The Application Of Textual Cohesion And Coherence In College English Writing Teaching

Text does not consist of unrelated sentences but sentences which have certain relations in the whole text, which is called the cohesion of text. Cohesion is a semantic concept, and it is also a relation in semantics. If one part in one passage does influence another part, cohesion actually exists in the two parts. While coherence, also called invisible network, refers to semantic connection which connects the meaning of the whole text, and it plays a very important role in one passage. If the meaning of sentences in the passage separate, though the structure of the text is integrative, the text is not cohesive. Therefore, cohesion is the key to the integrity of a whole passage in meaning. Cohesion and coherence are two significant notions in the textual analysis, and accept many scholars'eyes on the study.English writing is not only an important part in English teaching, but also a required skill in language learning. In the traditional language teaching, teachers pay so much attention to word spelling, correcting grammatical mistakes and writing styles. While in fact, learning how to make a text cohesive is the main task for teachers to teach.This study can be divided into the following parts:the first part is an introduction to the research background and significance of the thesis. Chapter one presents general reviews of the researches of linguists and scholars related to the current study and relevant concepts, including definitions of cohesion and coherence, features and the developments. Chapter two introduces the theoretical foundations of the thesis, which are Halliday and Hason's cohesion theory and its five cohesive devices, and then illustrates the relationship between cohesion and coherence. Chapter three is the design of the experiment. Chapter four discusses the data analysis process which is conducted by SPSS software in order to guarantee the accuracy. The result verified the hypothesis made before the experiment. The training can arouse the subjects'conscious of using cohesive ties in their English writing. Most importantly, after training, the students'writing quality can be improved more by using the cohesive devices. Chapter five provides the pedagogical implications of application of textual cohesion and coherence in college English Writing. The last part summarizes the study's main findings, limitations and suggestions for the further study in this field.This study is based on Halliday and Hason's cohesion theory, and by the experiment it testifies obviously that it improves students'writing ability and their writing qualities by teaching cohesion and coherence knowledge. In English teaching stages, teachers should supervise students grasp the type of text, content and models. To deal with textual cohesion and coherence well so that the students can take effective textual strategies and improve their writing abilities.