Chapter Summary

[Skip Breadcrumb Navigation]

Writers and lecturers use standard approaches to express their ideas to an audience in organized ways. These approaches are called organizational patterns. In this chapter, you will learn how to recognize many organizational patterns that textbook authors commonly use. These patterns include: (1) definition, (2) classification, (3) order or sequence, (4) cause and effect, (5) comparison and contrast, (6) listing/enumeration, (7) statement and clarification, (8) summary, (9) generalization and example, (10) and addition.

Each pattern is accompanied by clues or transitional words that indicate which organizational pattern is used. Explanations, examples, and practice exercises are provided for all organizational patterns and the transition words or phrases that signal their use.

[Return to the Top of this Page]