Developing cohesion
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Using this to point backwards | page 6 of 6 |
Teaching implications
Students who overuse evaluative words such as problem can be made aware of other options that exist. Take the following extract from a student essay:
problem of youth crime is very serious in Hong Kong and everyone needs to increase awareness of this problem. If this problem continues to worsen, it will not be good for Hong Kong. (TeleNex Students)The
The three-fold repetition of problem has the
opposite effect from the one the writer intends. They want to emphasise the negative
impact of youth crime, but by repeating the word so often they actually dilute the effect.
After identifying youth crime as a problem (and so making clear their own attitude
to the topic), they can use a more neutral term such as issue 
:
The problem of youth crime is very serious in Hong Kong and everyone needs to increase awareness of this issue. If youth crime continues to worsen, it will not be good for Hong Kong.
Notice how cohesion is achieved at the start of the second sentence through repetition of the expression youth crime from the first sentence.
For further information about repetition of key words, see 
Developing cohesion: Lexical cohesion (p 2).
Teaching implications
