ELT365 · Day 202 — Cohesion — linking words without overloading

Idea — Cohesion is how a text holds together. Linking words help, but learners overuse them. ‘Furthermore’ and ‘moreover’ in every sentence signals weakness, not sophistication.

Example — Weak: ‘He was tired. Moreover, he was hungry. Furthermore, it was raining.’ Strong: ‘He was tired, hungry, and caught in the rain.’

Try — Find three linking words in a learner’s recent writing. Could any be cut without losing the meaning? Try it.

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