Patterns of Organization

[Based on material in Olsen, L. A. & Huckin, T. N. (1991).  Technical writing and 
professional communication.  New York, NY:  McGraw Hill.]

As mentioned above, paragraphs usually have topic statements followed by a number 
of supporting statements.  These statements should contribute to the topic.  Likewise, 
each paragraph in an essay should be in an order and linked so that the reader can see 
the relation of each to the controlling idea.   Generally, paragraphs within essays and 
sentences within paragraphs should follow one of the commonly used patterns of 
organization for paragraphs:  chronology, cause-and-effect, comparison and contrast, 
listing, general-to-particular.

Chronological description.  This is a well-know pattern of organization.  (First, Barth 
establishes...Then he argues...Finally, he notes).   Use it to recount a sequence of events 
(including events in an essay).

Cause-and-effect.  In explaining causes and effects, it is generally best to explain them in 
chronological order:  put causes before effects.  A good example of cause-and-effect 
pattern is this paragraph excerpt from Scribner:

The definitional controversy has more than academic significance.  Each 
formulation of an answer to the question “What is literacy?" leads to a different 
evaluation of the scope of the problem . . . . Definitions of literacy shape our 
perceptions of individuals who fall on either side of the standard (what a "literate" 
or "nonliterate" is like) and thus in a deep way affect both the substance and style of 
educational programs . . . .

Notice that the writer uses words that signal cause-effect relationships (and thus).

Comparison and contrast.  This pattern of development is appropriate when you want to 
compare two or more things that are similar in some ways but different in others.  
Consider an example from Scribner:

While functional literacy stresses the importance of literacy to the adaptation of the 
individual, the literacy-as-power metaphor emphasizes a relationship between 
literacy and group or community advancement.

The following paragraphs develop the contrast.

Listing.  Listing is another common pattern of organization for paragraphs.  In 
constructing lists, keep items in the list in parallel grammatical form and, if the items 
are not of equal importance, arrange items in descending order of importance.  Another 
example from Scribner:

. . . In this essay, I will examine some of them [differing points of view about the 
central meaning of literacy], organizing my discussion around three metaphors:  
literacy as adaptation, literacy as power, and literacy as a state of grace.

The essay develops each of these items in the list in separate sections.

General-to-particular.  A very common pattern is to move from the more general to more 
particular.  Here is an example from Scribner:

The self-enhancing aspects of literacy are often given a cognitive interpretation 
(Greenfield and Bruner 1969; Olson 1977).  For centuries, and increasingly in this 
generation, appeals have been made for increased attention to literacy as a way of 
developing minds.  An individual who is illiterate, a UNESCO (1972) publication 
states, is bound to concrete thinking and cannot learn new material . . . .

The paragraph moves from the most general (a cognitive interpretation) to more 
particular (concrete thinking and learning new material).

Other patterns.  There are other patterns--extended definition, analogy, etc.  And two or 
more patterns can be used together in a paragraph or essay.  More than listing 
particular types of organization or following just the few identified here, it is important 
to plan a pattern of organization and follow through with it.

Sometimes a paragraph lacks a clear pattern of development because each of the 
sentences in it needs to be elaborated with supporting sentences.  For example,

Writing is a skill that is needed by all people and it is also a difficult practice to 
master. John Barth knows that writing can be taught. Parts of teaching are, of 
course, the learning and application of that which is taught. There are critics out 
there, though, that will argue that the new generation of writers just can't 
compare to those of old.

Each sentence needs support and development.

Patterns of Organization