What Is Paragraph Coherence?
Paragraph coherence means that the sentences in a paragraph flow smoothly and are clearly connected. A coherent paragraph is easy to read because the ideas are organized in a way that makes sense and each sentence builds on the one before it. Without coherence, even good ideas can feel confusing, random, or disconnected.
How Do We Make Paragraphs Coherent?
There are many ways to improve coherence, but three of the most powerful and common methods are:
1. Pronouns
Using pronouns like he, she, it, they, this, that, these, those helps avoid repetition and keeps the paragraph connected by referring back to earlier ideas.
Awesome List of Pronouns:
| Type | Pronouns |
|---|---|
| Personal Pronouns Subjects | I, you, he, she, it, we, they |
| Personal Pronouns Objects | me, you, him, her, it, us, them |
| Possessive Pronouns Adjective Form (before noun) | my, your, his, her, its, our, their |
| Possessive Pronouns Independent Form | mine, yours, his, hers, its* (rare), ours, theirs |
| Reflexive Pronouns | myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves |
| Demonstrative Pronouns | this, that, these, those |
| Indefinite Pronouns People | anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody |
| Indefinite Pronouns Things | anything, something, everything, nothing |
| Indefinite Pronouns General | all, some, none, any, each, either, neither, one, both, few, many, several |
| Reciprocal Pronouns | each other, one another |
2. Transition Signals
Words and phrases like however, therefore, for example, in addition, first, finally help guide the reader through your ideas. They show how each sentence relates to the one before.
Awesome List of Transition Signals:
| Function | Transition Words & Phrases |
|---|---|
| 1. Addition | and, also, in addition, moreover, furthermore, besides, not only that, what’s more, as well, too |
| 2. Sequence / Time | first, firstly, second, secondly, third, thirdly, next, then, after that, later, eventually, finally, at last, meanwhile, in the meantime, soon, afterward, subsequently, now, at present |
| 3. Example / Illustration | for example, for instance, such as, namely, to illustrate, in particular, specifically, including, as an illustration |
| 4. Explanation / Clarification | in other words, that is (i.e.), to put it another way, namely, simply put, to clarify, in simpler terms, that is to say |
| 5. Contrast | but, however, on the other hand, yet, nevertheless, nonetheless, still, in contrast, instead, although, even though, whereas, while, despite, in spite of |
| 6. Comparison | similarly, likewise, in the same way, just as, equally, in a like manner |
| 7. Cause and Effect | because, since, as, so, therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, for this reason, hence, accordingly |
| 8. Purpose | so that, in order that, to, for the purpose of, with the intention of |
| 9. Emphasis | in fact, indeed, especially, particularly, above all, most importantly, it is important to note, clearly, significantly |
| 10. Condition | if, unless, provided that, in case, whether or not, even if, only if |
| 11. Summary / Conclusion | in conclusion, to conclude, in summary, to summarize, in short, overall, to sum up, all in all, finally, as has been noted |
| 12. Location / Spatial Order | above, below, beside, next to, in front of, behind, near, far, on the right, on the left, here, there, inside, outside, opposite, nearby |
3. Repetition
Repeating key words or phrases helps the reader stay focused on the main topic. It makes the paragraph feel unified. Sometimes, key words or phrases are repeated with synonyms. For example, “Studying in a quiet place can help students concentrate better. A calm space makes it easier to focus on reading and writing tasks.”
Click the button to see an example of paragraph coherence.