Exploring Pattern and Relationship
Some of the patterns of organization you may later use to develop your topic are really ways of thinking about a subject.
We list the most common patterns here and then discuss them in greater detail in the next chapter to remind you how interconnected the process of planning an essay can be.
— Description.
What does the object or structure look like?
What is it made of?
What are its colors,shapes,dimensions,weight,properties,textures,densities?
What makes it different from other objects?
What are its special qualities?
— Narration.
What happened?
How does the event unfold?
In what order?
What is the history or biography of the subject?
What is the main event?
Can you narrate events in some unusual way – through flashbacks,reversed order,associational order?
Will readers be able to follow you?
— Process.
How does a thing work?
What makes a complex system(such as a corporation,a bodily organ,a government agency)operate?
Are there subsystems within the larger system that readers need to know about?
What can cause a system to stop functioning?
What terms do readers need to know to understand a process?
— Cause and Effect.
Why did something happen or fail to happen?
What are the direct causes?
What are the indirect or contributory causes?
Do you know who is responsible?
Can you find out?
What facts,figures,and background information must you provide your readers for them to understand what happened?
— Classification.
What does the object or system look like in relationship to other objects?
How is it similar to them?
What are its differences?
What is it that links the objects within a group:shared parts,beliefs,activities?
What helps you place an object into one group and not into anothert?
Will your readers find the classification consistent,complete,and useful?
— Division.
Can you divide your subject or topic into parts?
Are some parts more important than others?
Can you arrange the parts in ways that make your subject clearer to your readers?
— Comparison and Contrast.
What is your subject like?
How does it differ from other similar objects,ideas,or proposals?
What are its advantages and disadvantages,strengths and weaknesses?
— Definition.
How can you distinguish one subject from all others?
What is its general class or genus?
What are its identifying characteristics or species?
Will your readers understand your definition best if you explain it in terms of the way it works,by examples,or by some other means?
— Evaluation.
What is the thing,idea,or proposal supposed to do or achieve?
How would you measure its success or failure?
How would your audience?
Does the subject meet the criteria for success?
Can you convince your readers that it does?[1]
[SYQ摘录]
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[1] Handbook of current English,pp.387-388/Jim W.Corder,John J.Ruszkiewicz.
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