Proofreading and editing a text requires paying attention to cohesion.
Textual cohesion is the level of linkage that the components of a text maintain. It is a property that develops according to how the various textual elements are organized, in a structured and organic way.
The writing of a text should always aim to make the whole text cohesive. If this cohesion is not achieved, reading comprehension will be difficult.
What is textual cohesion
Textual cohesion is the result of the union of each word, sentence and paragraph that is part of a text. This union must be logical so that there is coherence in the whole: that is, the inclusion of the different components in specific places has to be justified by the context and obey what the narrative demands so that the message can be understood.
When a text lacks cohesion, it is not well written. Therefore, if the sentences are isolated statements, without connectors between them, the interpretation of the speech will not be possible or, at least, it will surely be deficient.
It can be stated that textual cohesion is achieved when there is fluidity and the relationships of the different fragments show agreement . To meet this objective, there are different mechanisms that obey the rules of spelling (the precepts that establish the rules of writing), grammar (related to the organization and combination of the elements of the language) and syntax ( the way of combining the components for the expression of meanings), regardless of the style and types of text.
Accentation and punctuation , to point out two factors, are central aspects. To minimize errors, it is important to review what is written to help detect any errors.
Textual cohesion goes beyond register and theme.
Grammatical resources
The grammatical resources to achieve textual cohesion are varied, although they depend on each language. Agreement, both in number and gender, person and case, is necessary for cohesion.
Take the case of articles, nouns and adjectives, which are different types of words. The relationships between these classes must respect agreement, otherwise textual cohesion is undermined. For example: “The experienced player” is a well-constructed expression, unlike what happens with “The experienced player” or “The experienced players” .
With verbs and pronouns you should also pay attention to agreement. The conjugation and deixis , in this framework, have to be correct.
Textual cohesion and connectors
Connectors are units that make association between segments possible, creating logical links and helping ideas integrate. This function is also assumed by conjunctions , which act as links.
If in an argument someone is making a list, they must use these elements for textual cohesion : “An economic measure of this type is anachronistic, recessive and distorting because it affects the income of the less favored classes, in a way that accentuates the crisis.” In this case, without words and constructions such as “and” , “because” and “so that” , textual cohesion would not be achieved.
The sender of a message must take care of textual cohesion so that the receiver can understand the meaning.
The discursive plane
Beyond what is obligatory as dictated by the formalities of the language, there are intentional procedures that, at the discursive level, are transcendental for textual cohesion.
The use of synonyms to avoid repetition of words is one of them. Suppose a man, writing an email to the administrator of a consortium, writes: “My neighbor's dog is aggressive and always attacks other dogs. "It is a large dog that, in addition to attacking other dogs, does not have appropriate behavior for a dog that lives surrounded by children and families." The repetition of the term “dog” can make reading annoying. The subject in question could have written: “My neighbor's dog is aggressive and always attacks other pets. It is a large animal that, in addition to attacking other dogs, does not have appropriate behavior for a specimen that lives surrounded by children and families."
Another discursive device that is useful for textual cohesion is ellipsis . Continuing with the previous example, in the last sentence the reference to the dog (or to the “exemplary” ) could be deleted since, from context, it is understood what is being referred to: “… it does not have appropriate behavior to live surrounded by children and families.”
Similarly, rhetorical figures, tropes and stylistic devices such as alliteration , anaphora , hyperbole , metaphor , polysyndeton and synecdoche can optimize the communicative situation of certain ideas and thus contribute to textual cohesion.
Relationship between coherence and textual cohesion
Although they are linked, textual cohesion and textual coherence do not refer to exactly the same thing. Coherence is that property that makes a text a communicative unit , with components that function as a whole integrated into a context . Cohesion, on the other hand, is the characteristic given by the links between the elements of the text.
It is often stated that textual cohesion is a manifestation of coherence . These are the processes and mechanisms that, by influencing the form, guarantee that the text is coherent.