More Metadiscourse

The following material offers more help in the area of metadiscourse. Specifically, this chart addresses different kinds of text connectives (see previous blog, "On Metadiscourse") you might find useful in establishing relationships between various phrases, sentences, and paragraphs in which your propositional content is advanced. As I mentioned in the previous blog, mastering the use of metadiscourse is beneficial both for the reader and the writer. For the reader, as Vande Kopple writes, the propositional content is organized, classified, and interpreted for him or her by the expert (83). For the self-aware writer, metadiscourse offers a way to recognize how and why he or she arranges the invented content in the way he or she does.

Note: this material is by no means exhaustive; however, it is a good place from which to begin creating a repertoire of text connectives. Note too how these are categorized; you will select from among these and other text connectives ("cohesive devices") based upon what kind of relationship you wish to establish between propositional content. For example, if you wish to show a relationship of difference, you will need a contrastive.

A List of Some Representative Cohesive Devices ("conjunctive adverbs"):

Illustratives: for example; for instance; e.g.

Temporals: first; next; then; after that; subsequently

Additives: also; moreover; furthermore; in addition; and

Contrastives: by contrast; however; on the other hand; yet; nevertheless; but

Comparatives: similarly; likewise; in the same way

Causatives: as a result; hence; consequently; thus

Reiteratives: in other words; that is; i.e.; put differently

Punctuating These Cohesive Devices in Various Sentence Positions:

1. Franklin’s idea of time is money is confirmed in the film. However, the idea comes off much differently than it would have had Franklin written it.

2. Franklin’s idea of time is money is confirmed in the film. The idea, however, comes off much differently than it would have had Franklin written it. [Note how in this version and the next the commas go on both sides of the cohesive marker]

3. Franklin’s idea of time is money is confirmed in the film. The idea comes off much differently than it would have had Franklin written it, however.

4.Franklin’s idea of time is money is confirmed in the film; however, the idea comes off much differently than it would have had Franklin written it. [Note how this one is a semi-colon because it appears at the juncture of one "independent clause" and another one. ]