ABSTRACT
Instead of repeating exactly the same word, some texts employ a different cohesive device: they use a word and then use a synonym of that word. A synonym is a word that has the same meaning as another word. Actually, finding two words which have exactly the same meaning isn’t easy: asteroid and planetoid are a possible example, and for some people the words sofa, couch and settee are exact synonyms. When we look at texts we can count as synonyms words which are very close in meaning. Here is an example:
(19) ‘The doctor told me I’d been working too hard and I needed at least six weeks off work to get my strength back.’
