ABSTRACT

The present study investigates fourth-grade children’s use of

Cohesive devices in their narrative writing. Previous studies on

Cohesion, cohesive devices in Chinese and children’s concept of .

Cohesion will be reviewed and discussed. Also, prior investigations

Concerning the difference between spoken language and written .

language will be examined to see whether the features of spoken

Language affect the use of cohesive devices in children’s writing.

A working model mainly based on Halliday and Hasan’s (1976)

Cohesion model is then established to examine children’s planned

Written discourse. There are seven major types of cohesive devices

In this model: reference t conj unction t lexical cohesion.

Substituion, ellipsis, CP, and others.

Finally, a general pattern of children’s cohesive devices in

Their writing will be explored. Generally speaking, children’s

Narrative writing is marked by the three most-frequent types of

Cohesive devices: reference, lexical cohesion and conjunction;

While, substitution and ellipsis occur least frequently. The thesis

Will be concluded with some implications and suggestions that are

Drawn from the present study.

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