5 exercises — practise pronouns, demonstratives (this, these, such), contrast markers, and reference chains that link ideas across sentences in technical documentation.
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1 / 5
A developer writes in documentation: "The API accepts a JSON payload. _____ payload must contain a valid token." Which demonstrative determiner best creates cohesion between the two sentences?
This is the ideal cohesive device here. Demonstrative determiners (this, these, that, those) create anaphoric reference — they point back to something already mentioned. "This payload" explicitly links to "a JSON payload" introduced in the previous sentence, signalling to the reader: "I mean the exact entity just described." In technical documentation, this is preferred over that for entities in close proximity, and over the definite article the when you want to emphasise continuity with the immediately preceding text. Examples: "The function returns an error object. This object contains a code and a message."
2 / 5
A technical document reads: "Containers are lightweight, portable units of software. _____ allow developers to package an application with all its dependencies." Which pronoun maintains cohesion correctly?
They is correct. The antecedent is "Containers" (plural), so the pronoun must be plural: they. Using it or this would mismatch the number of the antecedent and break grammatical cohesion. Pronoun reference is a key cohesive device: once a noun phrase is established, pronouns (he/she/it/they) or pro-forms carry the reference forward without repetition. In technical documentation, they is used for plural concepts: "Microservices are independently deployable. They communicate via APIs."These (a demonstrative) is also plural but implies a stronger pointing gesture, which is less natural for simple pronoun substitution here.
3 / 5
Documentation reads: "The system supports two authentication methods: API keys and OAuth 2.0. _____ methods require periodic rotation for security." Which cohesive device is most appropriate?
These is the most cohesive choice. These + noun creates a demonstrative reference chain — it reaches back to the specific set just enumerated (API keys and OAuth 2.0) and treats them as a known group. This is a high-frequency pattern in technical documentation: "The config file accepts three parameters: host, port, and timeout. These parameters can also be set as environment variables."Both is possible but only when exactly two items are referenced and you want to stress that neither is excluded. Such is more formal and implies category membership rather than direct reference. All works numerically but sounds less specific than these in this context.
4 / 5
A developer writes: "The migration script backs up the database, applies schema changes, and restarts the service. _____ process is fully reversible." Which option creates the best cohesive link?
This is the cleanest cohesive link. The three-step sequence described in the first sentence is now referred to as a single "process" using this + summary noun. This pattern — using this/these with a general noun (process, approach, method, mechanism, step) to encapsulate a complex idea — is one of the most powerful cohesive devices in technical writing. It packages and labels the preceding content: "The server validates the token, checks permissions, and logs the request. This process runs on every API call."The above is too formal and document-structural. Such a implies category exemplification. That kind of is vague and informal.
5 / 5
Documentation reads: "WebSockets enable real-time, bidirectional communication between client and server. HTTP polling, _____, requires the client to repeatedly send requests." Which cohesive device correctly signals contrast?
By contrast is the correct cohesive device to signal that the second sentence presents an opposing or different characteristic from the first. Cohesive conjunctives signal the logical relationship between ideas: by contrast / on the other hand / however signal contrast; in addition / furthermore / moreover signal addition; as a result / therefore / consequently signal result; for instance / for example / such as signal exemplification. In technical comparisons — WebSockets vs polling, REST vs GraphQL, SQL vs NoSQL — contrast markers are essential for guiding the reader through the logical structure. The parenthetical position (X, by contrast, Y) is standard in formal documentation and white papers.