The Use of Cohesive Devices in English Drama Texts for Adults and Children

Abstract

The present paper aims at identifying the relationship between drama texts and cohesive devices, presenting the most common used devices in both adults’ and children’s drama and comparing the percentages to find out the similarities and differences between adults’ and children’s drama concerning the use of these devices. It is hypothesized that cohesive devices have an essential role to play in making drama texts more comprehensible. It is also hypothesized that playwrights use certain cohesive devices to make their texts easier to track by readers. It is assumed that there is a difference between adults and children drama regarding the use of cohesive devices. It is found that the most used cohesive device by adults’ and children’s playwrights is reference. It is also found that ellipsis is employed widely in adults’ drama rather than children’s drama. More use of lexical cohesive devices is detected in children drama rather than adults’ drama. The study arrived at the following conclusions: First, cohesive devices are employed widely by playwrights reflecting the important role they have on the overall understanding of the writer’s main idea. It is also found that there is a relation between the age of the readers and the use of cohesive devices as adults are more able to handle certain devices rather than children.