Topic: Coherence and Cohesion - March 2014

EXERCISE 1 ► SENTENCE ORDER

Number the sentences in an appropriate order to form a well-structured paragraph. Write the
numbers in the boxes provided.

1)

_____a. This spot, which lies in New York Harbor, was the first American soil seen or touched by
many immigrants.
_____b. Between its opening in 1892 and its closing in 1954, about two-thirds of all immigrants
were detained there before taking up their new lives in the United States.
_____c. Ellis Island has reopened for business, but now the customers are tourists.
_____d. Though other places also served as ports of entry for foreigners, none has the symbolic
power of Ellis Island.

2)

_____a. The set, sounds, and actors in the movie captured the essence of horror films.
_____b. The sounds, too, were appropriate; especially terrifying was the hard, hollow sound of
footsteps echoing throughout the film.
_____c. The set was ideal: looming shadows of large and unlighted houses, deserted streets, trees
dipping their branches over the sidewalks, and mist hugging the ground.
_____d. But the best feature of the movie was its actors, all of them, tall, pale, and extremely thin.

3)

_____a. When it was being constructed in the early 1970s, its windows began cracking and falling
to the ground.
_____ b. They were replaced with plywood until the problem could be found and solved.
_____ c. The Hancock Tower in Boston is a thin, mirror-glass slab that rises almost eight hundred
feet.
_____ d. Eventually, the cracking was blamed on the windows' rigid, double-paned glass.
_____ e. Single-pane windows were installed, and the plywood building crystallized into a shining
jewel.

EXERCISE 2 ► TRANSITIONS

Find and underline the critical transitions that connect sentences in the paragraph.

Why I Don't Make My Bed

Ever since I turned 15 last fall, I have lost the habit of making my bed--except on Fridays, of
course, when I change the sheets. Although some people may think that I am a slob, I have some
strong reasons for breaking the bed-making habit. In the first place, I am not worried about keeping
a tidy bedroom because no one except me ever gets in there. If my mum ever decides to inspect
the room, I guess I can hurry in there to fluff up the pillow and slap on a spread. Otherwise, I am
not bothered. In addition, I find nothing uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of
sheets and blankets. On the contrary, I enjoy making a cozy space for myself before falling asleep.
Also, I think that a tightly made bed is very uncomfortable: entering one makes me feel like a loaf
of bread being wrapped and sealed. Finally, and most importantly, I think bed-making is an awful
way to waste time in the morning. I prefer spending those precious minutes checking my
messages or feeding the cat than tucking in corners or snapping the spread.

EXERCISE 3 ► Consistency with nouns and pronouns

In the following paragraph, find the pronouns which are not consistent with the nouns they refer to:

1) When a person is waiting to receive a package for something they bought online, you begin to
notice what time the postman arrives. 2) If the person does not receive the package within one
week of buying the item, they may not have followed the right process. 3) For instance, buyers who
don't include a phone number on the purchase form will have to wait longer for his or her package.
4) If they make errors on the form, you also have to wait, and they might even call you asking
questions and delaying the delivery for two or three weeks or longer. 5) Even if you followed the
right process and gave all the correct information, the company can still delay their purchase as
long as he or she wants.