B. Foundations of Language · Foundations: Grammar, Sentences and PunctuationCohesive Ties: Linking Sentences and Paragraphs
B3.1 B3.2 A3.1About 40 minutes
Learning goals- I can name the main kinds of cohesive ties: reference, repetition, synonyms, substitution, ellipsis and transitions.
- I can find the cohesive ties that hold a paragraph together when I read.
- I can fix vague pronouns and a vague this so readers know exactly what I mean.
- I can link one paragraph to the next.
Words to know
cohesion
The way sentences and paragraphs stick together so a reader can follow the ideas.
cohesive tie
A word or phrase that links back (or forward) to another part of the text: a pronoun, a repeated key word, a synonym or a transition.
antecedent
The word a pronoun refers to. In Kai lost his mitt, Kai is the antecedent of his.
transition
A word or phrase that shows how ideas connect: however, as a result, for example, meanwhile.
summary noun
A noun after this or these that sums up an earlier idea: This decision..., These changes...
Why do some paragraphs feel like a list?
Read this:
Our school started a garden. Raised beds were built. Too many people wanted to help. More space was needed. Vegetables go to the food bank now.
Every sentence is correct, but the paragraph feels jumpy. Now read this version:
Our school started a community garden last spring. It began with three raised beds behind the gym. However, the beds were too small for everyone who wanted to help. The volunteers asked the principal for more space, and she agreed. As a result, the garden now has eight beds. This growth means the garden can donate vegetables to the local food bank.
The bold words are cohesive ties. They point back to earlier ideas and show how the ideas connect, like the threads that hold a quilt together.
Remember from earlier grades
You have used transition words such as first, however and as a result since the junior grades, and in Grade 6 you put commas after transitions. In Grade 8 you look at all the kinds of ties and use them to make longer writing flow, both within paragraphs and between them.
| Kind of tie | How it works | Example |
|---|
| Reference | A pronoun or this/that/these points back to something. | The principal agreed. She gave us the field. |
| Repetition | A key word is repeated to keep the topic clear. | ...the garden... the garden... |
| Synonym or word family | A word with a similar meaning, or a related form, keeps the topic going without repeating. | garden → plots; volunteer → volunteered |
| Substitution | one, ones, do so replace a word or phrase. | I wanted a red toque, but the store had only blue ones. |
| Ellipsis | Repeated words are left out because the reader can fill them in. | Maya plays the violin, and Leo the cello. (Leo plays) |
| Transition | A connecting word or phrase shows the relationship. | However, As a result, For example, Meanwhile, In addition |
Make your references clear
A pronoun only works if the reader knows its antecedent.
- ❌ When Jordan told Eli about the race, he was excited. (Who was excited?)
- ✅ Eli was excited when Jordan told him about the race.
A lonely this can also confuse readers.
- ❌ The town closed the pool and raised arena fees. This upset many families. (Which one? Both?)
- ✅ The town closed the pool and raised arena fees. These changes upset many families.
Adding a summary noun after this or these (this decision, this problem, these changes) is one of the strongest Grade 8 moves.
Link paragraphs, too
The first sentence of a new paragraph can look back and forward at once:
Besides saving money, composting also keeps food waste out of landfills.
Besides saving money reminds the reader of the last paragraph. keeps food waste out of landfills announces the new one.
Worked exampleLet's find the ties in a paragraph
Name each bold tie in the garden paragraph above: It, However, the beds, The volunteers, she, As a result, the garden, This growth.
- It → reference; its antecedent is a community garden.
- However → transition showing contrast (the beds were too small).
- the beds → repetition of raised beds.
- The volunteers → synonym for everyone who wanted to help.
- she → reference to the principal.
- As a result → transition showing effect.
- the garden → repetition of the key word, keeping the topic clear.
- This growth → reference with a summary noun; it sums up the change from three beds to eight.
The paragraph uses reference, repetition, synonyms and transitions together. That's why it flows.
Worked exampleLet's fix a vague reference
Revise: Amira put her phone on the table next to the plate, and then it fell off.
- Find the pronoun: it.
- Possible antecedents: phone, table, plate. The table can't fall off, but the phone or the plate could.
- Replace the pronoun with the noun, or reorganize the sentence.
Amira put her phone on the table next to the plate, and then the phone fell off. (Repeating the noun is better than leaving the reader guessing.)
When reading, too
Cohesive ties help you read difficult texts. When a sentence starts with This or These, stop and ask: "This what?" When you see however or therefore, predict the direction the next idea will take. In science and history textbooks, following the ties is a big part of understanding.
Just for funA recipe says: Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool. Then wrap it in foil. If anyone wraps the oven in foil, blame the pronoun it.
Hands-on activityParagraph puzzle
You need: a short newspaper article, magazine article or textbook paragraph (about 5 to 7 sentences), scissors (ask a grown-up first), and a table.
- Ask a grown-up to cut the paragraph into separate sentences and shuffle them. (Or copy the sentences onto separate strips of paper.)
- Put the paragraph back in order. As you work, circle the clues: pronouns, this/these, transitions, repeated words.
- Explain to your grown-up how each clue helped. For example: "This sentence starts with She, so it must come after the sentence that names the mayor."
- Check against the original.
What to look for: your child uses the ties as evidence, not just guessing by topic.
Your turn
1Name the kind of tie in bold: I lost my pencil, so I borrowed one from Jin.
Substitution. one replaces a pencil.
2Name the kind of tie: Some students took the bus; others walked. Meanwhile, the teachers set up the gym.
Transition showing time (things happening at the same time).
3What is the antecedent of their? The Haudenosaunee have a long tradition of lacrosse, and the game remains part of their culture today.
4Fix the vague pronoun: Leila called her aunt while she was cooking dinner.
While Leila was cooking dinner, she called her aunt. (or Leila called her aunt, who was cooking dinner.) The fix depends on who was cooking.
5Add a summary noun: The store raised prices and cut its hours. This made customers angry.
...These changes made customers angry. (or This decision)
6Name the kind of tie: Rosa ordered soup, and Sam a sandwich.
Ellipsis. The verb ordered is left out of the second part (Sam ordered a sandwich).
7Write a sentence that links a paragraph about cost to a new paragraph about safety for an essay on bike lanes.
Model: Besides saving families money, bike lanes also make roads safer for cyclists. The opening looks back (cost); the main clause introduces safety.
More practice: warm-up
A word or phrase that links one part of a text to another, like a pronoun, a repeated key word or a transition.
2Name a transition that shows a result.
Examples: as a result, therefore, consequently, so.
3Name a transition that shows contrast.
Examples: however, on the other hand, in contrast, nevertheless.
4What does it refer to? The rink opened on Saturday. It was packed.
5Which word is the substitution? These boots are too small. I need bigger ones.
ones (it replaces boots).
More practice: on your own
1Improve the cohesion: Wind turbines make electricity. Wind turbines do not burn fuel. Wind turbines can be noisy.
Example: Wind turbines make electricity without burning fuel. However, they can be noisy. Uses the pronoun they and the transition However instead of repeating the subject three times.
2Why might a writer repeat the garden instead of using it again?
To keep the topic clear, especially when other nouns (beds, volunteers, principal) have come in between. Repeating a key word is a tie, not a mistake.
3Find the vague reference and fix it: Dad told Grandpa that his car needed new tires.
his could mean Dad's car or Grandpa's car. Fix: Dad told Grandpa, "Your car needs new tires." (or Dad told Grandpa that Grandpa's car needed new tires.)
4Choose the best transition: Most of the class voted for a trip to the museum. ___, a few students wanted to go to the zoo. (As a result / In contrast / For example)
In contrast. The second sentence shows a different opinion. As a result would wrongly suggest the vote caused the zoo idea; For example doesn't fit.
5Rewrite using a word-family tie: Many people volunteer at the food bank. The people who help say it is rewarding.
Many people volunteer at the food bank. The volunteers say the work is rewarding. (volunteer → volunteers is a word-family tie.)
Challenge
1Write a three-sentence paragraph about snow days that uses at least one reference tie, one transition and one summary noun. Label them.
Model: Last week, a storm dropped 30 cm of snow on our town. It (reference) closed every school and most roads. As a result (transition), families stayed home, built snow forts and shovelled for hours, and this break (summary noun) turned into one of the best days of the winter.
2A science textbook says: Water expands when it freezes. This explains why pipes can burst in winter. What does This refer to? How could the writer make it clearer?
This refers to the whole idea that water expands when it freezes. Clearer: This expansion explains why pipes can burst in winter. (summary noun)
3Explain how ellipsis can go too far. Give an example that is confusing.
If too many words are left out, the reader can't fill them in. Example: Ana went to the store and Ben the library, then home. It's unclear who went home and how. Fix: Ana went to the store and Ben went to the library. Then they both went home.
Quiz
1. In Kai found a toque. It was blue, what kind of tie is It?
2. Which sentence has an unclear pronoun?
3. Which is the best revision of the vague This in Prices rose and wages fell. This hurt families.?
4. Which transition shows contrast?
5. In I wanted the big pizza, but Sara wanted the small one, the word one is...
6. Why can repeating a key word be a good choice?
What this lesson is about: cohesion, the "glue" of writing. The overall Grade 8 B3 expectation names cohesive ties directly. Students learn reference, repetition, synonyms, substitution, ellipsis and transitions, and practise clear pronoun reference.
How to help at home:
- When your child's writing says this or it at the start of a sentence, ask "This what?" and have them add a summary noun.
- The paragraph puzzle works with any short text, including a recipe introduction or sports article.
Common difficulties:
- Overusing transitions (Furthermore, Moreover, In addition in every sentence). Ties should be varied and natural.
- Pronouns with two possible antecedents, especially he/she/they when two people are mentioned.
- Thinking repetition is always bad. Repeating a key term (especially in science) is often clearer than switching words.