June 1, 2011

Why Pronouns/Reference Words are Important (Cohesion, Part 1 of 4)

Coherence and Cohesion is a criteria considered by IELTS examiners when they check your writing tasks. Coherence relates to the way your ideas are organized. Cohesion, on the other hand, relates to the way your sentences are connected.

With regard to improving your writing skill via cohesion, remember to make use of these 4 word types:
reference words;

linking words;

synonyms; and

transition words.

Today we'll share with you our tips with regard to reference words. Reference words are those which refer back to previously mentioned words or phrases. Common examples of these are pronouns and their antecedents.

To have a good score when it comes to cohesion vis-a-vis reference words, be sure that your pronouns agree with their antecedent. To do this, make use of the tips in our previous post "[HOW TO] Check if a pronoun agrees with its antecedent" Thus:

1. Make sure that the pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender (male or female).

Example:

"I like Rebecca Black. Her music is very good."

2. Make sure that the pronoun agrees with its antecedent in person (first person, second person, third person).

Example:

"The candidates here study and practice often. They really strive hard to increase their chances of achieving a high score in the IELTS exam." ("candidates" and "they" are in the third person)

3. Finally, make sure that the pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number (singular or plural).

Example:

"The candidates here study and practice often. They really strive hard to increase their chances of achieving a high score in the IELTS exam." ("candidates" and "they" are plural)

Why is this important for you? Well, if you remember to apply these tips, not only would they enable you to show your prowess in grammar, but they would also help your reader easily understand your writing task.

Next, we will be sharing our tips with regard to cohesion through linking words. Cheers!


Read the related tips: