By John Russell
When politicians give speeches, they talk about any number of things, such as their beliefs, personal history, or opinions on major issues.
Politicians have to be careful about how they present their ideas. They want to direct the attention of individual listeners or larger audiences toward important ideas and words. But they also try to limit or avoid unnecessary information.
How do they do this?
One way is to put together sentences in a reasonable way.
In an earlier Everyday Grammar program, we explored how politicians sometimes use deliberate sentence fragments for a rhetorical effect.
Today, we explore another strategy politicians often use to present ideas: sentence cohesion.
What is cohesion?
The word cohesion suggests the action of making something whole. In writing, this means presenting sentences that are related to each other in a reasonable, or logical, way. When sentences are cohesive, they slowly build on an idea until it reaches a clear point.
Consider this example. Imagine you are reading the following sentences.
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Words in This Story
concise – n. not including extra or unnecessary information
deliberate sentence fragment – n. grammar an incomplete sentence usually consisting of a verb or noun phrase
rhetorical – adj. of, relating to, or concerned with the art of speaking or writing formally and effectively especially as a way to persuade or influence people
cohesion – n. a condition in which people or things are closely united
audience – n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something (such as a concert) or watch something
preference – n. a feeling of liking or wanting one person or thing more than another person or thing
charitable – adj. showing kindness in talking about or judging other people
character – n. the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves :someone's personality
abandon – v. to leave and never return to (someone who needs protection or help)
maid – n. a female servant
topic – n. someone or something that people talk or write about
introduce – v. to make (someone) known to someone else by name
passive – adj. grammar showing that the subject of a sentence is acted on or affected by the verb
grammatical – adj. of or relating to grammar