Essay writing: why you must strive for variety and coherence
Every essay is woven around a particular topic. Therefore, finding a topic to write on is the
first thing you need to do. The principles of good writing are the same and must be followed
at all stages of composition. Every essay begins with a sentence. It just happens to have a
large number of sentences in it. Make each sentence grammatically and structurally correct
and you have won half the battle.
Variety
Use different sentence patterns in your essay. Variety is essential to retain the reader’s
interest. If you write too many sentences of the same pattern, your writing may sound dull
and monotonous and the reader may lose interest. To avoid this, use all kinds of sentences in
your essay. There should be long and short sentences, simple and complex, straight forward
and inverted. Note that a good knowledge of the different techniques of sentence synthesis is
essential to add variety and sophistication to your writing.
Variety is necessary; however, it must not be overdone. The idea is to make your essay
interesting to read. This is possible only by having a simple and direct approach.
Coherence
Linking words are essential to achieve the effect of unbroken continuity of thought. Most
linking words are conjunctions. When used correctly, words like hence, so, therefore, but, or,
then etc will connect the sentences up and make the paragraph a well-knit whole.
If ideas have to be contrasted, you can use expressions like on the other hand, on the
contrary, however, nevertheless, yet and still. There are also several discourse markers that
usually go at the beginning of a clause.