Reading Skill
UNDERSTANDING RELATIONS BETWEEN PARTS OF A TEXT THROUGH GRAMMATICAL COHESION DEVICES
Cohesion is the grammatical and lexical linking within a text or sentence that holds a text together and gives it meaning. Grammatical cohesion devices are subdivided into four types: reference, substitution,ellipsis and conjunction.
1. Reference
Reference is certain language items that, instead of being interpreted semantically in their own right,make reference to something else for their interpretation. Reference items can be classified into three types: personal reference, demonstrative reference and comparative reference.
e.g. Wash and core six cooking apples. Put them into a fireproof dish.
2. Substitution
Substitution is defined as the replacement of one item by another. Substitution is divided into three types: nominal, verbal and clausal.
e.g. A: Have you any knives? I need a sharp one.
B: I can get you several very sharp ones, but this is the best (one) I have.
(nominal substitution)
Tom says he is going to join the Labor Party. It will be interesting to see whether he does.
(verbal substitution)
A: John is a good actor.
B: I don’t think so.
(clausal substitution)
3. Ellipsis
Ellipsis is the omission of an item. Ellipsis is divided into three types: nominal, verbal and clausal.
e.g. He prefers German beer and I prefer British.
(nominal ellipsis)
A: Do you understand?
B: I tried to.
(verbal ellipsis)
A: You haven’t told them yet.
B: Not yet.
(clausal ellipsis)
4. Conjunction
There are four categories: additive, adversative, causal and temporal.
e.g. And in all this time he met no one. (additive)
Yet he was hardly aware of being tired. (adversative)
So by night time the valley was far below him. (causal)
The first man landed on the moon. At the same moment, a young boy was born in Alabama.
(temporal)