Organizational Patterns

Identifying Organizational Patterns段落组织模式When you are trying to comprehend a passage or an essay it is helpful to examine how the author arranges the sentences to convey his/her message. Authors want readers to comprehend the message and ideas in a passage, so they will organize the information in a way to make it clear and easily understood. This method of organizing and arranging sentences within an essay or passage is referred to as an "organizational pattern." Organizational patterns are the way authors arrange and organize their text.I. Patterns that ListII. Patterns that ExplainIII. Patterns that AnalyzeIdentifying Organizational PatternsI. Patterns that List1; Simple listingIn this pattern, the author presents facts, detail, examples, cases, ideas, and other support in list form. This organizational pattern resembles a grocery list, since it contains items that are not in any particular order. It is very important to remember that in the simple listing organizational pattern the order of the items is not important for the author's meaning or argument to be understood.2; Order of importanceIn this pattern, the details and examples of the passage are presented in a very specific order. The author organizes the details either so the most important detail comes first or last, depending upon the author's writing technique and style.• Time orderThis pattern is also referred to as "chronological order." In this pattern, the author presents the events of a story or the details of a passage in the order in which they occurred in time.3; Sequence/ProcessIn this pattern, the author presents a list of details in a very specific order. Unlike the "order of importance" organizational pattern, the sequence/process pattern relies on the presentation of events, stages, or steps that must occur in a specific and definite order for the reader to properly comprehend the information. The sequence/process organizational pattern is commonly thought of as the "direction" pattern, since it is often used by authors to describe the detailed steps needed to complete a task. This organizational pattern may also be used by authors to explain processes that change over time, as in Psychology texts that refer to childhood development stages.4; Spatial/Place OrderIn this pattern, the author describes the location of items in relation to each other and to a larger context. In spatial/place order organizational patterns, the author creates a visual picture that permits you to 'see' where various details exist in relation to other details. For example, when an author introduces you to a setting in a novel by describing the main house in the novel, its exact location in the yard, the location of specific trees, and the position of a favorite tree swing, the author is using spatial/place order.5; SummaryIn this pattern, the author condenses the important points from a longer selection or essay. A summary organizational pattern can be used in a brief or lengthy summary passage, depending upon density of the original material being summarized and the author's writing style.Identifying Organizational PatternsII. Patterns that Explain1; Example/IllustrationThis pattern is also known as "generalization and example." In this pattern a general statement is made and then supported with multiple examples, with specific cases, or with an extended illustration. When an author illustrates a point, he/she shows you the point by providing specific examples and details. For example, if an author were writing about gun safety in homes with children, he/she would illustrate the importance of locked gun cabinets by presenting specific cases where children were injured by guns their parents owned and stored in unlocked locations.2; ClarificationThis organizational pattern is also known as "statement and clarification" or "generalization and clarification". In this organizational pattern uses repetition to simplify or more fully explain certain terms, ideas, or concepts. The clarification organizational pattern attempts to clarify the author's point by examining its meaning two, three, four, or more times.3; DefinitionIn this organizational pattern, the author attempts to clarify a term or phrase with a brief or an extended definition.More than one type of definition may be used in this organizational pattern. The author may use a standard dictionary-style definition (denotation) or he/she may focus on the word's connotation. Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, while connotation refers to the shades of meaning associated with a word.The author's task when writing using the definition organizational pattern is to focus on the features that make the term or concept distinctly apart from other similar terms and concepts.4; DescriptionIn this organizational pattern the author uses language that indicates the size, shape, color, mass, texture, length, and so forth. BE CAREFUL In order to make a passage more interesting, authors usually use some description in their writing. It is you task to determine if the passage or paragraph you are referred to by the CLAST question is using description as its primary organizational pattern.Identifying Organizational PatternsIII. Patterns that Analyze1; Division/ClassificationIn the division organizational pattern, the author takes apart a whole by dividing it into sections for further explanation. Division is similar to analysis, since the author is breaking down a larger entity to examine the component parts.In the classification organizational pattern, the author takes the division organizational pattern one step further. In the classification organizational pattern the individual sections and categorizes this individual2; Cause/EffectIn the cause/effect organizational pattern the author explains why or how things happen and what the result of these actions may is or might be. The cause is the source of a certain outcome. The cause is the reason or the motive behind what results. The effect is this outcome or result. The effect is the consequence of the cause that preceded it.3; ComparisonIn this organizational pattern the author explains and highlights similarities between ideas, concepts, and examples.4; ContrastIn this organizational pattern the author explains and highlights the differences between ideas, concepts, and examples.5; Compare/ContrastTo clarify, it is important to note that on the compare and the contrast organizational patterns are often joined together. When an author weighs alternatives, or takes two choices, objects, or ideas and considers their similarities and differences, the organizational pattern is compare/contrast.。