Cohesion Analysis on Texts for Reading Comprehension
Afif Fuad Firdaus
1
, Yusuf Hamzah
2
and Fitriani Nurhalimah
3
1
Prosus Inten Bandung. Jl. Belitung No. 3, Bandung, Indonesia
2
Itenas. Jl. PH Hasan Mustopa No 23, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Cohesion, Reading Comprehension, Texts, Interpretation
Abstract: By using cohesion devices such as reference, ellipsis, substitutions, lexical cohesion, or conjunction, this
study is intended to analyze the textual interpretations which correspond to selected high cohesion texts
whether they carry the comprehension of reading or not. The textual interpretations from which two stated
meaning questions and two implied meaning questions correspond to the text have been analysed by
descriptive qualitative method. Firstly, the comprehension of the stated meaning questions is drawn from
the abundant semantic ties carrying semantic integration in the text. It also inserts relational coherence
situated in closer to text based. Secondly, the comprehension of the implied meaning questions is described
as the abundant semantic ties carrying semantic integration and occupies relational coherence in the
microstructure of text. Therefore, the comprehension of reading is composed of abundant semantic ties
leading to semantic integration and relational coherence situated in closer to text based and microstructure
of text on the high selected cohesion texts in this study.
1 INTRODUCTION
Text comprehension has been widely used for reading
proficiency measurement. This type of test examines
users’ cognitive language operations by answering
comprehensive questions. The involved cognitive
language operations of reading text are “Several
subprocesses carrying lexical access, word
interpretation, syntactic parsing, semantic
integration, and textual organization” (Ehrlich, 1991).
These operations have an accumulated demand,
which refers to the comprehension, for text readers.
Comprehension is “A mental representation of the
text content which is dependent on both text variables
and subject variables” (Ehrlich, 1991). Another
assumption on reading comprehension is explained
by Attaprechakul (2013) that “To fully understand a
text the reader must be able to interpret the value of
proposition and the logical flow of this value, not
simply understanding its signification. The other
argument is that reading comprehension of language
is an interaction between a text and its users.
The involvement of readers, in the term of their
cognitive language system, has an effect to the
comprehension of text. The phenomenon has been
repetitively found, relating to readers’ factor on text
comprehension in reading instruction, that among
readers have gotten either different or similar
comprehension of the only same text. However, the
contribution of their cognitive language operations in
reading comprehension won’t be discussed in this
study. This study, instead, has paid the attention to the
text from which the comprehension is composed. The
texts to which are referred in this study are the high-
cohesion texts.“The benefit of text cohesion should
be more pronounced for readers with less knowledge.
That is, whereas maintenance of text coherence in a
less cohesive text demands contribution of specific
knowledge, a highly cohesive text is more self-
contained, hence requires less contribution of topic-
specific knowledge for maintenance of text
coherence” (Ozuru et al., 2009).
Cohesion and coherence are parts of text
comprehension. “Cohesiveness of a text, an objective
feature of text, is an important factor to determine text
coherence, which is a subjective psychological state
of reader (Graesser et al., 2004; Halliday & Hasan,
1976). Cohesion, the lingustic tool which is applied
in this study, “relates to semantic tied within text
whereby a tie is made when there are some dependent
78
Firdaus, A., Hamzah, Y. and Nurhalimah, F.
Cohesion Analysis on Texts for Reading Comprehension.
DOI: 10.5220/0008218600002284
In Proceedings of the 1st Bandung English Language Teaching International Conference (BELTIC 2018) - Developing ELT in the 21st Century, pages 78-84
ISBN: 978-989-758-416-9
Copyright
c
 2022 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

links between items that combine to create meaning”
(Hameed, 2008). Additionally, Halliday and Hasan
(1976) argued that cohesion “As a semantic relation
based on the central notion of presupposition-one
element presupposses another which is located
somewhere in the text (anaphora or cataphora) or in
the context of situation (exophora) and which is
essential for text interpretation”. Cohesion of text
occurs “ When the interpretation of some elements in
the discourse is dependent on that of another”
(Halliday & Hasan, 1976). The devices that help a
text carry cohesion, proposed by Haliday and Hasan
(1976) are reference, ellipsis, substitutions, lexical
cohesion, or conjuction. These devices hold the words
within the text to be tied together for semantic relation
among them.
On the other hand, the connectedness in a text
should be looked at coherence as well. This
assumption is supported by Ehrlich (1991) that local
cohesion is where two cohesive propositions share a
common argument in microstructure of text, whereas
coherence is the global level of cohesive propositions
that are organized within the macrostructure of text.
This is called by Ehrlich (1991) “a coherent graph of
propositions”, which is described in this study, has
the same notion as Nuttal (2006) that it is “the
pragmatic meaning, suggesting the writer-reader
interaction”. Ehrlich (1991) also added that
“Coherence defines as text interpretibility”. In short,
the textual interpretations which are the product of
reader’s cognitive language operations have been
semantically tied by text-words to create both
cohesive and pragmatical meanings.
Consequently, by using cohesive devices this
study aims to analyze whether the textual
interpretations from which selected comprehensive
questions correspond to text carry the comprehension
of reading or not. In reference to the purpose of this
study, the writer tries to answer the question on how
does cohesive devices such as reference, ellipsis,
substitutions, lexical cohesion, or conjunction on
texts perform to comprehend text?
2 METHOD
2.1 Analysis Framework
2.1.1 Comprehensive Question
The comprehensive questions are classified into
two categories. They are stated meaning question
and implied meaning question. The assumption of
Ozuru et al. (2009) on these two kinds of
comprehensive questions fits to be supporter to
describe what they are meant in this study. The
stated meaning question has relevant assumption on
“closer to text based or less integration information”.
Meanwhile, the implied meaning question deals
with the argument that it “requires more extensive
integration or closer to situation”.
2.1.2 Textual Interpretation
This study uses four selected high cohesion texts,
discussed by Prosus Inten Bandung. Each of available
five textual interpretations which correspond to the
text ocasionally leads to the failure of getting the
comprehension of text. Then, to figure out the most
reliable textual interpretations which is regarded as
the text comprehension in this study, cohesion
devices such as reference, ellipsis, substitutions,
lexical cohesion, or conjunction are employed. In
addition, the coherence of text is occupied in this
study corresponding to referential coherence and
relational coherence.
2.1.3 Cohesion Devices And Coherence of
Text
There are five devices of cohesion to tie the semantic
relation among sentences. Haliday and Hassan (1976)
distinguished the devices of cohesion. Reference is
described as two linguistic elements are related in
what they refer to; Substitution is a lingusitic element
which is not repeated but which is replaced by a
substitution element; Ellipsis means one of the
identical lingustic element is omitted; Conjunction is
a semantic relation is explicitly marked; Lexical
cohesion is two elements share a lexical field
(collocation). In addtion, Sanders and Matt (2006)
argued that coherence is the connectedness of
discourse which is characterized of the mental
representation of the text rather than the text itself.
The text can cohere from which two respects are
there. Sanders and Matt (2006) distinguished
them.“Referential coherence is smaller linguistic
units (often nominal groups) may relate to the same
mental referent (Anaphora); Relational coherence is
text segments (most often concieved of as clauses)
are connected by coherence relations like Cause-
Consequences between them (Clause Relation).”
2.1.4 The Analysis on Textual
Interpretations
To analyze the textual interpretations from which the
selected comprehensive questions correspond to the
four selected texts, the analysis instrument on
Cohesion Analysis on Texts for Reading Comprehension
79

semantic relation on text has been established. Each
of these textual interpretations is put into three
categories, in which how many cohesive semantic ties
on the text contribute to each interpretation and how
the interpretations are coherent with text. The
categories proposed are subjective interpretation,
cohesive interpretation, and comprehensive
interpretation.
a. Subjective Interpretation
“Which means that would be fewer cohesive
ties, with variance of both in the same text within
and accross paragraph boundaries” (Halliday and
Hasan, 1976).
b. Cohesive Interpretation
A propositional or cohesive meaning but not
carrying pragmatical value of text.
c. Comprehensive Interpretation
“Which means that there are many cohesive ties”
(Halliday and Hasan, 1976), and that carries
pragmatic meaning or coherence, “suggesting the
writer-reader interaction” (Nuttall, 2006).
3 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Findings
3.1.1 Analysis Instrument of Semantic
Relation on Text of Question Stated
Meaning
Semantic relation analysis instrument of stated
meaning question consists of five cohesion devices
such as reference, ellipsis, substitution, lexical
approach, conjunction. Referential coherence and
relational coherence are included.
Table 1: Stated meaning question.
Choice of
Interpretatio
ns
Total of
Semantic
Test
Coherence
of Text
Catagory
A
The
lowest
price for
the item
5
Cohesive
Interpretation
B
The
average
price for
the item
4
Subjective
Interpretation
C
The o
price for
the item
4
Subjective
Interpretation
D
The most
affordable
price for
the item
6
Relational
Comprehesive
Interpretation
E
The
highest
price for
the item
4
Subjective
Interpretation
Table 2: Stated meaning question.
Choice of
Interpretatio
ns
Total of
Semantic
Test
Coherence
of Text
Catagory
A
Unlike
computers,
automobiles
give
problems
4
Subjective
Interpretation
B
Computers
and
automobiles
have given
us problems
6
Subjective
Interpretation
C
A
revolution
in
technology
can be the
source of
much
trouble
6
Subjective
Interpretation
D
Problems
caused by
automobile
started in
1980
7
Relational
Comprehesive
Interpretation
E
Before
19890,
computer
did not
cause any
problems
4
Subjective
Interpretation
3.1.2 Analysis Instrument Of Semantic
Relation on Text of Implied Meaning
Question
Semantic relation analysis instrument of stated
meaning question consists of five cohesion devices
such as reference, ellipsis, substitution, lexical
approach relying on synonymy and antonymy, or
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conjunction. Referential coherence and relational
coherence are included.
Table 3: Implied meaning question.
Choice of
Interpretatio
ns
Total of
Semantic
Test
Coherence
of Text
Catagory
A
Traveled
from
Brazil to
Africa
1
Subjective
Interpretation
B
Was
predescess
or of
African
bee
2
Subjective
Interpretation
C
Was
carried
from
Brazil to
Africa in
1955
4
Relational
Comprehesive
Interpretation
D
Is
agressive
by nature
2
Subjective
Interpretation
E
Could not
live in
Africa so
that the
bee was
carried out
to Brazil
4
Subjective
Interpretation
3.2 Discussion
3.2.1 Table 3.1.1 (Stated Meaning Question)
Although the interpretation (A) has five semantic ties,
this interpretation does not carry the pragmatical
value which defines the price, intended in the text, is
the lowest price “to buy” the home suppiles such as
bulding materials and plans for constructing the
house. It is cohesive interpretation.
The interpretation (B) carries four semantic ties
but has unidentified words to support the average
price. This interpretation leads to subjective due to the
variance of meaning that are not composed of text.
Table 4: Implied meaning question.
Choice of
Interpretatio
ns
Total of
Semantic
Test
Coherence
of Text
Catagory
A
Will be
highly
expensive
0
Subjective
Interpretation
B
Can be
done in a
few years
7
Relational
Comprehesive
Interpretation
C
Is against
religious
doctrines
0
Subjective
Interpretation
D
Can keep a
person’s
body
healthy
and strong
2
Subjective
Interpretation
E
Involves a
complex
procedure
and highly
advanced
technology
6
Subjective
Interpretation
The interpretation (C) has four semantic ties.
However, it carries “the only price” as the
interpretative idea of the price. This idea is not
supported by any ties in the text. This is the variance
of meaning and subjective interpretation.
The interpretation (D) has the most semantic ties
of all, with six ties carrying the semantic integration
which defines the meaning of what the price is
intended in this text. The interpretation has relational
coherence which is closer to text based.
The interpretation (E) carries four semantic ties
but has no semantic ties of the interpretative idea for
“the highest price”. This is subjective due to the
variance of meaning not composed of text
3.2.2 Table 3.1.2 (Stated Meaning Question)
The interpretation (A) has four semantic ties. The
word “unlike” in this interpretation has no supporting
words in the text. This is the variance of meaning that
are not composed of text. When the semantic ties are
collected, they pronunced utterence as if the text gave
the “fine meaning” of interpretation of choice A.
“Computers (and) automobiles bring problems”
The word “the same” in the interpretation (B) has
no supports in the text. This is the variance of
meaning that are not composed of text. This leads to
be subjective despite of the six semantic ties supports.
The interpretation (C) has six semantic ties.
However, the word “much” cannot be found through
the semantic ties in the text. When the ties are
collected, they show what the text means “
development, new invention, (or) new tool (of)
technological have brought unexpected problems”.
This interpretation is subjective despite of six
Cohesion Analysis on Texts for Reading Comprehension
81

semantic ties. Besides, this textual interpretation
occupies more extensive integration that does not fit
with the type of question.
The interpretation (D) has the most semantic ties
which lead to semantic integration. This
interpretation has relational coherence of text which
is closer to text based or less integration information.
In addition, when the ties are grouped, the ties show
similar meaning to the closer to text based, explaining
“ However, traffic jams, air pollution (of)
automobiles have also (been ) brought (to) us, also
began” since Henry Ford began mass-producing them
in 1980.
The interpretation (E) has four semantic ties. The
interpretative idea about “Before 1908 and did not
cause” has no supporting ties in the text. This leads to
be subjective due to the variance of meaning not
composed of text.
3.2.3 Table 3.2.1 (Implied Meaning
Question)
The interpretation (A) has only one tie. This
interpretation is subjective. It is also found that the
referential coherence shows “from South America to
North America”, not as stated as the interpretation
“from Brazil to America”. This is also variance of
meaning not composed of text.
The interpretation (B) has two ties. This
interpretation is subjective due to its opposite tie. The
word “predeccessor” in the interpretation has the
contrast meaning with “hybrid” in the text.
The interpretation (C) has four ties. The total of
ties within the interpretation shows semantic
integration. This interpretation has relational
coherence in the microstructure of text. This
interpretation is comprehensive interpretation.
The interpretation (D) has two ties. This
interpretation is subjective due to its antonymous
tie. The word “agressive” in the interpretation has
the contrast meaning to “not agressive” in the text.
The interpretation (E) has four ties. However,
the interpretation is not composed of text due
to the variance of meaning “ could not live in
Africa so that”. This is subjective interpretation.
3.2.4 Table 3.2.2 (Stated Meaning Question)
The interpretation (A) has zero semantic tie. This
leads to be subjective due to the variance of meaning
not composed of text.
The interpretation (B) has the most semantic ties
which lead to semantic integration, and occupies
relational coherence in microstructure of text. This is
comprehensive interpretation.
The interpretation (C) has no semantic ties. This
leads to be subjective due to no semantic link
supports.
The interpretation (D) has two semantic ties. One
tie supports the comprehension, but the other declines
with its opposite mark “cease” for “keep”. This
interpretation is subjective.
The interpretation (E) has six semantic ties. Four
ties are connected to the text, two other ties are
antonymous. “alone and a shot” in the text have been
contrary to “complex” of procedure of nanotranmitter
in the interpretation.
4 CONCLUSIONS
The cohesion analysis on the textual interpretations
gives the insight how the comprehension is described.
Firstly, the textual interpretations which are regarded
as text comprehension of two stated meaning
questions have been occupied by abundant semantic
ties leading to semantic integration, and relational
coherence situated in closer to text based or less
integration information. Secondly, the textual
interpretations of two implied meaning questions
which are regarded as text comprehension have been
occupied by the abundant semantic ties which support
semantic integration, and relational coherence in
microstructure of text. Therefore, the comprehension
of reading is composed of abundant semantic ties
leading to semantic integration and relational
coherence situated in closer to text based and
microstructure of text.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Prosus Inten Bandung, Jl. Belitung No. 3 Bandung
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APPENDIX
Text
In the early twentieth century, it was not
possible to buy just home supplies from the Sears and
Roebuck catalogue. It was actually possible to buy a
mail-order house. If you ordered a house through the
mail, you would receive all necssary building
materials as well as plans for constructing the house;
all of this could be had for prices starting around
$600.
Prosus Inten-Try out ke-12 Kemampuan Dasar Pola
SBMPTN 2017.
Comprehensive question: The price of $600
mentioned in the passage was
Text
Technology brings problems as well as benefits
to human kind. Since Henry Ford began mass-
producing them in 1908, automobiles have provided
us with a cheap and convenient means of
transportation, However, they have also brought us
traffic jams and air pollution. A technological
development that is changing our lives as much as the
automobiles is the personal computer. Since the
1980s, personal computers have become common in
home, schools, and business, and just as automobiles
have brought unexpected problems, so have personal
computers.
To begin with, communication by computer has
caused some problems. Although we can easily send
a message to hundreds of people in an instant, we
can also receive hundreds of messages, both wanted
and unwanted, in just a few minutes. It took several
hours to read all of them. The lack of censorship in
cyberspace is another problem that no one has
solved yet. Our expanded ability to communicate
means that anyone with a computer can communicate
anything to anyone on any subject at any time.
Therefore, a computer-literate child can receive
pornographic photos and listen to chat-room
conversation about sex.
In addition to problems in communication,
computers have also caused problems in business.
They have created excellent oppurtunities for
computerized crime. Computer criminals use their
skills to obtain secret business information and to
steal moneym. Moreover the use of computers has
depersonalized business. People are no longer
customers; they are account numbers. Face-to-face
business transactions are no longer necessary, you
can buy almost anything you need by computer,
phone, or fax. Also, as telecommunicating becomes
more common, workers in the same company interact
with each other less and less. Someday it may be
possible to have a acompany of people who have
never met face to face.
It is clear that personal computers have made our
lives easier, but they have done so at cost. As with
every new invention, there have been unforseen
consequences. It is up to us to find the solutions to the
problems as well as to enjoy the conveniences of the
new tool
Prosus Inten- Diskusi 3-Bahasa Inggris Intensif 2017
Comprehensive question: Which of the following
is true?
Text.
These stories of killer bees in the news in recent
years have attracted a lot attention as the bees have
made their way from South America to North
America. Killer bees are reputated to be extreamly
aggressive in nature, although experts say that their
aggression have been somewhat inflated.
The killer bee is a hybrid of the very mild
European strain of honey bee and the considerably
more aggressive african bee, which was created when
the African strain was imported to Brazil in 1955. The
African bees were brought to Brazil because their
agression was considered as an advantage; they were
far more productive than their European counterparts
in that they spent higher percentage of their time
working and continued working longer in inclement
weather than did the European bees.
These killer bees have been known to attack
humans and animals, and some fatalities have
occured. Experts pointed out, however, that the mixed
Cohesion Analysis on Texts for Reading Comprehension
83

breed known as the killer bee is actually not at all as
agressive as the pure African bee. They also poin out
that the attacks have a chemical cause. A killer bee
stings only when it has been disturbed; it is not
aggressive by nature. However, after a disturbed bee
stings and flies away, it leaves its stringer embedded
in the victim. In the vicera attached to the embadded
stringer is the chemical isoamyl acetate which has an
odor that attracts other bees and causing them to sting.
The new stings create more of the chemical isoamyl
acetate, which attracts more bees and increases the
panic level of the victim. Killer bees tend to travel in
large cluster or swarns and thus respond in large
numbers to the reproduction of isoamyl acetate.
Prosus Inten-Diskusi-5 Bahasa Inggris Intensif 2017
Comprehensive question: It can be inferred from the
passage that the killer bees
Text
If you had the opportunity to live forever, would
you take it? The obstacles to keeping your body
alive indefinitely still seems insurmountable, but
some scientist think there is another possibility
opened up by digital technology: creating a digital
copy of your “self” and keeping that “alive” online
long after your physical body has ceased to function.
In effect, the proposal is to clone a person
electronically. Unlike their familiar physical clones -
offspring that have identical features as their
parents, but that are completely seperate organisms
with a seperate conscious life – your electronic clone
would believe itself to be you. How might this be
possible? The first step would be to map the brain.
How? One plan relies on the development of
nanotechnology. Ray Kurzweil – one of the prophets
of artificial intelligence – predicts that within two or
three decades we will have nanotransmitters that can
be injected into the bloodstrem. In the capillaries of
the brain they would line up alongside the neurons
and detect the details of the cerebral electronic
activity. They would be able to transmit that
information to a reciever inside a special helmet or
cap, so there would be no need for any wires
protruding from the scalp.
As a further step, Ray Kurzweil also envisages
the nanotransmitters being able to connect you to
the world of virtual reality on the internet, similar to
what was depicted in the film “Matrix”. With the
nanotransmitters in place, by thought alone, you
could log on to the internet and instead of the
pictures coming up on your screen they would play
inside your mind. Rather send your friends e-mails
you would agree to meet up on some virtual tropical
beach.
For Ray this would be, quite literally, heaven.
Once you upload the brain onto the internet and log
on to that virtual world the body can be left to rot
while your virtual self carries on playing Counter
Strike forever. Therefore, why wait when you can
have a shot of nanobots and upload your brain onto
the internet and live on as an immortal virtual surfer?
UM UGM 2016
Comprehensive question: it can be inferred from
the text that electronic cloning
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