Techniques for working on your writing

We are going to concentrate on examining four key concepts from language studies to help you work on your own writing cohesion punctuation reference and coherence. Note that reference in this context is not the same as referencing sources.  

You can think about cohesion in your writing at different levels, in terms of connections between topics themes words and phrases, as in the examples below  

I give presentations from mind maps and sometimes hand them out. They re more visually exciting than linear notes. 

There are examples of societies whose violence is based on social ties and others where violent warfare is seen as a stabilizing force on the community. Even apparently peaceful groups such as the Buid or Inuit Eskimos experience some levels of violence in their close communities. 

In the extract from the student essay in Chapter 5, notice the three themes of the paragraphs  

---

Use the read-aloud technique for another essay you re working on or that you wrote for another purpose. What did you notice about your writing Do you like the way it sounds Does it convey the meaning(s) you intended ... 

Unfortunately, the books on other branches of engineering are often difficult to understand as we lack the specialized knowledge that the authors take for granted. Nicholas Bahr writes with such readers in mind. Even if you do not work in the process industry you can learn from this book how process safety experts identify and assess hazards. Their techniques may be useful elsewhere or they may suggest ways you can improve your own techniques. Similarly, process engineers can learn from others. 

---