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Cohesive Devices: Build Bridges Between Paragraphs

Cohesive Devices: Build Bridges Between Paragraphs

Learn how cohesive devices link paragraphs, from repeated words and adverbials to ellipsis, by building bridges across Cohesion Canyon.

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What you'll learn

  • What cohesion means and how cohesive devices link paragraphs
  • When repeating a key word is clearer than using a pronoun
  • Adverbials for contrast, such as on the other hand and in contrast
  • Adverbials for consequence, such as as a consequence and as a result
  • How ellipsis leaves out words the reader can work out
  • Choosing the right device to edit and improve a piece of writing

Chapter by chapter

  1. What cohesion is: spotting the words that link paragraphs Free to try

    Years 5–6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  2. Repeating a key word or phrase to link paragraphs

    Years 5–6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  3. Adverbials for contrast: on the other hand, in contrast, however

    Years 5–6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  4. Adverbials for consequence: as a consequence, as a result, therefore

    Years 5–6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  5. Ellipsis: leaving out words the reader can work out

    Years 5–6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  6. Editing: choosing the best cohesive device to link paragraphs

    Years 5–6 english · 1 Year 6 english · 2

  7. Cohesion Champion Challenge (10 questions)

See every English chapter in the chapter library

What the chapters cover in the national curriculum in England:

  1. Years 5–6 english: Draft and write by: using a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs
  2. Year 6 english: Text: linking ideas across paragraphs using a wider range of cohesive devices: repetition of a word or phrase, grammatical connections, and ellipsis

About this adventure

Cohesion Canyon is an interactive game that teaches children aged 9–11 the cohesive devices Year 6 writers use to link ideas across paragraphs: repetition, adverbials and ellipsis. Every paragraph is an island, and Bea the beaver helps the player build bridges between them so the reader can cross.

Children tap the words that link paragraphs and choose a clearer start when a pronoun such as "he" is confusing. They sort adverbials by meaning (contrast or consequence) and type their own. They also learn that ellipsis means leaving out words the reader can work out, as in "Others don't", and that it doesn't always need three dots.

An optional warm-up first revises the Year 5 ways of linking paragraphs, and a 10-question final challenge checks everything at the end. Every line is read aloud. After a wrong answer the game gives a hint, and after a second it shows the answer and explains it.

Questions and answers

What are cohesive devices, in simple words?

Cohesive devices are words and phrases that link the parts of a piece of writing so the ideas stick together. In Year 6, children link paragraphs by repeating a key word, using adverbials such as on the other hand, and using ellipsis.

What is ellipsis in Year 6 grammar?

Ellipsis means leaving out words that the reader can work out from earlier in the text. In "Mum likes tea, but Dad doesn't", the words "like tea" are left out. The three-dot punctuation mark is also called an ellipsis, but this kind of ellipsis needs no dots.

How do adverbials link paragraphs?

An adverbial at the start of a paragraph shows how it connects to the one before. On the other hand and in contrast signal a different side. As a consequence and as a result show that the new paragraph follows from the last.

What age is this cohesion game for?

The game is for children aged 9 to 11 and follows the Year 6 English curriculum in England. Year 5 children can play it too, starting with the optional warm-up on pronouns and time and place adverbials.

What does the cohesion game include and how long does it take?

It has six chapters, an optional warm-up and a 10-question final challenge, and takes about 40 minutes to play through. Each chapter starts with a short animated scene and can be played on its own, in any order.

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