COHESIVE DEVICES

 Cohesive Devices are words or phrases used to connect ideas between

different parts of text.

 Writers use transitional words and phrases to achieve a clear, logical

flow of thought from sentence to sentence and from paragraph to

paragraph.

Repetition of a Key Term or Phrase - This helps to focus your ideas and

to

keep your reader on track.

Synonyms - words that have essentially the same meaning, and

they provide some variety in your word choices, helping the reader to stay

focused on the idea being discussed.

Pronouns - This, that, these, those, he, she, it, they, and we are useful

pronouns for referring to something previously mentioned.

Be sure, however, that what you are referring to is clear.

Transitional Words - There are many words in English that cue our readers

to relationships between sentences and joining sentences together. The

words

such as however, therefore, in addition, also, but, moreover, etc.

beginnings of sentences. They can also be used to show relationships

between

different parts of the same sentence. As mentioned above they cue readers

on

the relationships between sentences/clauses. If you use the wrong

transitional

word, then you confuse your reader. It would be better if you will not use any

transitional word rather than the wrong one. Furthermore, you do not need a

transitional word at the beginning of each sentence.

Sentence Patterns - Sometimes, repeated or parallel sentence patterns

can help the reader follow along and keep ideas tied together.

Writing an Independent Critique

Critiquing is an in-depth evaluation of the story for the purpose of giving

the

reading public insight into a certain story or write-ups. Writing critique

requires you to reassemble the elements in such a way that your intended
audience has a better understanding of the story’s strengths, weaknesses,

and highlights.

What is a critique?

A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and

critically

evaluates a work or concept. Critiques can be used to carefully analyze a

variety of

works such as:

• Creative works – novels, exhibits, film, images, and poetry

• Research – monographs, journal articles, systematic reviews, and theories

• Media – news reports and feature articles

Like an essay, a critique uses a formal, academic writing style and has a

clear

structure, namely: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The body of a

critique includes a summary of the work and a detailed evaluation. The

purpose of an evaluation is to gauge the usefulness or impact of a work in a

particular field. Lastly, the conclusion includes the overall evaluation of the
work.

How to write a critique

Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of

the work that will be critiqued.

• Study the work under discussion.

• Make notes on key parts of the work.

• Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being

expressed

in the work.

• Relate the work to a broader issue or context.

• Verify claims of the work

Features of a Critique

There are a variety of ways to structure a critique. The following template,

which showcases the main features of a critique, is provided as one example.

Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the word length) and you

should:

• Name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the

name of the author/creator.

• Describe the main argument or purpose of the work.

• Explain the context in which the work was created. This could include

the

social or political context, the place of the work in a creative or academic

tradition, or the relationship between the work and the creator’s life

experience.

• Have a concluding sentence that signposts what your evaluation of the

work will be. For instance, it may indicate whether it is a positive, negative,

or

mixed evaluation.

2. Summary

Briefly summarize the main points and objectively describe how the creator

portrays these by using techniques, styles, media, characters, or symbols.

The
summary should not be the focus of the critique and is usually shorter than

the critical evaluation.

3. Critical Evaluation

This section should give a systematic and detailed assessment of the

different

elements of the work, evaluating how well the creator was able to achieve

the purpose through these

Work Criteria

Plot Structure Characterization and setting of a

novel

Composition of painting Brush strokes, color and light

Research Project Subject selection, design of the

experiment, analysis of data and

conclusions
A critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative impressions. It should

deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should

examine the work and evaluate its success considering its purpose.

Examples of key critical questions that could help your assessment:

• Who is the creator? Is the work presented objectively or subjectively?

• What are the aims of the work? Are the aims achieved?

• What techniques, styles and media are used in the work? Are they effective

in portraying the purpose?

• What assumptions underlie the work? Do they affect the validity?

• What types of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been

interpreted fairly?

• How is the work structured? Does it favor a particular interpretation or

point
of view? Is it effective?

• Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas or theories? Does the

work engage (or fail to engage) with key concepts or other works in its

discipline?

This evaluation is written in formal academic style and logically

presented. Group and order your ideas into paragraphs. Start with the broad

impressions first and then move into the details of the technical elements.

For shorter critiques, you may discuss the strengths of the works, and then

the weaknesses. In longer critiques, you may wish to discuss the positive and

negative points of each key critical question in individual paragraphs.

To support the evaluation, provide evidence from the work itself, such

as a quote or example, and you should also cite evidence from related

sources. Explain how this evidence supports your evaluation of the work.

4. Conclusion
This is usually a brief paragraph, which includes:

• a statement indicating the overall evaluation of the work;

• a summary of the key reasons identified during the critical evaluation, why

this evaluation was formed; and

• in some circumstances, recommendations for improvement on the work

may

be appropriate.

5. Reference List

Include all resources cited in your critique.

Checklist for a critique

Have I:

__YES__ mentioned the name of the work, the date of its creation, and the

name of the

creator;

__YES__ accurately summarized the work being critiqued;

_YES___ mainly focused on the critical evaluation of the work;

__YES__ systematically outlined an evaluation of each element of the work to

achieve
the overall purpose;

___YES_ used evidence, from the work itself as well as other sources, to

support and

illustrate my assessment of elements of the work;

__YES__ formed an overall evaluation of the work, based on critical reading;

__YES__ used a well-structured introduction, body, and conclusion; and

__YES__ used correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, clear presentation, and

appropriate referencing style.

A. Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being

expressed in the work.

B. Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.

C. Review the ideas and their flow in the text.

D. Study the work under discussion.

E. Verify claims of the work.

1. Which of the following cohesive devices are used essentially to provide

variety of words to avoid repetitions?

A. Repetition of a key term/phrase C. Pronouns

2. Which of the following are used to cue readers with the relationship

between

sentences?

A. Repetition of a key term/phrase C. Pronouns

B. Synonyms D. Transitional Words

3. Which of the following cohesive devices are used to help readers follow

along and keep ideas together?

A. Sentence Patterns C. Pronouns

B. Synonyms D. Transitional Words

4. Which of the following cohesive devices are used to avoid repetitions on

the subject and usually are used for referring to something mentioned?

A. Sentence Patterns C. Pronouns

B. Synonyms D. Transitional Words

5. Which of the following cohesive devices are used to help in emphasizing

and

focusing with the ideas presented?

A. Sentence Patterns C. Repetition of a key term/phrase

B. Synonyms D. Transitional Words