrast, there is
a large group of students who only attend school to party and make friends. Least common
are those who hate school but are forced by their parents to attend. It is evident that
students are in school for very different reasons.
Cohesion
Women in today's job market succeed only by pursuing advanced degrees in their
prospective fields. The women in my own family have successfully pursued bachelor's as
well as master's degrees, allowing them to be competitive in their jobs. Both my mother
and my aunt work full time in the health care field. My aunt is a nurse educator. She trains
young women to become nurse managers. My mother is a director of patient registration
and medical records. She manages the records of two large university affiliated hospitals in
the greater Cleveland area.
College students can be divided into several large groups. The first group, the
enthusiastic, motivated and outgoing students know how to maintain a healthy balance
between partying and studying. They are interested in many subjects and activities, and in
the long run they receive the best education--one that is well-rounded. The next group
includes the worriers, jocks or snobs. This group is too concerned about a particular thing
such as friends, sports, or schoolwork, to really enjoy college life. They are too one-sided to
receive a well-rounded education. The final group of students consists of the people that
could care less about receiving a well-rounded education. These are the lazy, unmotivated
and disoriented students who don't know what they want out of life or college. This group
is into having a good time and never doing any work. Later in life, they realize that college
was a waste of time and money for them. Many students are a mixture of all three groups,
but most can find their niche in one.