document coherence

Revising the Whole Document Revising the Whole Document for Coherencefor Coherence

• Have you left out Have you left out anything in turning anything in turning your outline into a your outline into a draft?draft?

• Have you included all Have you included all the elements your the elements your readers expect to see?readers expect to see?

• Is the organization Is the organization logical?logical?

• Is the content strong?Is the content strong?

Chapter 10. Writing Coherent Chapter 10. Writing Coherent Documents © 2007 by Documents © 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin'sBedford/St. Martin's

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Summertown Sun Publishing Summertown Sun Publishing Sucks!Sucks!


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An Effective Title is An Effective Title is PrecisePrecise

• An effective title has both a subject and purpose.An effective title has both a subject and purpose.

• Offering Free Cholesterol Screening at Thrall Associates: A Offering Free Cholesterol Screening at Thrall Associates: A Feasibility StudyFeasibility Study

• If your document is an internal report discussing company business, you might not need to If your document is an internal report discussing company business, you might not need to identify the company. In that case, the following would be clear:identify the company. In that case, the following would be clear:

• Offering Free Cholesterol Screening: A Feasibility StudyOffering Free Cholesterol Screening: A Feasibility Study

• A Feasibility Study of Offering Free Cholesterol ScreeningA Feasibility Study of Offering Free Cholesterol Screening


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Evaluate the Following Evaluate the Following Titles Titles

• How To Beat A Murder RapHow To Beat A Murder Rap

•

• HypnotismHypnotism

A Romance Depicting How She Blinded Me With A Romance Depicting How She Blinded Me With Science Science

• Tempted into the Tycoon's Trap: A Feasibility Tempted into the Tycoon's Trap: A Feasibility StudyStudy

• Car DealersCar DealersChapter 10. Writing Coherent Chapter 10. Writing Coherent Documents © 2007 by Documents © 2007 by Bedford/St. Martin'sBedford/St. Martin's

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Draft a Title for the Following Draft a Title for the Following ImageImage


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A writer at ColdTec Accounting has just completed a draft of an internal report describing a recent drop in enrollment in the company’s training course entitled “Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2003,” offered to new employees. Which of the following titles would be most appropriate for the report?

The Changing Needs of New Employees at

ColdTec

Choosing a Training Class: “Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2003”

An Analysis of Declining Enrollment in “Web Linking and Publishing with Microsoft Excel 2003”

Declining Enrollment in Training Classes Offered at ColdTec

Revising the Whole Revising the Whole Document Document

• Do you come across as Do you come across as reliable, honest, and helpful?reliable, honest, and helpful?

• Are all the elements Are all the elements presented consistently?presented consistently?

• Is the emphasis appropriate Is the emphasis appropriate throughout the document?throughout the document?

Guidelines for Revising Guidelines for Revising HeadingsHeadings

•Avoid long noun strings.Avoid long noun strings.

•Be informative.Be informative.

•Avoid back-to-back Avoid back-to-back headings.headings.


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Avoid Long Noun Avoid Long Noun StringsStrings

\\

Revise: Proposed Production Revise: Proposed Production Enhancement Strategies Analysis Enhancement Strategies Analysis TechniquesTechniques


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What’s Wrong With This Picture?What’s Wrong With This Picture?

• 3. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing3. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing

• 3.1 Community Policing3.1 Community Policing

• According to the COPS Agency (a component According to the COPS Agency (a component of the U.S. Department of Justice), of the U.S. Department of Justice), “Community policing focuses on crime and “Community policing focuses on crime and social disorder.”…social disorder.”…


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Headings Create a Hierarchy of Headings Create a Hierarchy of InformationInformation

Separate Headings from Separate Headings from TextText

• 3. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing3. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing

• Over the past decade, the scholarly Over the past decade, the scholarly community has concluded that community community has concluded that community policing offers significant advantages over the policing offers significant advantages over the traditional approach based on patrolling in traditional approach based on patrolling in police cars.police cars.


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Advance OrganizerAdvance Organizer

• The text after the heading “3. Approaches to The text after the heading “3. Approaches to Neighborhood Policing,” is called an Neighborhood Policing,” is called an advance advance organizerorganizer, and indicates the background, , and indicates the background, purpose, scope, and organization of the purpose, scope, and organization of the discussion that follows.discussion that follows.


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Write a title, advanced organizer Write a title, advanced organizer and heading for the following and heading for the following

image:image:


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Evaluate the Following Evaluate the Following Quote:Quote:

Imagine a widely used and expensive Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that claimed to prescription drug that claimed to make us beautiful but didn’t. Instead make us beautiful but didn’t. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side the drug had frequent, serious side effects: making us stupid, degrading effects: making us stupid, degrading the quality and credibility of our the quality and credibility of our communication, turning us into bores, communication, turning us into bores, wasting our colleagues’ time. The wasting our colleagues’ time. The side effects, and the resulting side effects, and the resulting unsatisfactory cost/benefit ratio, unsatisfactory cost/benefit ratio, would rightly lead to a worldwide would rightly lead to a worldwide product recall.product recall.

——from Edward Tufte’s new leaflet, from Edward Tufte’s new leaflet, The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint, , which just came in the mailwhich just came in the mail

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http://www.edwardtufte.com/436295572/tufte/books_pp

Advantages of Turning Advantages of Turning Paragraphs into ListsParagraphs into Lists

It forces you to: It forces you to:

• look at the big picturelook at the big picture

• examine the sequenceexamine the sequence

• create a clear lead-increate a clear lead-in

• tighten and clarify your prosetighten and clarify your prose


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The paragraph below could be improved by doing which of the following? (Choose all that apply.)

As an undergraduate student, you can satisfy the University

Writing Requirement and meet an important graduation requirement by scoring a 4 or 5 on either of the Advanced Placement English Exams (Language & Composition or Literature & Composition). You can also meet this requirement by receiving transfer credit for an approved college-level writing or writing-intensive course you have taken elsewhere and received a grade of "B" or higher. Finally, you can meet this requirement by taking and receiving a passing grade in a writing course at this university. The following two courses, for example, are dedicated primarily to the development of writing skills and can be used to meet the writing requirement: English 205 (Technical Communication) or English 200 (Rhetoric and Writing). If you have any further questions, please call Professor Lee Klein, Director of Writing Programs, in the Department of English at (518) 555-8122.

inserting transitional words and phrases turning the paragraph into a list beginning with a topic sentence using demonstrative pronouns

Two Kinds of Two Kinds of ParagraphsParagraphs

• A A body paragraphbody paragraph, the basic unit for , the basic unit for communicating information, is a group of communicating information, is a group of sentences (or sometimes a single sentence) sentences (or sometimes a single sentence) that is complete and self-sufficient and that that is complete and self-sufficient and that contributes to a larger discussion. contributes to a larger discussion.

• A A transitional paragraphtransitional paragraph helps readers move helps readers move from one major point to another. from one major point to another.


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Two Elements of Most Two Elements of Most ParagraphsParagraphs

• The The topic sentence topic sentence summarizes or forecasts the summarizes or forecasts the main point of the paragraph. main point of the paragraph.

• The The supportsupport makes the topic sentence clear and makes the topic sentence clear and convincing.convincing.


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Write a note to break Write a note to break up with your current up with your current

mate.mate.


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Avoid Burying Bad News in Avoid Burying Bad News in ParagraphsParagraphs

• most emphatic location = topic sentencemost emphatic location = topic sentence

• second most emphatic = end of the second most emphatic = end of the paragraphparagraph

• least emphatic location = middle of the least emphatic location = middle of the paragraphparagraph


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Guidelines for Guidelines for Dividing Long Dividing Long

Paragraphs Paragraphs

• Break the discussion at a logical place.Break the discussion at a logical place.

• Make the topic sentence a separate paragraph Make the topic sentence a separate paragraph and break up the support.and break up the support.

• Use a list.Use a list.


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A writer is considering revising the long paragraph below. Where is the A writer is considering revising the long paragraph below. Where is the best place to start the second paragraph?best place to start the second paragraph?

Although graphics can enhance a Web site, they can also serve as a Although graphics can enhance a Web site, they can also serve as a distraction. Having too many graphics that do not contribute to the content distraction. Having too many graphics that do not contribute to the content of the site may make your company appear unprofessional, as well as of the site may make your company appear unprofessional, as well as contributing to slow download times. Your site, for example, has thirty contributing to slow download times. Your site, for example, has thirty moving images. moving images. (1)(1) Such images do not reflect the serious nature of your Such images do not reflect the serious nature of your business. When it comes to graphics, we suggest you adopt a “less is business. When it comes to graphics, we suggest you adopt a “less is more” approach. more” approach. (2)(2) Another troublesome feature of your site is the Another troublesome feature of your site is the scrolling banner used as a navigation element. In order to reach certain scrolling banner used as a navigation element. In order to reach certain pages on your site, users must quickly click the links scrolling across the pages on your site, users must quickly click the links scrolling across the banner. If they miss the link, they must wait another 20 seconds until the banner. If they miss the link, they must wait another 20 seconds until the link scrolls by again. link scrolls by again. (3)(3) Because this site is not designed to be a game but Because this site is not designed to be a game but rather a place for customers to learn more about handling hazardous rather a place for customers to learn more about handling hazardous materials, you should not use a scrolling banner as a navigation element. materials, you should not use a scrolling banner as a navigation element. We recommend that you use standard navigation buttons aligned along the We recommend that you use standard navigation buttons aligned along the left margin or across the top of the page. Also, you may want to include a left margin or across the top of the page. Also, you may want to include a text-only navigation element at the bottom of the page.text-only navigation element at the bottom of the page.

• at (1)at (1)

• at (2)at (2)

• at (3)at (3)

• None of the above, most effective as one paragraphNone of the above, most effective as one paragraph

Emphasizing CoherenceEmphasizing Coherence

• Use transitional words and phrases.Use transitional words and phrases.

• Repeat key words.Repeat key words.

• Use demonstrative pronouns followed by nouns.Use demonstrative pronouns followed by nouns.


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Transitional WordsTransitional Words


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Demonstrative Demonstrative Pronouns Followed by Pronouns Followed by

NounsNouns

Use Demonstrative Use Demonstrative Pronouns Followed by Pronouns Followed by

NounsNouns


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Repeating Key WordsRepeating Key Words


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A writer wants to signal to readers that because land-use problems are causing high bacteria levels, landowners must take action. Which of the following words or phrases is most appropriate in the excerpt below?

Bacteria levels are often above state standards and are due to localized, specific land use problems. _____, efforts with landowners will be necessary to address these problems and reduce the high bacteria levels.

Nevertheless For example Next Consequently

Creating a Coherent Creating a Coherent DesignDesign

• Use headers and footers to enhance Use headers and footers to enhance coherence.coherence.

• Use typefaces to enhance coherence.Use typefaces to enhance coherence.

• Use the styles feature to make the design of Use the styles feature to make the design of different elements consistent.different elements consistent.


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