Chapter 5: Patterns of Paragraph Organization

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Chapter 5 Patterns of Paragraph Organization

• In Chapter 5 you will study the ways writers
  arrange ideas within paragraphs and the devices
  they use to achieve coherence.

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Chapter 5 Patterns of Paragraph Organization

• Objectives

• Patterns of paragraph organization

• Coherence in paragraphs

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Patterns of Organization Defined

• Patterns of Organization

The various ways that a paragraphs sentences can
be arranged.
Chronological
Narrative and descriptive writing
Spatial
Deductive
Expository or persuasive writing
Inductive
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Patterns of Organization Defined

• time order

Chronological
Commonly used to tell a story, to relate an
incident, to recount a historical event, or to
describe the steps in a process.
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Patterns of Organization Defined

• arrangement of objects in an environment

Spatial
Most often used in descriptive writing. Spatial
order helps a writer organize descriptive details
and to present them so that the reader can
visualize the scene.
The transitions showing movement from one part of
a scene to another are indicated by prepositional
phrases.
See p. 160 and the second example.
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p. 161

• Aside from his unusual geography tour, what is
  the central philosophical point Boulding makes?

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p. 161

• Aside from his unusual geography tour, what is
  the central philosophical point Boulding makes?
• Earth is an infinitesimally small part of the
  universe, and in a parallel point, human life is
  insignificant when put into that perspective.

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Patterns of Organization Defined
Deductive Order

• most common paragraph assembly

General specific
Particularly use in textbook material
expository paragraphs
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Patterns of Organization Defined

• The main idea is stated directly at the beginning
  of a passage followed by explanatory material.

expository paragraphs
Particularly use in textbook material
See p. 161-162 (beginning at bottom of page)
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Patterns of Organization Defined
Inductive Order

Specific
General
Supporting Statements
Main Idea
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Patterns of Organization Defined
Inductive order derives from a kind of thinking
called induction. Inductive order involves a
series of specific observations leading to a
generalization (the main idea) that the reader
can validly infer from those statements.

Supporting Statements
Main Idea
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Patterns of Organization Defined
The placement of the main idea determines the
pattern. See pp. 162-163

Supporting Statements
Main Idea
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Go to Practice Exercise 1, pp. 163-166

• Read the following paragraphs.
• First, decide which pattern of organization each
  represents.
• Chronological order
• Deductive order
• Spatial order
• Inductive order
• Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in
  your own words.

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Go to Practice Exercise 1

• First, decide which pattern of organization each
  represents.
• Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in
  your own words.
• Pattern of organization deductive
• Main idea Animals instinctively go into hiding
  to die.

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Go to Practice Exercise 1

• First, decide which pattern of organization each
  represents.
• Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in
  your own words.
• Pattern of organization inductive order
• Main idea Our worsening traffic problems will
  soon weaken our nation and our economy.

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Go to Practice Exercise 1

• First, decide which pattern of organization each
  represents.
• Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in
  your own words.
• Pattern of organization spatial order
• Main idea As they drove into Spain, the road
  took them through the mountains, forest, fields,
  more trees, more fields, until finally they could
  see the Pamplona plateau in the distance, behind
  which were more mountains.

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Go to Practice Exercise 1

• First, decide which pattern of organization each
  represents.
• Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in
  your own words.
• Pattern of organization chronological order
• Main idea Although August 6, 1945, began like
  any other day in Japan, that was the day the
  Americans dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

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Go to Practice Exercise 1

• First, decide which pattern of organization each
  represents.
• Then, write a sentence stating the main idea in
  your own words.
• Pattern of organization inductive order
• Main idea Buford doesnt understand desserts,
  and because they are both fascinating and bad for
  him, they scare him.

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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Careful writers try to help the reader follow the
  main idea by ensuring that the paragraph has
  unity or singleness of purpose.

In good writing, there should be no irrelevant
or extraneous sentences to lead you astray.
coherence
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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Transitions are signposts or markers that
  indicate a logical relationship or a shift in
  direction.

Transitions can be single words or phrases
occasionally, an entire paragraph bridging
sections together in an essay
Paying attention to transitions will improve
your concentration and comprehension and will
help you see the logical connections between
ideas.
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Go to p. 167

• Read the first paragraph.
• What is the paragraph about?
• Now, read the same passage again but with the
  changes.
• Which paragraph is easier to read?
• Why?

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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Transitions

• Signaling an additional statement
• And
• In addition (to)
• As well as
• Besides
• Furthermore
• moreover

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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling a Contrast
• But
• Yet
• However
• Nevertheless
• Nonetheless
• While
• Whereas
• On the other hand
• In contrast (to)
• Contrary to

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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling an Example or Illustration
• For example
• As an example
• To illustrate
• As an illustration
• For instance
• Namely
• Specifically
• A case in point
• Consider the following

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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling Steps in a Process of Chronological
  Order

First Second
Third Next
The next step Further
Then Before
After that Finally
Last In July
Last week In a few days
In 2005
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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling Emphasis

Indeed In fact
Certainly Without a doubt
Undoubtedly Admittedly
Unquestionably truly
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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling a Concession (an admission of truth)

Although Even though
In spite of Despite
After all
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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling a summary or Conclusion

Therefore Thus
Then To conclude
In conclusion In summary
To summarize Consequently
hence
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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Signaling Spatial Order

Above Below
To the right To the left
Nearby From afar
Beyond Farther on
Up the road On top
underneath
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Coherence in Paragraphs

• Repetition of Key Phrases

By repeating key words and phrases, the author
helps the reader to connect thought patterns. See
p. 170.
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Go to Practice Exercise 2, pp. 171-172

• After reading Paragraph A and B, finally, locate
  the one transitional expression and identify its
  function.

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Go to Practice Exercise 2, pp. 171-172

• After reading Paragraph A and B, finally, locate
  the one transitional expression and identify its
  function.
• in short (conclusion or summary)