Cohesion and Arrangement Problems

Sometimes the ideas, the sentences, are good, but are just not in the right order. These things will probably be noticeable on your first read of a text, though you are also noticing problems with spelling, grammar, syntax, etc., but save those for after you've taken care of the details. Then go back and analyze the ideas and their order and the sentences within each paragraph and their order and what that order does for and to the text. If the ideas cohere, no need to rearrange. But if some things are discussed before they should be, or after, or things seem out of place, or if ideas just don't fit together well within the larger thesis of the piece, you will have to rearrange things, or omit information, or perhaps tell the writer to add some more information if something is not explained thoroughly enough, or if, after necessary rearrangement, there is a need for a transition from one part of the idea to the next.

For example:

"Tropical plants have fascinated us for years. They have been brought from other hot and humid parts of the world tempting local gardeners to give them a try in their own gardens and indeed many will not only thrive but will flourish with a little effort and even gentle care.

Tropical flowers are blessed with their own unique beauty. Most are highly colorful, showy and bright and pink varieties seem to be the most popular. Tropical flowers grow best in well-drained areas with plenty of sunshine. Pink tropical plants for zone nine include . . . [chart follows]."

The first paragraph ends with information about the care that tropical plants need. The reader expects the next paragraph to pick up that idea and contain information on how to care for those plants. But it begins with how beautiful they are, and only gets to the growing needs in the third sentence. Some arrangement is necessary, and actually the two paragraphs can be combined:

Tropical plants have fascinated us for years. They have been brought from other hot and humid parts of the world, blessed with their own unique beauty and tempting local gardeners to give them a try in their own gardens. Most are highly colorful--showy and bright and pink varieties seem to be the most popular. Many will not only thrive but will flourish with a little effort and even gentle care. They grow best in well-drained areas with plenty of sunshine.

When editing for cohesion, remember that paragraphs and even sentences can be combined to make the ideas and the sentences fit correctly.