Introducing Functional Sentence Analysis. We've discussed throughout the semester how to organize our writing within the paper (i.e., section-to-section: Introduction, Discussion Sections, Conclusion) and within the discussion sections (i.e., sections longer than 1 paragraph, grouped by topic, moving from general to specific, paragraph-to-paragraph).

It's also important to consider how you move within the paragraphs to build in sentence-to-sentence cohesion. Functional sentence analysis is one strategy for thinking about how sentences link together.

Think about sentences as having a subject and predicate: Subject ---> Predicate. Subject ---> Predicate. Subject ---> Predicate.

Functional sentence analysis suggests that you use the predicate of the previous sentence in the subject of the next sentence to help launch or propel your thoughts forward. This can also be used as a strategy to help generate and develop your ideas if you get "stuck."

Here's a simplified example:

The dog went to the park. The park was crowded. The crowd was there for a birthday party. The party took up the entire playground. So, the dog went home.

Nothing fancy there. But, in a more sophisticated example, functional sentence analysis can be especially helpful to help build cohesion. You most often need to think about building in cohesion in your papers when moving from one rhetorical move to the next--for example, when you move from your background article reference to your thesis statement or when you move from Discussion 1 to Discussion 2.

Examples of Functional Sentence Analysis in Context. Here are some examples of sentences that rely on functional sentence analysis to build in cohesion.

Moving from background article reference to thesis statement:

As this example illustrates, animal welfare is an important issue for many consumers and shapes our food production systems; therefore, this paper will identify and overview two arguments presented by Lusk: that we can use emerging biotechnology to, one, promote food sustainability that will feed the world's 7.5 billion people and, two, promote ethical approaches to animal welfare.

In the topic sentence for Discussion 2 (Transitioning from Discussion 1 to Discussion 2):

While biotechnology is important for developing new food products, Lusk also argues that we can use emerging technologies to promote ethical approaches to animal welfare.

Notice the example below from a paper on the purpose of education:

...Being exposed to greatness creates greatness; however, if great ideas are kept away and not given back to society, then an education is useless because, according to Newman, “[i]t is the education which gives a man a clear conscious view of his own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them” (56). It is the active development of education through one’s mind that impacts and develops new ideas and better society. [Ending the paragraph with Newman and the purpose of education better society in the 19th century]

While Newman was more concerned with the liberal arts tradition in the 19th-century society [Beginning paragraph with Newman and better society in the 19th century], we understand today that all forms of education are important to create new ideas and advance society. [Ending the previous sentence and beginning next one with the need for education to improve society in the 21st century] Considering how important then education is for the development of society, this paper will explore two important purposes of education: enlightenment and ensuring a strong democracy. [Ending w/ specific thesis statement and keyword "enlightenment" to launch into the next paragraph on purpose of education: "enlightenment."]

If your reader says that your paper's transition from one point to the next was abrupt or that you seemed to leap in logic, returning to functional sentence analysis can help you make the prose more cohesive.