ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS IN WRITING

ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS Organization in writing refers to the arrangement of ideas in a sentence, paragraph, or essay.

Writers may arrange information in various ways—for example, chronologically or spatially.

Some arrangements may be more appropriate than others, depending on the subject occasion, audience, and purpose of the essay.

If your essay is like a house, how is your essay built?

CHRONOLOGICAL/SEQUENTIAL ORDER

Writing that presents events in the order of their occurrence is arranged chronologically.

Look for words like—begin, first, second, third, next, then, last, finally, end…

ExampleProofreading is a crucial step in

essay writing. You should begin by reading through the entire essay, to see if it flows well from one idea to the next. Then, you should go through each paragraph, checking to see if the ideas supportyour thesis. Next, you need to check the mechanics of the essay and make the necessary changes..

DESCRIPTIONWriting that provides details related to shape, size, color, et cetera follows the pattern of description.

Look for words like—shape, size, color, illustrate, describe, looks/smells/feels/ sounds/tastes like…

ExampleIcebergs—giant blocks of ice that float in

the sea—come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Some are deep blue or green. Some look like floating sculptures. Old icebergs that have been worn down by the weather sometimes look like pillars of ice. Usually, only about one-fifth of an iceberg appears above the surface of the water. The other four-fifths of the “berg” is hidden underwater, out of sight. Sometimes, an iceberg has what is called a “foot,” an extension completely underwater. These are especially dangerous for ships. It was an iceberg “foot” that sank the Titanic in 1912, killing 1,503 people..

COMPARE AND CONTRASTWriting that discusses similarities and/or differences between two subjects follows the compare/contrast pattern.

Look for words like—compare, contrast, similar, same, different, opposite…

ExampleDavid Letterman and Jay Leno,

while both are late night talk-show hosts, have very different personalities. Letterman often makes jokes at his own expense; however, Leno tends to laugh at others. Also, Letterman exhibits a closer relationship with his fans than Leno does. Furthermore, Letterman has a more natural, sincere interviewing techniques than that of Leno.

Writing that explains the causes and/or effects of something follows the cause/effect pattern.

Look for words like—because, cause, affect, effect, result, consequence, reaction…

ExampleThe dodo bird used to roam in

large flocks across America.  Interestingly, the dodo wasn’t startled by gun shot.  Because of this, frontiersmen would kill entire flocks in one sitting.  Unable to sustain these attacks, the dodo was hunted to extinction.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

Writing that explains a problem and suggests one or more solutions follows the problem/solution pattern.

Look for words like— issue, problem, conflict, solution, solve, resolve, resolution, fix, remedy, prevent…

ExampleThousands of people die each

year in car accidents involving drugs or alcohol.  Lives could be saved if our town adopts a free public taxi service. By providing such a service, we could prevent intoxicated drivers from endangering themselves or others.

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION

ExampleUpon entering the deserted

mansion, I paused and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Gradually, an elaborate staircase faded into view before me. On the left, I spotted a moth-eaten Oriental rug. While walking further into the foyer, I stumbled over the body of my former partner. I didn't see the woman behind me until it was too late.

Writing that clarifies the location of people and things in space is arranged spatially.

Look for words like—above, below, under, to the left/right, beside, behind, on, front, back…

CLASSIFICATIONWriters that use classification group items into distinct categories.

Look for—groups, classes, categories…

words like belong, part of…

ExampleMovies evoke many different

emotions in the human mind. Horror movies create a fear and adrenaline rush that many movie-goers enjoy. Dramas act as a catharsis, allowing people to respond with grief, joy, and empathy. Comedies, on the other hand, help people feel relief and a sense of lightheartedness.

ENUMERATION (LISTING)

Writing arranged as a enumerated list provides a list of items, facts, reasons, examples, features or characteristics.

Look for—numbers, bullets, letters, colons that introduce a list

ExampleA barbershop quartet is a

singing group which blends four voices: bass, baritone, tenor I, and tenor II.

ORDER OF IMPORTANCEExample

Here are the three worst things that you can do on a date.  First, you could tell jokes that aren’t funny and laugh really hard to yourself.  This will make you look bad.  Worse though, you could offend your date. One bad “joke” may cause your date to lash out at you, hence ruining the engagement.  But the worst thing that you can do is to appear slovenly.  By not showering and properly grooming, you may repulse your date, and this is the worst thing that you can do.

Writing arranged in order of importance presents information from most to least important or least to most important.

Look for words like—best, worst, least, most, first, second, third, next, then, last, finally…