Do you know the difference between cohesion and coherence?

Read the text and discover the difference between cohesion and coherence: two important elements in the development of a text.

When we are going to write any type of essay, we always hear about the importance of being cohesive and coherent.

However, do you know what this means and what the difference is between them? Keep reading and find out!

See our index below:

• What is the difference between cohesion and coherence?
• What is cohesion?
• Types of cohesion;
• What is coherence?
• Conclusion.

What is the difference between cohesion and coherence?

Although they are two important components in a text, they are completely different; in fact, an essay can be cohesive but incoherent.

The only connection they have is the fact that they are indispensable elements for the structure and development of a good text.

Thus, the best way to understand the difference between cohesion and coherence is discovering what each one means and its role in writing.

What is cohesion?

Cohesion is the element responsible for organizing a sequence of words and transforming them into a text.

It is this that promotes the connection and harmony between the textual elements, the main ones being: introduction, development and conclusion.

Therefore, we can conclude that it is the structure of the text, it is what connects all the elements: verbal phrases, conjunctions, prepositions, etc.

Therefore, a text without cohesion becomes completely unstructured. It is just a bunch of disorganized words that will not fulfill the mission assigned to it: to convey messages.

In Physics, cohesion has a special meaning and applies very well to its purpose in a text. 

“Cohesion is the force of attraction between atoms and molecules that make up a body, and resists if it breaks.” 

Textual cohesion is precisely the force of attraction of a text, it is responsible for connecting the constituent elements of the writing.

It is she who gives meaning to it and ensures that the writer has managed to convey his message clearly and meaningfully.

To better understand what the difference between cohesion and coherence, first you need to find out what types of cohesion exist. They are:

• reference;
• replacement;
• ellipse;
• conjunction;
• lexical.

See some examples below.

1. Cohesion by reference: 

It is used to avoid repetition of terms. In fact, it is one of the most used models in the text. See the example below:

The second year students went to visit the city zoo. The second year students were accompanied by their pets.

The correct answer is: 

The second year students went to visit the city zoo. They were accompanied by their pets.

2. Cohesion by substitution

It is used to replace words and expressions that refer to terms already presented through anaphora. See the example below:

THE enterprise was notified about the service malfunction. If the service malfunction happens again, the company's service will be suspended.

Replace with:

THE enterprise has been notified about the service malfunction. If this happens again, the service will be suspended

3. Cohesion by ellipse

It happens when one or more words are omitted without this changing the clarity of the ideas in the sentence.

Joana does the correction of the tests, and at the same time Joana conversation on the phone with his mother.

Prefer:

Joana corrects the tests, and at the same time conversation on the phone with his mother.

4. Cohesion by conjunction

It is the type of cohesion that facilitates relationships between terms in the text through the appropriate placement of conjunctions.

Example: As I didn't pass the test, I didn't go to the party, however, I managed to watch the live on Instagram.

5. Lexical cohesion

It happens when synonyms, heteronyms, hyponyms and pronouns are applied. See the example:

Laura She is considered one of the best students in the class. She has studied at the school since kindergarten. Greatest genius In mathematics, she was the winner of the school council 3 times in a row.

Now that you know the main types of cohesion, it will be much easier to apply them to your text.

What is coherence?

It is one of the main elements for the reader to understand the subject being discussed. However, this understanding is constructed according to the prior knowledge of the person reading.

That's why it's so important when writing a text to think about who is reading it and how they will understand the message.

This is certainly the stage where textual coherence comes in. These are some practices that give meaning to your text and allow you to articulate your ideas. 

Unlike cohesion, coherence is immaterial. In order for there to be an understanding of what is written, there must be an interaction between the reader, the author and the content.

The reader is responsible for organizing the meanings of the text. As he reads it, he creates his own interpretations about the subject being discussed.

Therefore, it is common to see several people interpreting the same text differently. Have you ever seen this happen?

Coherence is very important for understanding the text, even if the reader has no knowledge of the topic.

In fact, this is the function of coherence, to make the reader understand the author's ideas, regardless of their sociocognitive level.

See below some elements that can make your text coherent and make it easier for the reader to read.

Examples to make the writing coherent:

1. Show that you have mastered the topic presented.
2. Always present logical situations and ideas that do not contradict each other throughout the text.
3. Avoid language defects, that is, repetitions of ideas throughout the text.
4. The concepts in the text must be related to each other.
5. Maintain harmony in facts;
6. Present sufficient information on the topic;
7. Write objectively, simply and clearly;
8. Structure the text and its ideas;
9. Define a line of reasoning and rational thinking.

Furthermore, it is important to know what to avoid, for example: unnecessary use of words, repetition of terms and very long sentences.

The tip is to always put yourself in the reader's shoes and read your text out loud to find out if it was understandable.

Conclusion

As you can see, textual cohesion is more linked to grammatical rules, that is, the internal connection of the text.

While textual coherence is linked to the external and deeper junction of the essay, in this case, your theme.

Although there is a huge difference between cohesion and coherence, both have the same purpose: to help you communicate through writing in a way that is understandable and pleasant for the reader.

Nara Sampaio April 26, 2022