patterns of essay organization

Unit 6: Argumentative Essay Writing

44 Patterns of Organization for Argumentative Essays

There are three typical ways to construct the body of an argumentation essay. Each type meets the expectations for an argumentative essay. The motivation for choosing any particular type, however, is different.

1 “You First ”

This essay is called “You First” because the writer starts with the other side’s arguments and ends with their own arguments. The body begins with a paragraph that outlines the main counterargument. At the end of this paragraph, there needs to be an acknowledgement of the full or partial validity of the opposing viewpoints. After that paragraph, you can begin your arguments for your perspective.

2 “Me First ”

This essay is called “Me First” because the writer starts with their own arguments and ends with the other side’s arguments. The paragraph that outlines the main counterargument comes at the end of the discussion of your arguments. This paragraph is formed and developed exactly the same as the 1st body paragraph in a “You First.” The only difference is that the counterargument/refutation paragraph in “Me First” occurs after one’s own arguments

3 “Point-by-Point ”

In a Point-by-Point essay, each body paragraph lists a single counterargument. After describing this opposing argument, there needs to be a transition before starting the detailed refutation of the counterargument. In the Point-by-Point essay, your refutation serves as your argument of each point you want to make. In other words, you deal with each counterargument separately, whereas “You First” and “Me First” essays group all the counterarguments together and develop one’s own arguments separately.

For this course you are recommended to use the “you first” or “me first” patterns.

Which pattern should I use?

In order to answer this question, you need to answer some questions:

• What are the strongest counterarguments? (It might be helpful to spend some time with a person or people who believe the opposite of you so that you can hear why they believe what they do.)
• What do your readers generally believe about this topic? How strongly do they believe that? (You might need to ask a sample of people what they think about your topic.)

There are three basic scenarios that typically arise:

• Your readers are against your position.
• Your readers are for your position.
• Your readers have not made up their mind yet.

*Which pattern of organization does the writer use in the model essay?

• Introduction
• (Argument 3)
• Counterargument
• Refutation (=Argument 3 or 4)

Point by Point Pattern

• Refutation (= Argument 1)
• Refutation (= Argument 2)
• Refutation (= Argument 3)

You First Pattern

• (Argument 4)

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Most Common Book or Essay Organization Patterns

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To improve your ability to understand a difficult book or passage, you might start by finding the organization pattern. This may sound more difficult than it is. There are a few ways that writers can choose to organize their work , and the organization depends very much on the topic.

If you were writing a description of your bedroom, for example, you would most likely use a spatial organization pattern. In other words, you would most likely start by describing one "space" and move on to another space, and keep going until you've covered the entire room.

Spatial organization would be a suitable type of pattern for real estate professionals to use when describing a property. 

Then again, if you were required to describe the events that led up to a certain event in history, your most likely organization pattern would be chronological . Chronological refers to the order that things happen in time. You might describe the legislation that set the stage for a particular event, followed by the public response to that legislation, and followed again by social conditions that changed because of the previous events.

So, one of the first things you should do when trying to understand a difficult text is to figure out the particular organization pattern. This helps you frame the entire work in your brain or on paper, as when you're writing an outline.

Chronological Organization

A chronological organization is used by writers when they want to describe what happened or happens in a particular order. Your entire history book is most likely written in a chronological patter. Some of the types of work that might follow this patter include the following. You can see that this type of organization is best when describing things that happen over time.

• History chapters
• Biographies
• Summer vacation essays
• Legal case studies

Logical Organization

A logical organization might be used in many ways. Logical organization refers to works that express a point or position using evidence.

• Argument essays
• Comparison essays

Functional Organization

A functional organization system is used to explain how or why things work. The following types of writing might use this organization pattern most effectively.

• How-to essays
• Step-by-step essays
• Instruction manuals 

Spatial Organization

Spatial organization is used in essays that describe or give direction concerning a physical location.

• Descriptions
• Anatomy essay
• Descriptions in fiction

The purpose of developing and understanding organization patters is to help our brains set the stage and know what to expect. These patterns help us to build a framework in our minds and place information in the correct "places" on that framework. Once you determine the overall organization of any text, you'll be better equipped to process information as you read.

When writing your essays and chapters, you should keep your intended organizational pattern in mind as you work, to provide your readers with a clear message that is easily processed.

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9.3 Organizing Your Writing

Learning objectives.

• Understand how and why organizational techniques help writers and readers stay focused.
• Assess how and when to use chronological order to organize an essay.
• Recognize how and when to use order of importance to organize an essay.
• Determine how and when to use spatial order to organize an essay.

The method of organization you choose for your essay is just as important as its content. Without a clear organizational pattern, your reader could become confused and lose interest. The way you structure your essay helps your readers draw connections between the body and the thesis, and the structure also keeps you focused as you plan and write the essay. Choosing your organizational pattern before you outline ensures that each body paragraph works to support and develop your thesis.

This section covers three ways to organize body paragraphs:

• Chronological order
• Order of importance
• Spatial order

When you begin to draft your essay, your ideas may seem to flow from your mind in a seemingly random manner. Your readers, who bring to the table different backgrounds, viewpoints, and ideas, need you to clearly organize these ideas in order to help process and accept them.

A solid organizational pattern gives your ideas a path that you can follow as you develop your draft. Knowing how you will organize your paragraphs allows you to better express and analyze your thoughts. Planning the structure of your essay before you choose supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and targeted research.

Chronological Order

In Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , you learned that chronological arrangement has the following purposes:

• To explain the history of an event or a topic
• To tell a story or relate an experience
• To explain how to do or to make something
• To explain the steps in a process

Chronological order is mostly used in expository writing , which is a form of writing that narrates, describes, informs, or explains a process. When using chronological order, arrange the events in the order that they actually happened, or will happen if you are giving instructions. This method requires you to use words such as first , second , then , after that , later , and finally . These transition words guide you and your reader through the paper as you expand your thesis.

For example, if you are writing an essay about the history of the airline industry, you would begin with its conception and detail the essential timeline events up until present day. You would follow the chain of events using words such as first , then , next , and so on.

Writing at Work

At some point in your career you may have to file a complaint with your human resources department. Using chronological order is a useful tool in describing the events that led up to your filing the grievance. You would logically lay out the events in the order that they occurred using the key transition words. The more logical your complaint, the more likely you will be well received and helped.

Choose an accomplishment you have achieved in your life. The important moment could be in sports, schooling, or extracurricular activities. On your own sheet of paper, list the steps you took to reach your goal. Try to be as specific as possible with the steps you took. Pay attention to using transition words to focus your writing.

Keep in mind that chronological order is most appropriate for the following purposes:

• Writing essays containing heavy research
• Writing essays with the aim of listing, explaining, or narrating
• Writing essays that analyze literary works such as poems, plays, or books

When using chronological order, your introduction should indicate the information you will cover and in what order, and the introduction should also establish the relevance of the information. Your body paragraphs should then provide clear divisions or steps in chronology. You can divide your paragraphs by time (such as decades, wars, or other historical events) or by the same structure of the work you are examining (such as a line-by-line explication of a poem).

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph that describes a process you are familiar with and can do well. Assume that your reader is unfamiliar with the procedure. Remember to use the chronological key words, such as first , second , then , and finally .

Order of Importance

Recall from Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” that order of importance is best used for the following purposes:

• Persuading and convincing
• Ranking items by their importance, benefit, or significance
• Illustrating a situation, problem, or solution

Most essays move from the least to the most important point, and the paragraphs are arranged in an effort to build the essay’s strength. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to begin with your most important supporting point, such as in an essay that contains a thesis that is highly debatable. When writing a persuasive essay, it is best to begin with the most important point because it immediately captivates your readers and compels them to continue reading.

For example, if you were supporting your thesis that homework is detrimental to the education of high school students, you would want to present your most convincing argument first, and then move on to the less important points for your case.

Some key transitional words you should use with this method of organization are most importantly , almost as importantly , just as importantly , and finally .

During your career, you may be required to work on a team that devises a strategy for a specific goal of your company, such as increasing profits. When planning your strategy you should organize your steps in order of importance. This demonstrates the ability to prioritize and plan. Using the order of importance technique also shows that you can create a resolution with logical steps for accomplishing a common goal.

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph that discusses a passion of yours. Your passion could be music, a particular sport, filmmaking, and so on. Your paragraph should be built upon the reasons why you feel so strongly. Briefly discuss your reasons in the order of least to greatest importance.

Spatial Order

As stated in Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , spatial order is best used for the following purposes:

• Helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it
• Evoking a scene using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound)
• Writing a descriptive essay

Spatial order means that you explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your reader, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you.

The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals to follow from place to place. The key to using this method is to choose a specific starting point and then guide the reader to follow your eye as it moves in an orderly trajectory from your starting point.

Pay attention to the following student’s description of her bedroom and how she guides the reader through the viewing process, foot by foot.

Attached to my bedroom wall is a small wooden rack dangling with red and turquoise necklaces that shimmer as you enter. Just to the right of the rack is my window, framed by billowy white curtains. The peace of such an image is a stark contrast to my desk, which sits to the right of the window, layered in textbooks, crumpled papers, coffee cups, and an overflowing ashtray. Turning my head to the right, I see a set of two bare windows that frame the trees outside the glass like a 3D painting. Below the windows is an oak chest from which blankets and scarves are protruding. Against the wall opposite the billowy curtains is an antique dresser, on top of which sits a jewelry box and a few picture frames. A tall mirror attached to the dresser takes up most of the wall, which is the color of lavender.

The paragraph incorporates two objectives you have learned in this chapter: using an implied topic sentence and applying spatial order. Often in a descriptive essay, the two work together.

The following are possible transition words to include when using spatial order:

• Just to the left or just to the right
• On the left or on the right
• Across from
• A little further down
• To the south, to the east, and so on
• A few yards away
• Turning left or turning right

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph using spatial order that describes your commute to work, school, or another location you visit often.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

Key Takeaways

• The way you organize your body paragraphs ensures you and your readers stay focused on and draw connections to, your thesis statement.
• A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts.
• Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research.
• Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing. It is useful for explaining the history of your subject, for telling a story, or for explaining a process.
• Order of importance is most appropriate in a persuasion paper as well as for essays in which you rank things, people, or events by their significance.
• Spatial order describes things as they are arranged in space and is best for helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it; it creates a dominant impression.

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Organizational tips for academic essays

Published on November 10, 2014 by Shane Bryson . Revised on August 9, 2024.

This article presents some tips to help you figure out how best to structure your essay .

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Table of contents

Four tips for organization, other interesting articles.

In general, the purpose of the essay should dictate the organization of the essay—ask yourself what claims you need to establish in order for your reader to believe that your main claim is right. The claims that help establish your main claim are called “supporting claims.”

In many cases, each supporting claim will get a paragraph. When you’re outlining, try to phrase these supporting claims as rough topic sentences . In some cases, these supporting claims will also require some argument in order for your reader to believe them. If this happens, consider adding an additional argument or two in separate paragraphs to help establish your supporting claim.

Once you get a sense of the supporting claims that will form the basis of your paragraphs , consider the following tips:

Arguments usually proceed from the simplest claim to the most complex

In other words, the body of a good argumentative essay often begins with the more simple and widely accepted claims, and then moves to the more complex and contentious ones. There are a couple of reasons for this:

• Often, a reader must understand the more basic claims before she can understand the more complex claims.
• If you begin with a point your readers agree on without much trouble, you can build on this agreement to convince them of something more contentious.

Give the background early

If you have so much background information that it cannot be given precisely enough in the introduction , this information will usually lead the body of the essay , or the section that it is relevant to.

Define terms as needed

Technical language should be defined as or before it’s used—never wait very long to define a term you’ve used:

• If you can, define your terms as you use them.
• If you have so much technical language that defining terms as you use them is too interruptive, take a paragraph or so to define the terms and show how they relate to each other.

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Module 6: The Writing Process

Essay organization, learning objectives.

• Examine the basic organization of traditional essays

What are some ways that you can organize your essays in college. One standard structure for expository essays is to offer the main idea or assertion early in the essay, and then offer categories of support.

One way to think about this standard structure is to compare it to a courtroom argument in a television drama. The lawyer asserts, “My client is not guilty.” Then the lawyer provides different reasons for lack of guilt: no physical evidence placing the client at the crime scene, client had no motive for the crime, and more.

In writing terms, the assertion is the  thesis sentence , and the different reasons are the  topic sentences . Consider this following example:

• Topic Sentence (reason) #1:  Workers need to learn how to deal with change.
• Topic Sentence (reason) #2:  Because of dealing with such a rapidly changing work environment, 21st-century workers need to learn how to learn.
• Topic Sentence (reason) #3:  Most of all, in order to negotiate rapid change and learning, workers in the 21st century need good communication skills.

As you can see, the supporting ideas in an essay develop out of the main assertion or argument in the thesis sentence.

The structural organization of an essay will vary, depending on the type of writing task you’ve been assigned, but they generally follow this basic structure: The thesis and the topic sentences are all concerned with workers and what they need for the workforce.

Introduction

The introduction provides the reader with context about your topic. You may be familiar with the cliché about how first impressions are important. This is true in writing as well, and you can think of your introduction as that first impression. The goal is to engage the readers, so they want to read on. Sometimes this involves giving an example, telling a story or narrative, asking a question, or building up the situation. The introduction should almost always include the thesis statement.

Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay is separated into paragraphs. Each paragraph usually covers a single claim or argues a single point, expanding on what was introduced in the thesis statement. For example, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, the two main causes of schizophrenia are genetic and environmental. Thus, if you were writing about the causes of schizophrenia, then you would have a body paragraph on genetic causes of schizophrenia and a body paragraph on the environmental causes.

A body paragraph usually includes the following:

• Topic sentence that identifies the topic for the paragraph
• Several sentences that describe and support the topic sentence

Figure 1 . College instructors require more than just “the end” at the close of a paper. Take the time to revisit your thesis statement, bringing all of your claims and evidences together in your conclusion.

• Remember that information from outside sources should be placed in the middle of the paragraph and not at the beginning or the end of the paragraph so that you have time to introduce and explain the outside content
• Quotation marks placed around any information taken verbatim (word for word) from the source
• Summary sentence(s) that draws conclusions from the evidence
• Transitions or bridge sentences between paragraphs.

If you began with a story, draw final conclusions from that story in your conclusion. If you began with a question, refer back to the question and be sure to provide the answer.

A concluding paragraph:

• summarizes final conclusions from the key points
• provides a brief comment on the evidence provided in the paper
• ties in the introduction
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36 Patterns of Organization and Methods of Development

Patterns of organization can help your readers follow the ideas within your essay and your paragraphs, but they can also work as methods of development to help you recognize and further develop ideas and relationships in your writing. Here are some strategies that can help you with both organization and development in your essays.

Major Patterns of Organization

Read the following sentences:

• Now take the pie out of the oven and let it cool on the stovetop.
• Mix the dry ingredients with the liquid ingredients.
• Set the pie crust aside while you make the filling.

How did it feel to read the above list? A bit confusing, I would guess. That’s because the steps for making a pie were not well organized, and the steps don’t include enough detail for us to know exactly what we should do. (Like what are the dry and liquid ingredients?) We all know that starting instructions from the beginning and giving each detailed step in the order it should happen is vital to having a good outcome, in this case a yummy pie! But it’s not always so simple to know how to organize or develop ideas, and sometimes there’s more than one way, which complicates things even further.

First, let’s take a look at a couple of ways to think about organization.

General to Specific or Specific to General

It might be useful to think about organizing your topic like a triangle:

The first triangle represents starting with the most general, big picture information first, moving then to more detailed and often more personal information later in the paper. The second triangle represents an organizational structure that starts with the specific, small scale information first and then moves to the more global, big picture stuff.

For example, if your topic is air pollution in Portland, Oregon, an essay that uses the general-to-specific organizational structure might begin this way:

Many people consider Portland, Oregon, to be an environmentally friendly, pollution-free place to live. They would be shocked to know how many pollutants are in the air causing a multitude of health problems in Portland’s citizens.

An essay that uses the specific-to-general structure might start like this:

When Nancy moved to Portland, Oregon, with her husband and two kids, she expected to find a clean, pollution-free city. She was shocked and angered when her daughter was diagnosed with asthma caused by air pollution.

What’s the difference between these two introductions? And how might they appeal to the intended audience for this essay (Portland voters) in different ways? The first introduction is looking at the big picture of the problem and mentions pollution’s impact on all citizens in Portland, while the second introduction focuses on one specific family. The first helps readers see how vast the problem really is, and the second helps connect readers to a real family, making an emotional appeal from the very beginning. Neither introduction is necessarily better. You’ll choose one over the other based on the kind of tone you’d like to create and how you’d like to affect your audience. It’s completely up to you to make this decision.

Does the Triangle Mean the Essay Keeps Getting More Specific or More Broad until the Very End?

The triangle is kind of a general guide, meaning you’re allowed to move around within it all you want. For example, it’s possible that each of your paragraphs will be its own triangle, starting with the general or specific and moving out or in. However, if you begin very broadly, it might be effective to end your essay in a more specific, personal way. And if you begin with a personal story, consider ending your essay by touching on the global impact and importance of your topic.

Are There Other Ways to Think about Organizing My Ideas?

Yes! Rather than thinking about which of your ideas are most specific or personal or which are more broad or universal, you might consider one of the following ways of organizing your ideas:

• Most important information first (consider what you want readers to focus on first)
• Chronological order (the order in time that events take place)
• Compare and contrast (ideas are organized together because of their relationship to each other)

The section on Methods of Development, below, offers more detail about some of these organizational patterns, along with some others.

Choose one of the following topics, and practice writing a few opening sentences like we did above, once using the general-to-specific format and once using the specific-to-general. Which do you like better? What audience would be attracted to which one? Share with peers to see how others tackled this challenge. How would you rewrite their sentences? Why? Discuss your changes and listen to how your peers have revised your sentences. Taking in other people’s ideas will help you see new ways to approach your own writing and thinking.

• Facing fears
• Safety in sports
• Community policing
• Educating prisoners
• Sex education
• A book or movie that impacted you
• One thing you would change about your community
• Beauty standards
• Toxic masculinity
• How the media affects identity formation
• Gender roles
• Race in America
• The value of art in society
• Travel as part of a well-rounded education
• Drugs and alcohol
• Advice to new parents
• Advice to teachers
• The value of making mistakes
• How you’d spend a million dollars
• What a tough day at work taught you about yourself or others.

Methods of Development

The methods of development covered here are best used as ways to look at what’s already happening in your draft and to consider how you might emphasize or expand on any existing patterns. You might already be familiar with some of these patterns because teachers will sometimes assign them as the purpose for writing an essay. For example, you might have been asked to write a cause-and-effect essay or a comparison-and-contrast essay.

It’s important to emphasize here that patterns of organization or methods of developing content usually happen naturally as a consequence of the way the writer engages with and organizes information while writing. That is to say, most writers don’t sit down and say, “I think I’ll write a cause-and-effect essay today.”  Instead, a writer might be more likely to be interested in a topic, say, the state of drinking water in the local community, and as the writer begins to explore the topic, certain cause-and-effect relationships between environmental pollutants and the community water supply may begin to emerge.

So if these patterns just occur naturally in writing, what’s the use in knowing about them?  Well, sometimes you might be revising a draft and notice that some of your paragraphs are a bit underdeveloped. Maybe they lack a clear topic, or maybe they lack support. In either case, you can look to these common methods of development to find ways to sharpen those vague topics or to add support where needed. Do you have a clear cause statement somewhere but you haven’t explored the effects?  Are you lacking detail somewhere where a narrative story or historical chronology can help build reader interest and add support?  Are you struggling to define an idea that might benefit from some comparison or contrast?  Read on to consider some of the ways that these strategies can help you in revision. And if you want to learn more, check out what the New York Times has to say in their learning blog article, “ Compare-Contrast, Cause-Effect, Problem Solution: Common ‘Text Types’ in The Times .”

Cause and Effect (or Effect and Cause)

Do you see a potential cause-and-effect relationship developing in your draft?  The cause-and-effect pattern may be used to identify one or more causes followed by one or more effects or results. Or you may reverse this sequence and describe effects first and then the cause or causes. For example, the causes of water pollution might be followed by its effects on both humans and animals. You may use obvious transitions to clarify cause and effect, such as “What are the results? Here are some of them…” or you might simply use the words cause , effect , and result , to cue the reader about your about the relationships that you’re establishing.

Here’s an example article from the New York times, “ Rough Times Take Bloom Off a New Year’s Rite, the Rose Parade ,” that explores the cause and effect relationship (from 2011) between Pasadena’s budgetary challenges and the ability of their Rose Parade floats to deck themselves out in full bloom.

Problem-Solution

At some point does your essay explore a problem or suggest a solution? The problem-solution pattern is commonly used in identifying something that’s wrong and in contemplating what might be done to remedy the situation. There are probably more ways to organize a problem-solution approach, but but here are three possibilities:

• Describe the problem, followed by the solution.
• Propose the solution first and then describe the problems that motivated it.
• Or a problem may be followed by several solutions, one of which is selected as the best.

When the solution is stated at the end of the paper, the pattern is sometimes called the delayed proposal. For a hostile audience, it may be effective to describe the problem, show why other solutions do not work, and finally suggest the favored solution. You can emphasize the words problem and solution to signal these sections of your paper for your reader.

Here’s an example article from the New York times, “ Monks Embrace Web to Reach Recruits ,” that highlights an unexpected approach by a group of Benedictine monks in Rhode Island; they’ve turned to social media to grow their dwindling membership. Monks on Facebook?  Who knew?

Chronology or Narrative

Do you need to develop support for a topic where telling a story can illustrate some important concept for your readers? Material arranged chronologically is explained as it occurs in time. A chronological or narrative method of development might help you find a way to add both interest and content to your essay. Material arranged chronologically is explained as it occurs in time. This pattern may be used to establish what has happened. Chronology or narrative can be a great way to introduce your essay by providing a background or history behind your topic. Or you may want to tell a story to develop one or more points in the body of your essay. You can use transitional words like then , next , and finally to make the parts of the chronology clear.

Here’s an example article from the Center for Media Literacy (originally published in the journal Media & Values ): “ From Savers to Spenders: How Children Became a Consumer Market .” To encourage his readers to think about why and how children are being marketed to by advertisers, the author uses a historical chronology of how the spending habits of children changed over a number of decades.

Comparison and Contrast

Are you trying to define something? Do you need your readers to understand what something is and what it is not? The comparison-and-contrast method of development is particularly useful in extending a definition, or anywhere you need to show how a subject is like or unlike another subject. For example, the statement is often made that drug abuse is a medical problem instead of a criminal justice issue. An author might attempt to prove this point by comparing drug addiction to AIDS, cancer, or heart disease to redefine the term “addiction” as a medical problem. A statement in opposition to this idea could just as easily establish contrast by explaining all the ways that addiction is different from what we traditionally understand as an illness. In seeking to establish comparison or contrast in your writing, some words or terms that might be useful are by contrast , in comparison , while , some , and others .

Here’s an example article from the New York times: “ Who Wants to Shop in a Big Box Store, Anyway? ” The author explores some interesting differences between the average American and average Indian consumer to contemplate the potential success of big box stores in India and also to contemplate why these giant big box corporations, like Walmart or Target, might have to rethink their business model.

These four methods of development—cause and effect, problem-solution, chronology or narrative, and comparison and contrast—are just a few ways to organize and develop ideas and content in your essays. It’s important to note that they should not be a starting point for writers who want to write something authentic—something that they care deeply about. Instead, they can be a great way to help you look for what’s already happening with your topic or in a draft, to help you to write more, or to help you reorganize some parts of an essay that seem to lack connection or feel disjointed. Look for organizational patterns when you’re reading work by professional writers. Notice where they combine strategies (e.g a problem-solution pattern that uses cause-and-effect organization, or a comparison-contrast pattern that uses narrative or chronology to develop similarities or differences). Pay attention to how different writers emphasize and develop their main ideas, and use what you find to inspire you in your own writing. Better yet, work on developing  completely new patterns of your own.

English Composition Language Lab Copyright © 2021 by Christine Jones and Monique Babin, Carol Burnell, Susan Pesznecker, Nicole Rosevear, Jaime Wood is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Paragraph Organization & Flow

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This vidcast talks about major components of paragraph-level writing such as unity, coherence, and development. Solid, clear paragraphs that are well-connected create a foundation for an argument and contribute to what writers often call "flow." The handouts on patterns of paragraph organization, flow in scholarly writing, and transition words examine various aspects of a document that contribute to a sense of flow and share detailed information about patterns of paragraph organization. They should be used in conjunction with this vidcast. 

Note: Closed-captioning and a full transcript are available for this vidcast. 

Patterns of Paragraph Organization

There is no one perfect way to organize your paragraphs. However, depending on the genre and size of the document you're working on, there are a number of logical ways to organize your text. Here you'll find a number of possible options. Note that while this resource talks specifically about writing a rhetorical analysis, the information is applicable beyond this genre. 

Flow in Scholarly Writing (PDF)

Flow in writing refers to how easily readers move past the text itself and into a reading experience where they are connecting with the ideas presented within the text. This handout talks about the notion of flow and explains what well-flowing writing looks like at the sentence, paragraph, and textual levels.  

Transition Words & Devices

Good transitions can connect paragraphs and turn disconnected writing into a unified whole. Instead of treating paragraphs as separate ideas, transitions can help readers understand how paragraphs work together, reference one another, and build to a larger point. The key to producing good transitions is highlighting connections between corresponding paragraphs. This resource offers  a list of some common transitional devices.

Patterns of Organisation

Patterns of organisation (or patterns of text) refer to the way that a text is organised above sentence level. Texts are made up of predictable patterns of structures, grammar and vocabulary. Identifying the structure of an essay or an article is one way of understanding its purpose.

There are a number of common patterns of text in academic writing, including:

• Chronological
• Compare-contrast
• Cause-effect
• Problem-solution
• Claim-counterclaim

Patterns of organisation are used to link ideas together. For example:

This example provides some features of language that compares and contrasts  two manufacturers of cars. The writer makes use of  pre-modifiers,  such as  both and  each . Moreover, the writer also uses the  conjunctions   but, whereas  and  while to signal a contrast and makes use of adjectives and adverbs  to compare the cars (for example faster, much more common).

Longer texts, such as an academic article, may make several arguments and would therefore include several patterns of organisation. 

Coherence and Cohesion in Texts

• Coherence is concerned with how a writer guides the reader through the argument using logical connectors.
• Cohesion refers to the way that texts use grammar and vocabulary to 'stick' ideas together.

It is the writer's responsibility to guide the reader through the text. One way of doing this is by using  signposting phrases . A signpost is a phrase that a speaker or a writer uses to indicate different stages or parts of a text, whether written or spoken. Signposts can be divided into two broad categories:  major signposts and  linking words and phrases.

A major signpost is a phrase that indicates the structure of an argument:

• The aim of this study is to ….
• One way of exploring this is ...
• The purpose of this essay is to….
• In this essay, I will argue ...
• This paper critically examines ...
• The above discussion raises some interesting questions.
• This paper begins by …. It will then go on to …. Finally, ….
• This chapter reviews the literature ….
• In conclusion, ….

Linking words and phrases may include both coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and adverbs .

• For this reason, ...
• However, ...
• Generally, ...
• Firstly, ...
• Secondly, ...
• Finally, ...
• Nevertheless, ...
• Moreover, ...

There are number of ways to connect ideas to each other:

• Grammatical cohesion refers to grammatical features. For example, articles ( zero , a / an or the ) can be used to signal the reader the first mention of an idea e.g. a group , (one of many groups) and the later mentions the group , (when the reader knows which specific group). Pronouns (e.g. it or they / them ) are used to refer backwards (and sometimes forwards) to a noun or noun phrase, and can substitute for them.
• Lexical cohesion means the use of vocabulary, such as word families (e.g. analysis , analytical , analyse ) or synonyms (words with a similar meaning in that context such as effect , result , consequence , outcome ) to refer to the same idea.

Cohesive Devices

A writer can link ideas in a number of other ways. For example, some patterns of organisation, such as problem-solution , may be connected by what are called summary nouns , such as " challenge, danger, risk, need " to indicate a problem, or a " approach, response or way " to indicate a solution. Other patterns of organisation, such as cause-effect may be linked by verbs, for example " results in " or " leads to."

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Incorporation  example also therefore JXUwMDM5JXUwMDBkJXUwMDFmJXUwMDFj enables a business to obtain professional managers with centralised authority and responsibility;  example also therefore JXUwMDJjJXUwMDFjJXUwMDBkJXUwMDE3JXUwMDE3JXUwMDAzJXUwMDA5JXUwMDFkJXUwMDE3 , the business can be run more efficiently (Schwartz, 2010).  Finally  , incorporation gives a business certain legal rights. For  example also therefore JXUwMDNkJXUwMDFkJXUwMDE5JXUwMDBjJXUwMDFkJXUwMDFjJXUwMDA5 , it can enter into contracts, own property, and borrow money (Brown, 1999).

All over the world, the population is increasing and creating demand for water. These pressures result in a number of  challenges solutions responded JXUwMDNiJXUwMDBiJXUwMDA5JXUwMDBkJXUwMDAwJXUwMDA5JXUwMDBiJXUwMDA5JXUwMDAyJXUw MDE2 for governments and organisations to provide safe and clean drinking water. Particular problems include sanitation and pollution, which may cause health problems. Institutions have challenges solutions responded JXUwMDJhJXUwMDE3JXUwMDE2JXUwMDAzJXUwMDFmJXUwMDAxJXUwMDBhJXUwMDAxJXUwMDAx in various ways to these challenges, including digging wells to access cleaner water underground and by providing desalination facilities to convert seawater into drinking water. However, these challenges solutions responded JXUwMDJiJXUwMDFjJXUwMDAzJXUwMDE5JXUwMDAxJXUwMDFkJXUwMDA2JXUwMDAxJXUwMDFk do not provide enough water, particularly to poor, dry areas. There remain significant challenges in the provision of safe drinking water.

• Avoiding Common Math Mistakes-Expanding
• Avoiding Common Math Mistakes-Trigonometry
• Avoiding Common Math Mistakes-Simplifiying
• Avoiding Common Math Mistakes-Square Roots
• Avoiding Common Math Mistakes-Working with negatives
• Complex Numbers
• Decimal and Percent
• Dosage Calculations
• Adding and Subtracting Fractions
• BEDMAS with Fractions
• Multiplying and Dividing Fractions
• Long Division
• Long Multiplication
• Order of Operations
• Calculating Slope Examples
• Graphs of Functions
• Least Squares Trendline and Correlation
• Semi-Log and Log-Log Graphs
• Pythagorean Theorem
• Ratio and Proportion
• Rounding and Significant Figures
• Scientific Notation
• Square Root
• Unit Conversion for the Sciences
• Unit Conversion Examples
• Application of Derivatives: Examples
• Chain Rule: Examples
• Higher Order Derivatives: Examples
• Power Rule: Example
• Product Rule: Examples
• Quotient Rule: Examples
• Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
• Net Change Theorem: Example
• Newton's Method
• Completing the Square
• Simplifying Expressions
• Absolute Value Equations
• The Quadratic Formula
• Rational Equations
• Solving Equations: Application
• Solving Linear Equations
• Solving Linear Inequalities
• Solving Linear Systems
• Word Problems
• Domain and Range of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
• Transformation of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
• Solving Exponential and Logarithmic Equations
• Logarithmic Models
• Composition of Functions
• Domain and Range Examples
• Domain and Range Exponential and Logarithmic Fuctions
• Domain and Range of Trigonometric Functions
• Evaluating Functions
• One-to-One and Onto Functions
• Inverse Functions
• Equations of Lines
• Setting Up Linear Models
• Piecewise-Defined Functions
• Transformations of Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
• Transformations of Trigonometric Functions
• Bar Graph and Pie Chart
• Linear Regression and Correlation
• Normal Distribution
• Standard Deviation
• Avoiding Common Math Mistakes in Trigonometry
• Solving Trigonometric Equations
• Trigonometry on the Unit Circle
• Introduction to Trigonometric Functions
• Inverse Trigonometric Functions
• Setting Up Trigonometric Models
• Vector Magnitude, Direction, and Components
• Angle Between Vectors
• Vector Addition, Subtraction, and Scalar Multiplication
• Vector Dot Product and Cross Product
• Matrix Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication by a Scalar
• Matrix Multiplication
• Special Matrices and Definitions
• How do I use my scientific calculator?
• How do I approach word problems?
• I got the right answer, so why didn't I get full marks?
• Open Educational Resources
• Balancing equations
• Chemical bonding
• Lewis Structures
• Periodic table
• Significant figures
• Stoichiometry
• The Clausius-Clapeyron equation
• Yield calculations
• Assignment Planning Calculator
• Grammar Resources
• Misused Modifiers
• Overview of future times
• Overview of past tenses
• Overview of present tenses
• Overview of verb tenses and APA recommendations for tense usage in academic writing
• Parallel Structure
• Pronoun Usage
• Run-on Sentences
• Sentence Fragments
• Sentence Structure: Prepositional Phrases
• Slang and Colloquial Language
• The Important Joining Words
• Word Classes, Prefixes and Suffixes
• Wordiness: Using more words than is necessary
• Words Frequently Misused
• Apostrophe Usage
• Capitalization
• Comma Splice
• How to use a semi-colon
• Pronunciation Resources
• Words that sound similar
• Vocabulary Resources
• Research proposals
• Writing a review of literature
• Accessing Citation Guides at the Ontario Tech University Library
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• What is Turnitin.com?
• About Documenting Your Work
• American Chemical Society (ACS) Citations
• American Institute of Physics (AIP) Citations
• APA 7th Edition: Formatting
• APA 7th Edition: Sample Student Paper
• APA 7th Edition: Paper Checklist
• American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition: Tables and Figures
• APA 7th Edition: In-text Citations
• APA 7th Edition: Referencing
• APA 7th Edition: Common Errors in Citation
• The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS): Notes
• The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS): Bibliography
• CMOS Quick Reference Guide
• Council of Science Editors
• McGill Guide: Footnotes
• MLA: Quick Reference Guide 8th Edition
• Vancouver Style
• Example IEEE References
• Assignment Comprehension
• Developing a Thesis Statement
• Essay Outline
• Primary Data Collection
• Wikipedia and Google Scholar
• Finding Sources
• How to Find Articles Using Google Scholar
• How to Find Books on the Library Website
• OMNI Searches
• Types of Source
• Body Paragraph Structure
• Introductions and Conclusions

Patterns of Organization

• When Researching, Keep Track of the Following
• Incorporating Sources into your Writing
• Paraphrasing
• Summarizing
• Integrating Technical Writing
• Helpful Resources
• Why Revise?
• How Do I Revise?
• Switching from Writer to Reader
• Incorrect Prefixes and Suffixes
• Missing Words
• Pronoun Errors
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Frequently Misused Words
• Proofreading
• Descriptive abstracts
• Informative abstracts
• American National Standard for writing abstracts
• APA 7th abstracts
• Conference abstracts
• Engineering abstracts
• Five-part abstracts
• What Causes Writer's Block?
• Strategies to Overcome Writer's Block
• Annotated Bibliography
• Article/Journal Reviews
• Business and Professional Communication
• Business Plans
• Case Studies
• Laboratory Reports
• Literature Review
• Presentations
• Primary/Field Research
• Progress Reports
• Project Proposals
• Reflective Progress Notes
• Research Paper
• Scientific Manuscript By Dr. Chris Garside
• Scientific Manuscript By Sylvie Bardin
• Standards of Practice Project
• Thesis and Capstone Projects
• Business Financial Database Tutorial
• Business Terms
• A Short Guide to Annotated Bibliographies
• Writing about Indigenous Peoples
• Quick exam tips
• Exam preparation self-assessment
• Regular review
• Planning tools
• Figuring out what to study
• Staying calm before the test
• Essay questions
• Multiple-choice questions
• Problem-solving and math questions
• Short and long answer questions
• Exam preparation resources
• Calculate your course grade
• How Do We Divide Tasks?
• How to Get Started
• Self-Assessment
• Optimize Your Study Session
• Active Study Strategies
• Recall Techniques
• Problem Solving, Experiential Learning, and Critical Thinking
• Online Learning
• Organizational Tools
• Procrastination, Burnout, and Motivation
• Concept Maps
• Studying for Math
• Evernote Tutorials: Note-taking and Organization tool
• Study Blue Tutorial: Note-taking and Flashcard Tool
• The Writing Process
• Stage 2: Drafting/Writing
• Paragraph Structure

Therefore, there are several organizational patterns to know in order to find the one that best fits the written work.

Chronological

A chronological pattern organizes information according to the sequence of time. Each section or paragraph represents a certain moment in time and the sub-points can explain the important events that occurred within that moment. This pattern is especially beneficial when writing a historical essay or a biography.

Sequential/Process

A sequential or process pattern arranges the ideas in a step-by-step process. Each sentence or section represents a different step. This is beneficial when giving instructions or explaining the steps taken to conduct an experiment.

When it is necessary to articulate how things fit together, a spatial pattern of organization would help. This pattern will help the reader to visualize how something appears physically; for example, it would be beneficial to use this pattern to describe a physical space.

Cause-Effect

Sometimes, if you are writing about a particular problem, you might find that your argument is pointing out the particular root causes of that problem. You might even be identifying the effects. If this is what you find, then the pattern of organization to use would be cause-effect. There are two main ways to structure this kind of pattern. You can have two main sections identifying all of the causes in one section and all of the effects in the other. Alternatively, you could separate each section or paragraph by the cause and its subsequent effect.

Problem-Solution

Much like the cause-effect pattern, the problem-solution pattern describes a problem and its solution(s). Commonly used in persuasive writing, this pattern can convince the reader to form an opinion on a particular problem and take action towards the solution(s). This pattern can be organized with two main sections identifying all of the problems in one section and all of the solutions in the other. On the other hand, it could have one section or paragraph designated for each problem and its subsequent solution(s).

Compare and Contrast

When you are comparing-contrasting two or more items or ideas, this pattern will obviously work the best. You can separate each item and describe each in detail, leaving the reader to identify the similarities and/or differences. Alternatively, you can separate each section/paragraph by each similarity and/or difference you identify. If you choose the latter, all items should be discussed under each particular similarity or difference.

For additional help on writing compare-contrast papers, download the Compare-Contrast Paper tip sheet.

Advantages-Disadvantages

When illuminating the advantages and disadvantages of two or more things, this pattern of organization will help the reader to understand both sides of an issue. There are a variety of ways to organize this pattern; however, the most effective would be to separate the advantages from the disadvantages.

Most of the time, when writing does not fit into the above-mentioned categories, it requires a topical organizational pattern. With this pattern, writers arrange the sections or paragraphs according to different topics, keeping in mind what would make the most sense to the reader. If you remember these patterns during the planning stages of your writing, your decision about how to structure your written assignment should become easier.