Cohesive Devices - Substitution

How substitution is used to render texts more cohesive and readable

Substitution

Substitution means replacing one thing with another. We often do this because it would seem strange to repeat  a word or phrase. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" "Yes I would like a cup of coffee". This is not a normal exchange, unless the stress is on "would". "Yes please. I'd love one." sounds more normal; "one" substitutes for "a cup of coffee”.There are only a few words we use in English for substitution and they are used in three ways: to substitute for a noun or head of a noun phrase (nominal substitution), to substitute for a verb or head of a verb phrase (verbal substitution), or to substitute for a clause (clausal substitution).Nominal substitution uses the words one, ones and same.Verbal substitution uses the word do (does, did, don’t, doesn't, didn’t, has done, have done).Clausal substitution uses the words so and not.Mouse over the examples to see how these cohesive devices work. Mouse down to pause the animations.Nominal Substitution

The word “one" (or "ones") can substitute for a noun as in the following examples:

1. There are many seeds which would be good to begin work on, any kind would be interesting, but it is best to use some nice big ones which allow us to see the parts easily. Good ones to choose would be broad beans or peas.

2. Now carefully peel off the skin, noticing that there are two skins, an outer thick one and an inner thin one, which protect the parts within.

The word "ones" substitutes for the the word "seeds". We could, in fact, replace the word "ones" with "seeds" (nice big seeds which ... Good seeds to choose ...) and the meaning would be exactly the same, but it would sound a bit repetitive.

The word "one" is singular so it can only substitute for skin, not skins. However, "an outer thick one" refers to one of the two skins. Similarly, in "an inner thin one" the "one" is the other of the two skins.

The word “same" can also replace a noun as in the following examples:

1. There is one very important point about the growth of plants which is strikingly different from the growth of animals. A young kitten has four legs, a head, and a tail, and as it grows to be a cat these only alter a little in shape and get larger and stronger; the number of its legs remains the same.

2. Cut right through a tulip or hyacinth bulb lengthways, and compare it with a horse chestnut bud to which you have done the same.In this example, “the same" is a substitute for “four”, earlier in the text; "A young kitten has four legs ....”. Numerals can act as the heads of noun phrases, which is what four is doing in this case. There is also a short lexical chain here connecting four, number, and same.In this case the word "same" refers to the act of cutting through a bulb lengthways. The instruction is first to cut through a chestnut bud lengthways and then to cut through a tulip or hyacinth bulb lengthways, and then compare them. So the same can also substitute for an act or a process.Verbal Substitution

The verb “do" can substitute for a verbal group as in the following examples:

1. You have now seen that seedlings require water for their life just as animals do.

2. If you cut through the stem of a cactus you will find that its skin is very thick and tough, and this thick coat protects the plant against the fierceness of the sun far more completely than the thin skin of a sunflower does.The word "do" substitutes for the whole of the verb group "require water for their life". The sentence gives us a comparison between seedlings and animals - one of similarity signalled by "just as"; Seedlings require water for their life. Animals require water for their life. We get rid of the redundancy (the repetition) by using "do" to substitute for require water for their life.The word "does" substitutes for the whole of the verb group "protects the plant against the fierceness of the sun". The sentence gives us a comparison between the thick skin of the cactus and the thin skin of the sunflower. By using the word "does" the author avoids the problem of having to repeat the verb group.Clausal Substitution

The words "so" and "not" can replace a verbal group as in the following examples:

"Since the invention of photography itself, people have used photograph-themed metaphors when thinking and talking about memories and remembering. When we want to retain memories of everyday events for example, we take “mental snapshots”, and when we think back to momentous events, we regard them as “flashbulb moments”. But are memories ever truly like photographs?

A large number of people certainly believe so.” (Nash 2017)

"These findings teach us a lot about how our memories are formed and stored. And they might lead us to wonder how much our most treasured memories have changed since the very first time we remembered them.Or perhaps not." (Nash 2018)What do people believe? The word "so" substitutes for that memories are truly like photographs. "

So" substitutes for the whole of this clause.The word "not" substututes for, and negates, the whole of the previous sentence. So the sense is: These findings might not lead us to wonder how much our most treasured memories have changed since the very first time we remembered them. 

The examples used on this page were taken fromPlant Lifeby Marie Stopes,Are memories reliable? Expert explains how they change more than we realise, an article in The Conversation by  Robert Nash, andHow authentic are photographic memories?also by Robert Nash.