Textual Cohesion: Use of Pronouns | Traditional Summary
Contextualization
Textual cohesion is a fundamental element in written communication, as it ensures that the ideas presented in a text are well connected, making it easier for the reader to understand. A cohesive text allows the reader to follow the author's reasoning without difficulties, making the reading more fluid and enjoyable. To achieve this cohesion, one of the most important resources is pronouns, which avoid unnecessary repetition of words and help relate different parts of the text.
In text construction, personal, demonstrative, and possessive pronouns play crucial roles. Personal pronouns, such as 'I', 'you', 'he', 'we', 'you (plural)', and 'they', replace nouns and indicate the people in discourse. Demonstrative pronouns, such as 'this', 'that', 'those', and their variations, locate something in relation to the speakers. Meanwhile, possessive pronouns, such as 'my', 'your', 'his/her', 'our', and 'your (plural)', indicate possession or belonging. The correct use of these pronouns contributes to textual clarity and cohesion, avoiding ambiguities and facilitating communication.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns are used to replace nouns that indicate the people in discourse – who is speaking, with whom one is speaking, and about whom one is speaking. These pronouns are 'I', 'you', 'he/she', 'we', 'you (plural)', 'they'. For example, in a sentence like 'Maria went to the market. She bought fruits.', the pronoun 'she' replaces 'Maria', avoiding repetition and making the text more fluid.
The use of personal pronouns is essential for maintaining clarity and cohesion in a text. They help relate different parts of the text, ensuring that the reader understands who the subjects of the described actions are. Additionally, by avoiding the repetition of nouns, personal pronouns make the reading more enjoyable and less tiresome.
In text construction, it's important to use personal pronouns correctly to avoid generating ambiguities. For instance, in a text with many characters, the improper use of personal pronouns can confuse the reader about who is performing a certain action. Therefore, the correct choice of personal pronouns is fundamental for the clarity of the text.
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Replace nouns that indicate people in discourse.
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Facilitate cohesion and clarity of the text.
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Avoid unnecessary repetition of proper names.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to indicate the position of something in relation to the people in discourse. Examples include 'this', 'that', 'those', and their feminine and plural variations. They help to situate information in the text, indicating proximity or distance in relation to the speaker and the listener. For example: 'This book is mine.' indicates that the book is close to the speaker.
The use of demonstrative pronouns is crucial for textual cohesion as they help clearly and accurately locate information. In narrative, descriptive, or argumentative texts, these pronouns guide the reader on the positioning of mentioned objects or ideas, avoiding ambiguities.
Moreover, demonstrative pronouns can be used to refer back to ideas or elements mentioned earlier in the text, reinforcing the connection between parts of the text. For instance, by mentioning a specific object, the use of 'that' may indicate that the object is distant from both the speaker and the listener, reinforcing clarity in communication.
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Indicate the position of something in relation to the people in discourse.
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Facilitate the location of information in the text.
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Avoid ambiguities by situating objects or ideas.
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns indicate possession or belonging, replacing the possessed noun. Examples include 'my', 'your', 'his/her', 'our', 'your (plural)' and their feminine and plural variations. For example, in the sentence 'This is my notebook.', the pronoun 'my' indicates that the notebook belongs to the speaker.
These pronouns are fundamental for textual cohesion since they help relate the elements of possession in the text, avoiding ambiguities. By using possessive pronouns, the author ensures that the reader clearly understands to whom or to what a certain object or idea belongs, facilitating text comprehension.
In practice, possessive pronouns avoid unnecessary repetitions and make the text more fluid. In descriptive, narrative, or informative texts, the clarity provided by the correct use of possessive pronouns contributes to a more pleasant and effective reading experience.
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Indicate possession or belonging.
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Facilitate clarity and textual cohesion.
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Avoid ambiguities and unnecessary repetitions.
Practical Application of Pronouns
The practical application of pronouns is essential to consolidate theoretical concepts and ensure that students know how to use these elements in their textual productions. Identification and rewriting exercises are effective tools for this practice. For instance, students may be asked to identify pronouns in a text and rewrite sentences by replacing nouns with appropriate pronouns.
Furthermore, textual production activities that involve creating narratives, descriptions, or argumentative essays allow students to apply the use of pronouns contextually. During these activities, it's important for students to receive feedback to correct possible errors and improve their use of pronouns.
Classroom discussions about the difficulties encountered and strategies to overcome them are also fundamental. These discussions help students reflect on their own writing process and develop a deeper understanding of the importance of textual cohesion.
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Consolidate theoretical concepts through practice.
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Identification and rewriting exercises are effective.
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Textual production activities contextualize the use of pronouns.
To Remember
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Textual Cohesion: Logical and fluid connection between the parts of a text.
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Personal Pronouns: Pronouns that replace nouns and indicate the people in discourse.
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Demonstrative Pronouns: Pronouns that indicate the position of something in relation to the people in discourse.
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Possessive Pronouns: Pronouns that indicate possession or belonging.
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Textual Clarity: The quality of a text being clear and understandable.
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Avoiding Repetition: Use of pronouns to replace nouns and avoid unnecessary repetition.
Conclusion
During the lesson, we addressed the importance of textual cohesion and the fundamental role of personal, demonstrative, and possessive pronouns in constructing cohesive and clear texts. Personal pronouns help avoid unnecessary repetition of nouns by replacing them and indicating the people in discourse. Demonstrative pronouns locate information in the text by indicating proximity or distance, while possessive pronouns indicate possession or belonging, contributing to clarity and fluency of the text.
The practice of identifying and correctly using these pronouns is essential for consolidating theoretical concepts and ensuring that students know how to apply them in their textual productions. Identification exercises, sentence rewriting, and textual production activities are effective tools for this practice, allowing students to contextualize the use of pronouns and improve their writing skills.
Textual cohesion is a crucial skill for efficient communication, whether in school texts, daily messages, or even in understanding songs and movies. The knowledge acquired about the use of pronouns not only improves writing but also enriches the reading and comprehension of different types of texts, making the experience more engaging and meaningful.
Study Tips
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Revise the concepts of personal, demonstrative, and possessive pronouns in your Portuguese textbook, highlighting examples and making notes.
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Practice identifying and using pronouns in texts you write, such as school essays or personal diaries, and ask for feedback to improve.
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Read different types of texts, such as narratives, descriptions, and argumentative essays, and underline the pronouns used, analyzing how they contribute to textual cohesion.
