Paragraph Coherence
A coherent paragraph develops one controlling move through an order and set of connections the reader can follow.
连贯段落围绕一个明确任务展开，并用读者能跟随的顺序与关系组织句子。
Two Tests
- Unity: Does every sentence serve the paragraph’s controlling purpose?
- Coherence: Can the reader understand why each sentence follows the previous one?
A sentence may be relevant to the overall essay but still belong in another paragraph. Topic changes, reasoning-stage changes, or a new question often justify a paragraph break.
Practical Audit
- Write one sentence describing what the paragraph does.
- Label each sentence as claim, evidence, warrant, transition, or context.
- Move or remove sentences that do not serve the stated function.
- Check whether information order follows the reader’s active question.
- Add only the context or transition needed to make the relationship visible.
Connections
- Reader model: Reader-Centered Writing
- Navigation: Signposting
- Larger process: Writing Process
- Source lecture: 大学写作第 2 课 - 段落连贯、引用整合与改述