How to Identify Types of Paragraph

A. IDENTIFYING TYPES OF PARAGRAPH

A paragraph is much more than a collection of connected sentences. It is a building block of essay development, and paragraphs provide the structure needed to develop the thesis of a paper. In fact, a useful way to think about a paragraph is as a “mini-essay,” or an essay within an essay, with its own mini-thesis (the topic sentence), middle or body (the supporting details) and end or conclusion (the concluding sentence). To understand how paragraphs help to develop a thesis, think of them as landmarks on a map. With each paragraph, you describe where you are standing and point the direction for your readers to make sure they complete the journey to your conclusion. A vague signpost or a detour down a side trail could well have your readers lost and wondering where you are taking them. Clear signals, on the other hand, in the form of clearly worded topic sentences, relevant support, reasonable interpretations of material, and logical conclusions will help your readers follow the development of your ideas.

The link between clear, logical organization and effective communication is powerful, both for the "sender" and the "receiver." For the writer, a well organized outline of information serves as a blue print for action. It provides focus and direction as the writer composes the document, which helps to ensure that the stated purpose is fulfilled. For the reader, clear organization greatly enhances the ease with which one can understand and remember the information being presented. People seek out patterns to help make sense of information. When the reader is not able to find a pattern that makes sense, chaos and confusion abound. Effective communication, then, begins with a clearly organized set of ideas following a logical, consistent pattern. Thus, one of the most important decisions a writer makes concerns the pattern of organization that is used to structure and order information.

There are many patterns a writer can use to organize his/her ideas. The specific pattern (or combination of patterns) chosen depends upon the particular topic and the objectives the writer has identified for the document. There is no rule to follow in choosing a pattern of organization; one must simply think carefully about which pattern makes the most sense in helping the reader to better understand and remember the information. There are many different ways of organizing the same information, and often two or more different organizational patterns are combined to create a final outline of information.

The most commonly used patterns of organization are described below

Sequence of dates and events

A sequence of dates and events paragraph or a chronological pattern of organization arranges information according to a progression of time, either forward or backward. When a topic is best understood in terms of different segments of time, a chronological format works well. For example, topics of an historical nature are best organized using this pattern.

When using a chronological pattern, each main section of information represents a particular period of time, and the sub-points contained within each main section refer to significant events that occurred within that time frame. A variation of this organizational pattern involves dividing a topic into "past-present-future" or" before-during-after" segments.

For example, suppose a writer's stated purpose is to describe the historical development and evolution of the city of Seattle. Assuming that Seattle is 100 years old, the writer could organize the information by grouping it into four 25-year chunks. In this case, the sub-points within each main section of time represent the most significant events that occurred during that particular time frame. Notice that by breaking the 100 year span into distinct 25 year chunks, the writer can create an outline that follows the guidelines of outlining described under "Principles of Organizing." This outline contains four mutually exclusive and balanced sections of information

Sequence of dates and events Example

I. 1895 - 1920

Significant Event # 1
Significant Event # 2

II. 1920 - 1945

Significant Event # 1
Significant Event # 2

III. 1945 - 1970

Significant Event # 1
Significant Event # 2

IV. 1970 - 1995

Significant Event # 1
Significant Event # 2

Sequence of steps

A sequential pattern of organization is similar to a chronological pattern, but arranges information according to a step-by-step sequence that describes a particular process. Using a sequential pattern, each main section of information represents a main step that one would follow in the actual process. The points included within each main section represent the sub-steps one would follow. When one wishes to describe a process that follows a specific series of steps in a particular order, then, a sequential pattern works well.

For example, suppose a writer's stated purpose is to explain how wine is made. A sequential pattern would be effective in this case because it breaks the process down into a specific series of steps which should be followed in a precise order. Notice that a series of related smaller steps are grouped into one larger category. Thus, a process which involves many specific steps can be simplified by highlighting the most fundamental steps, which helps the reader understand the process and remember its key parts.

Sequential Pattern Example

I. Step One: Harvest the grapes

Harvesting procedure number one
Harvesting procedure number two

II. Step Two: Prepare the grapes

Preparation procedure number one
Preparation procedure number two

III. Step Three: Ferment the grapes

Fermenting procedure number one
Fermenting procedure number two

IV. Step Four: Press the grapes

Pressing procedure number one
Pressing procedure number two

V. Step Five: Age the wine

Aging procedure number one
Aging procedure number two

Order	Example

first, second, third, etc.	First, you need to become a leader of a political party. Second, you need to win a seat in the House of Commons. Third, your party must have a majority of seats.
both	Both Vancouver and Halifax have rain in the spring.
in the beginning	In the beginning, you need to become a leader of a political party.
before	Before becoming the prime minister, you need to become the leader of a political party.
then	Then, you must win a seat in the House of Commons.
after	After winning a seat in the House of Commons, you must make sure you have a majority of seats.
finally	Finally, after all these steps, you can call yourself the Prime Minister.
at last	At last, you can call yourself the Prime Minister.
subsequently	Subsequently, you must make sure you have a majority of seats in the House of Commons.

List of characteristics

List of characteristic or description creates a strong impression of your topic: It shows how the topic looks, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels. Four Basics of List of characteristic

1 It creates a main impression — an overall effect or image — about the topic.

2 It uses specific examples to create the impression.

3 It supports the examples with details that appeal to the senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

4 It brings a person, place, or object to life for the readers.

Let’s see the paragraph below for example:

Goldfish

Goldfish make the best pets for three reasons. First of all, goldfish are very quiet. They don't bark, howl, meow, chirp, squawk, screech,1 or race around the house at night while you and your neighbors are trying to sleep. Second, they are economical. You can buy a goldfish at your local pet store for about 50<£, and a small bowl for it costs less than $3.00. Water is practically free. Also, they eat only a pinch of dried fish food daily, so their food bill is quite low. Third, goldfish are very well behaved. They don't have teeth, so they can't chew your furniture or bite your guests. They don't ever go outside, so they can't dig holes in your garden. In addition, you don't have to spend hours teaching them commands such as "Sit!" or "Heel!" If you want a quiet and economical pet that doesn't cause any trouble, visit your nearest goldfish store.

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect paragraphs analyze the causes or the effects of something or the relationship between both. If you want to explain the “why” of something—a process, an event, a concept—then this is a useful pattern. In this pattern, transitions of logic (e.g., thus, therefore, consequently, as a result) and words and phrases of cause and effect (e.g., because, for the reason that, given that, in effect) feature prominently. Be careful, however, when you make statements about cause and effect. If there is more than one cause to a particular effect, be sure not to restrict your analysis or explanation. On the other hand, if there is more than one effect, be sure not to assume they all arose from the same cause. To be sure there is a connection between the causes and effects you are analyzing or explaining, ask questions like “Is this the only thing that could cause this effect?” and “Is this the only possible effect this cause could have?” and “Was this cause sufficient to result in this effect?” (Horner, 1988, p.127).

For example:

An avalanche is a huge snow slide that rushes down the side of a mountain, carrying large trees, rocks, and other debris in its path. Avalanches are similar to landslides but can be more dangerous and destructive. Avalanches can occur when huge amounts of new snow fall on layers of snow and ice that have become unstable because of melting. They can also be triggered by explosions or earthquakes.

Classification

Classification—distinguishing types or classes—can help you explain a great deal of seemingly unrelated information in an organized and easy-to-follow manner. Take this paragraph that explains stringed instruments:

There are many types of stringed instruments. The violin family is made up of the violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Fretted instruments (frets are strips that show players where to put their hands) include the banjo, mandolin, lute, ukulele, and guitar. Related to these instruments are the lyre and the harp. The dulcimer, zither, and psaltery form another family, whose strings are stretched over flat sound boxes. Finally, there are the keyboard stringed instruments such as the piano, clavichord, and harpsichord.

NOTE:

Once again, remember that two methods of development can be used together. Read the paragraph on stringed instruments above again. See if you can find places where the writer has used definition and description.

A. EXERCISE

There are 5 paragraphs below. Please identify what types of paragraph are they and why.

1	(1) The writing process has four distinct phases. (2) The first is invention, which is aided by any number of techniques, including free-writing, mind-mapping and outlining. (3)In this first stage, it’s important for a writer not to edit but to let ideas flow and to simply get them down on paper. (4) After invention, comes the first draft—the stage where the ideas start to take shape. (5) Many writers use a sentence outline at this stage to see where they need to cut and where they need to add material. The first draft is also where writers should develop a tentative thesis to guide the structure of their essay. (6)The next stage of the process is when both the second and third drafts are done. (7)Here, ideas and structure are refined, and the thesis is revised until it becomes the unifying idea of the paper. (8)Finally, comes the last stage, that of editing. (9 Writers should take care at this stage that all sentence structure and punctuation is correct, and they should make corrections to documentation format as needed. (10) Writers often repeat these four phases more than once, or skip a phase and go back to it, making the writing process more cyclical than linear.
2	(1) The trail, perching precariously 500 feet above the roaring surf and then dipping effortlessly into dark lush valleys, snakes its way along the fluted coastline. (2) From a distance, it is hard to believe there would be any way to traverse the cliffs that dip like fingers into the frothing Pacific. (3)The first half of the trail is densely overgrown, and the air is dripping with the aroma of over ripe guava. Waterfalls and streams cascade unceasingly down along the trail from Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth. (4) Vegetation grows thickly on the near vertical slopes above and below the trail, lending a sense of false security to the path, which at its widest measures ten feet across. (5)The landscape on the second half of the trail, the leeward side, changes dramatically from jungle to semi-arid desert. (6)Now, the cliffs are bare rock, and a three-foot wide ledge is all that protects the wary hiker from the black shoreline below.(7) Nevertheless, the white sand beach that marks the end of the trail is more than ample reward for the dangers survived.(8) The colors of this last valley, the Kalalau Valley, are a vivid red and green against a cloudless blue sky. (9)This, however, is not the end of the trip. The only trail out is the trail in. Not for the faint of heart, the Kalalua Trail on Kauai’s north shore is eleven miles of rugged adventure.
3	(1)While there were many contributing factors to the French Revolution, a primary cause was a financial crisis brought on by royal extravagance. (2) For years before the revolution finally exploded in 1789, the royal government had been borrowing heavily to cover deficit spending. (Cobb, 1988.) (3) Even though France’s high courts of appeal cautioned against such borrowing, the royal’s extravagance continued, eventually resulting in a financial crisis that required the government to institute a series of taxes. (4) As the press highlighted the government’s spending with cartoons and stories, the peasants, already burdened by high taxes, low wages and poor harvests, began to resent the demands of the royals. (5)Finally, in 1789, the Third Estate—the common people—became so enraged, they demanded a new constitution and refused to compromise with the existing government until it was written. (6) This demand set off the first sparks of revolution.
4	Different students attend various types of schools; however, they can usually be classified as either public, private religious, private non religious, or alternative. Public schools are funded by the state, and the majority of students in the United States attend them. Private religious schools are based around a particular faith, such as Catholicism, Judaism, and so forth. The religion is part of the every day lives of the students and they also learn about the faiths. All types of private schools do not receive state funding. Therefore, private non religious schools are simply just that: schools which do not receive state funding and have the ability to make their own rules. Alternative schools can be made up of a variety of different categories, such as the Montessori program or technical schools. Most students who attend class in an actual school building go to one of these types of institutions.
5	In the relatively short span of sixty years,there has been an incredible evolution in the size and capabilities of computer.Today, computer chips smaller than the tip of your fingernail have the same capabilities as the room-sized machines of years ago.The first computer wrere developed around 1945. They were so large that they required special air-conditioned rooms. About twenty years later, in the 1960s, desk-sized computers were developed. This represented a gigantic advance. Before the end of that same decade, however, a third generation of computer,which used simple integrated circuits and which were even smaller and faster, had appeared. In 1971, the first microprocessor,less thanone square centimeter in size, was developed. Today modern microprocessors contain as many as 10 million microprocessors doubles every eighteen months.