RHETORICALSTRATEGIES&ORGANIZATIONPATTERNS:

common,acceptedEnglishmethodsandstructuresofexplaining,developingandorganizingideas

BASICTERMS&CONCEPTS:definitions&explanations
Rhetoric:Theartofwritingorspeakingeffectivelyinordertopersuadeanaudiencetoacceptanidea.

RhetoricalStrategies/Modes/Techniques:Referstohowaparagraphand/oressayisorganizedandthemethodsusedto
supportandexplainthemainideaorthesis;inotherwords,thepatternofdevelopmentusedtomakeapoint.

Support:Referstotheuseofsufficientrelevantevidenceandexplanationinanessayorparagraphtosupportthethesis
and/ortopicsentencespecifically,theinclusionofnecessaryinformationandexplanations,considerationofopposingviews
andperspectives,interpretationandexplanationofevidence,andconnectingsupportdirectlytothemainpoint.

Development:Referstotheprocessofaddinginformativeandillustrativeexamplesanddetailsandusinganappropriate
patternoforganizationtosupportthemainideainaparagraphoressay.

RHETORICALSTRATEGIES:definitions&explanations
Illustration/Exemplification:Thisstrategyfocusesonusingspecificexamplesbrief,specificexamples(exemplification)
and/orspecificexamplesthatareexplainedingreatdetail(illustrations)tosupportamainidea.

Narration:Thisstrategyfocusesontheuseofstoriesaboutyou,peopleyouknow,peopleyouveheardabout,and/or
hypothetical(imagined)thatarerelevanttoamainideaandexplain/demonstratethepoint(s)youwanttomake.

Description:Thisstrategyisoftenusedwithoneormoreoftheprevioustwo.Usingdescriptionmeansfocusingontheuseof
concrete,sensorydiction(words)todescribealocation,person,event,object,memory,etc.thatexplainsorilluminatesyour
mainpointand/orspecificwordsratherthangeneralorabstractwords.Concrete,sensorywordsarewordsthatcanbe
perceivedbyoursenses:sight,smell,taste,touch,andfeel(suchasred,bright,rotten,pleasant,bitter,sweet,rough,soft,
etc.)andspecificwordsrefertowordsthatnameorrefertoprecisepeople,places,andevents(suchasLeahKeysStahl,
Toronto,the2010FIFAworldchampionshipgameasopposedtogeneralwordslikegirlorwoman,bigcity,andsoccergame).

Cause&Effect:Thesetermsrefertoreasons(causes)andresultsorconsequences(effects).Awritermayfocusonjust
causes,justeffects,orbothbybothpresentingandevaluatingthecausesorreasonsforsomething;theeffects,results,or
consequencesofsomething;orbothtoexplainamainidea.

Compare&Contrast:Writersusethisstrategytoshowthesimilarities(comparison),differences(contrasting),orbothamong
twoormorethingsbyfirstpresentingtheitemsofcomparisonandcriteriaorqualitiesbeingcompared/contrasted,and
thendependingonthetypeoforganizationpatternchosenanalyzingand/orexplainingtheseinrelationtoamainidea.

Process(Analysis):Thisstrategyfocusesongivinginstructionsorgivingthesequenceofstepsorstagesofsomekindof
progressiveaction,concept,event,etc.Forexample,aprocesspapermayexplainordescribehowtodo,build,and/or
accomplishsomething.Processparagraphsandessayspresenteachstep/stageseparatelyinorderfromfirsttolast.
Sometimesanalysisofeachstep/stageisnecessary,whichiswhythisstrategyissometimescalledprocessanalysis.

Classification:Thisstrategyisusedtodivide,group,orcategorizeinformationaccordingtospecifiedtopics,whicharethe
explainedindetailonebyoneandorganizedinawaythatbestrepresentsandsupportsamainidea.

(Extended)Definition:Writersuseextendeddefinitionwhentheuseandunderstandingofaspecificuseofaword,term,or
conceptisthecentralidea(mainpoint)ofaparagraphoressay.Thisstrategyisusedtoprovidedetaileddefinitionsand
meaningsthatareessentialtoamainidea,includingunfamiliarwords;abstractions;disciplinespecificvocabulary;wordsor
termsawriterwishestoredefineinanew,original,uniqueway;anddistinguishingconnotativemeanings(popularlyusedand
understood)fromdenotativemeanings(dictionarymeanings).Writersusethisstrategywhenthereadersunderstandingof
themeaningofaparticularword,term,phrase,orexpressioniscrucialtothepurpose(mainpoint,thesis)ofthetextand/oris
thewritersmainpointinthetext.
Refutation:Theverbtorefutemeanstoargueagainst.Writersuserefutationforanumberofreasonstorecognize,explain,
anddescribeoneormoreopposingarguments/positions/viewsonasubjectforthepurposeofexposingflawsandproving
thattheirargumentorpositionisthestrongestandmostvalid.Presentingcounterargumentsalsohelpswriterstoimprove
theirethosbydemonstratingtheirknowledgeandfairness.

Argumentation:Thisissortofacatchallcategoryinwhichwritersmayuseoneormanyofthestrategiesdescribedaboveto
helphim/herargueapositiononacontroversialissue.Controversyisthekeytousingthisargumentstrategywell:
argumentationmeansthatyoustudyacontroversialtopicaboutwhichpeoplestronglydisagree(suchasabortion,legalizing
gaymarriage,medicalmarijuana,etc.),pickaside(usuallyfororagainst),andthenpresentyourargument,hopefullyinaway
thatismoreconvincingthanargumentsontheopposingsideoftheissue,NOTbysayingthattheothersideisallwrong,bad,
orstupidbutinsteadpresentingwhyyourargumentisstrongerthantheopposition.

PATTERNSOFORGANIZATION:commoncombinations&orderinEnglishcompositions
Someofthesearespecifictocertainstrategieswhileothersmaybeusedtologicallyorderideasexpressedusingavarietyof
strategiesdefinedabove.Ihaveoutlinedthestrategyspecificorganizationpatternsfirst;followingthesearetheother
organizationalpatterns,manyofwhichwillworkinavarietyofsituationsandwithseveraldifferentrhetoricalstrategies
and/orcombinationofstrategies.

STRATEGYSPECIFICORGANIZATIONPATTERNS
Cause&EffectOrder:Thecausesorreasonsareusuallypresentedfirstandfollowedbytheresults,effects,orconsequences;
however,awritermayfocusonjustcausesorjusteffects(notnecessarilyboth),inwhichcasehe/shemustuseanother
patternoforganization.

Compare&ContrastOrders:Compare&ContrastBLOCKSTYLE:Usedtoanalyzeorexplainsimilaritiesordifferencesby
focusingonexplaintheitemsbeingcomparedorcontrasting,explainingthequalitiesorcriteriaofeachitemfullybefore
movingontothenextitembeingcompared.Forexample,ifIwascomparingthepriceandqualityofDominosandCaesars
pizzausingblockstyle,IwouldfirstdiscussthepriceandqualityofDominosinasingleparagraph,andthenIwoulddiscuss
thepriceandqualityofCaesarsinthenextparagraph.
Compare&ContrastPOINTBYPOINTSTYLE:Thismethodoforganizationfocusesofthecriteria(orpoints)ofcomparisonor
contrastinsteadoftheitemsbeingcomparedorcontrasted.Usingthisstyleandtheexampleabove,Iwouldfirstexplainthe
similaritiesordifferencesofthepriceofDominosvs.Caesarsinoneparagraph,andtheninasecond,newparagraph
moveontodiscussthequalityofDominosvs.Caesars.

ProcessOrder:Whenwritingaprocesspaper,weusesequentialorder,whichdetailsthesequenceofeventsoractions(steps
orstagesofaprocess)toexplainorgiveinstructionsabouthowtodo,make,accomplish(etc.)somethinginparticularby
beginningwiththefirststepandmovingonlogicallytothenextstepstowardthefinalstep.

ClassificationOrder:Thisisalsosometimescalledtopicalorderbecauseclassifyingmeanstodivideideasupintodistinctand
separatetopics(groupsorclasses)andthenexplaineachtopic,group,orclassindividuallyandindetail.Topicsmaybe
orderedinanywaythatbestsuitsthewriterspurpose(seesomeoftheseorderingpatternsbelowunderOtherPatterns).

DefinitionOrder:Whenusingdefinition,thekeyword,term,phrase,conceptorexpressionisusuallypresentedfirst,followed
closelybyitsstandard,traditional,mostaccepted,and/ordictionarymeaning.Thisbasicdefinitionisthenfollowedbya
detailedexplanationofthewritersalternative,new,original,unique,and/orconnotativedefinitionaswellasadiscussionof
howandwhythisword,term,phrase,concept,orexpressionisacentralpartofthemainideaofthetext(thesis).

RefutationOrder:Inthispattern,whichisalsocalledorderofopposingarguments,theopposingvieworcounterargument
(oneormore)isusuallypresentedfirstandthenfollowedbyanequallyormoredetailedexplanationofthewritersmain
idea/perspectiveinawaythathighlightstheflawsintheoppositionandattemptstoprovethetruth,probability,and/or
reasonswhythewritersviewisstrongerandmorevalid.

OTHERORGANIZATIONPATTERNSonesthatworkwithvariousstrategiesandcombinationsofstrategies
OrderofImportanceorClimax:Usingthispattern,informationcanbeorganizedinoneoftwoways:(1)fromleasttomost
importantidea(standard)or(2)frommosttoleastimportantidea(reverse).
OrderofGeneralization&Example(alsocalledStatement&ClarificationOrder):Thispatternmaybeuseswithmostifnot
allrhetoricalapproachesinwhichcombiningastatement/generalizationwithspecificdetailsassupportisthemostlogical.
Therearetwostructurespossible:statement/generalizationfollowedbydetailedsupport,calledinductiveapproachor
reasoning,orthereverseorderofdetailspresentedfirstandthenfollowedbyastatement/generalization,alsocalled
deductiveapproachorreasoning.

ChronologicalOrder:Astructurethatfocusesondescribingandexplainingtheorderoftimeinwhicheventsoccur,fromfirst
tolastorbeginningtoend.Oftenusedwiththestrategiesofprocessordescription.

SpatialOrder:Thistypeoforganizationisusuallyusedwithdescriptionornarrationbutmaybeusedwithotherstrategies.
Spatialorderfocusesonorderofspacemovingfromonelocationinacontinuousandsequentialmanner,suchasa
descriptionofaroomthatbeginsatthedoor,movesclockwisearoundtheroom(describingeverythingalongtheway),and
endswhereitbegan.

ProblemtoSolutionOrder:Firstaproblemispresentedinadetailedmanneralongwiththecausesthathaveleduptothe
problem.Thisisfollowedbyadetailedexplanationofasolutiontotheproblem.Thisorganizationpatternisappropriatefor
manystrategiessuchasrefutation,cause&effect,process,andclassification.

OrderofFamiliarity:Ideasorpointsareorderedfromthemosttoleastorleasttomostfamiliaror,inotherwords,fromthe
ideasorpointsmostwidelyknownorrecognizedbytheaudienceorinthereverseorder,fromtheleasttoknowwidely
knownandrecognized.

OrderofFrequency:Usedwhendealingwithhowoftensomethingoccurs,frommosttoleastfrequentlyoccurringorinthe
reverseorder,fromtheleasttomostfrequentlyoccurring.

OrderofComplexity:Anorderinwhichthepointsorideasarepresentedfromthemostsimpleonestothemostcomplicated
onesorinthereverseorder,fromthemostcomplicatedonestothemostsimpleandeasytounderstand.

OrderofAudienceAwarenessorAudienceAcceptance:Thispatternfocusesonideasorpointsthattheaudienceismostto
leastorleasttomostlikelytobeawareofandcomfortablewith.Forexample,Americansarefamiliarwithdemocracyand
capitalismandbelieveintheseideals,sotheyaremorecomfortablewith,awareandacceptingofthesepoliticalsystems;
however,Americansknowlittleaboutothersystems,suchasEuropeansocialistdemocracyorcommunism,soAmericansare
theleastateasewith,acceptingand/orawareoftheseothersystemsbecauseoftheirknowledgeandunderstandingofother
systemsislacking.

EXAMPLEPARAGRAPHS:writtenexamplesdemonstratingstrategies&patterns

Cause&Effect/Cause&EffectOrder
Becausetoyshavebecomeelectronicdevices,somechildrentodayareunabletoentertainthemselves.Gonearethedays
whenchildreninventedtheirownadventuresandusedsticksasswords,cookiesheetsasarmor,andrefrigeratorboxesas
fortressestodefend.Theelectronicagehasdeliveredchildrenallsortsofgadgetsandgizmosthatstifleachildscreativity
duringplaybecauseofpreimaginedandlimitedfunctionsandusessomemoderntoysevenhavebuttonstoactivate
recordedmessagesofscripted,monotonousadventuresthatleavenoroomforachildtofillinthedetails.Somethinghas
beenlostamidsttheadventofmoderntechnology:thepreciousandpricelessabilityofachildtotransformanyoldobjectby
thesimplepowerofimagination.Withnoimagination,itisnowondersomechildrentodayhaveshortattentionspans.
1. Whatarethecauses(reasons)thewriterpresents?
2. Whataretheeffects(results/consequences)?

Compare&ContrastOrder:BlockStyle
Asachild,Ithoughtmyparentswereignorantandoutoftouchwithreality.TheycouldntpossibleunderstandanythingI
thoughtorfelt.Whentheywerentannoyingmewiththeirridiculouslectures,orgroundingmeforminorinfractionsofthe
rules,theywereembarrassingmeinpublic.Now,asaparentmyself,IfinditfrustratingthatmychildrenthinkIhavenoclue
abouttheirlives,eventhoughIunderstandperfectlywellwhattheyarethinkingorfeeling.Ifindmyselfgivingmychildrenthe
samelecturesIoncethoughtwereridiculous.MychildrencannotseemtofollowtherulestheirfatherandIhaveset,and
theyarecontinuouslyembarrassingmeinpublic.My,howthingshavechanged.
1. Whatqualityisbeingcomparedinthisparagraph?
2. Whoisthewritercomparinginthisparagraph?

Compare&ContrastOrder:PointbyPointStyle
Althoughtheyaresisters,JenniferandJessicaarecompleteopposites.JenniferenjoysplayingsportswhileJessicawould
ratherwatch.Jenniferhasnointerestinplayingamusicalinstrument,butJessicaisthefirstchairviolinist.Jenniferlistensto
newagemusic;Jessicapreferscountrymusic.JennifersfavoritesubjectisEnglish;conversely,Jessicasfavoriteismath.
JenniferlikestocurlupinachaironarainydayandreadagoodbookwhileJessicawouldrathersleepallday.Noonewould
everguessthattheyareactuallytwins.
1. Whoarethetwopeoplebeingcomparedinthisparagraph?
2. Whatarethepointsofcomparisonbetweenthetwosubjects?

Refutation(OpposingArguments)Order
[ThetopichereisReiki,anaturalmethodofhealinginwhichhealersclaimtotransferhealingenergy,calledki,throughthe
palmsofthehands.]
OpponentsofalternativehealingmethodssuchasReikiclaimthatseriousillnessessuchasHIV/AIDSandcancercannotbe
treatedwithoutdrugs.OpponentsthinksobecauseHIV/AIDSandcancerpatientsoftenspendtherestoftheirlivesinthe
hospitaltakingmedicine.However,itisactuallycommonknowledgethat,exceptforcasesinwhichthecancerisdiagnosedat
anearlystage,drugsalsocannottreatAIDSorcancer;instead,drugscanonlyeasepainandsufferingcausedbyother
treatmentspatientsmustundergosuchaschemotherapy.Insteadofdrugs,whichareexpensiveandhavemanysideeffects,
anindividualcanusehis/herenergytoovercomethehardshipsoflife,findemotionalbalance,leavethestressofhis/her
illnessandeverydaylife,andletgoofthehauntingworries.Mostchronicconditionssuchaseczemaormigrainesareknown
tobecausedbythingslikepoordietandstress,anddeeprootedangerandotherstrongemotionscancontributetoviral
infections.Sincebalancingouremotionsandcontrollingourthoughtsareveryimportantforouroverallwellbeing,weshould
considerthatReikicanhelpusavoidillnessesandimproveourlivesinareasthattraditionalmedicinescannot.
1. Whatisthewriterarguingforinthisparagraph?Whatishe/shearguingagainst(thecounterargument)?
2. Howwouldyoudescribethewriterspresentationofbothviewsonthetopic?(Angrily,incompletely,fair,etc.?)

(Extended)DefinitionOrder:
Imateacher,butnotinthetraditionalsenseoftheword.TEACHER:thewordnolongerfeelsasawkwardrollingoffmy
tongueandflowingfrommyfingertipsasitoncedid.Afellowteacherandfriendremarkedonedayduringmyfirstsemester
teachingthatshedidntfeeloldorsmartenoughtobearealteacher.IstillthinkofthisattimesandrememberhowIused
toworrythatmystudentswoulddiscovermydeepest,darkestsecret:thatIreallywasntallthatoldorsmart,Ididnthaveall
theanswers,Iwasstilltryingtojustfigureallthiswritingstuffouttoo,Iwasnoexpert,and,really,Isimplylovedlanguage
andtowrite.Slowlybuthappily,Idiscoveredthiswasallittooktobeateacher.Trulylovingandalwayswantingtoknow
moreaboutasubjectaretheonlyimportantqualificationsateacherneedsinrelationtohersubject.Labelslikeexpert,
scholar,authority,andevenmoreplayfuloneslikeguruorchampionaregrosslyineptbecausetheyallsuggestthataperson
cansomehowachieve,overcome,orconquerknowledge.Whatapreposterous,pretentiousnotionconsideringthatwedstill
betryingtobashopenwalnutswithrocksandmakesquarewheelsturnifourNeanderthalancestorshadonedaydecided
thattheyhadlearnedalltherewastoknowintheworld.Thereareinsteadsomanymorehumble,honest,andapttermsthat
capturewhatateacherisanddoes:adventurer,watcher,dreamer,analyst,risktaker,catalyst,seeker,builder,enthusiastto
namejustafew.Ihavecometobelievethatatrueteachercannotevermasterasubject(andthosewhothinktheycanare
likelythemostdreadfulboresyouveeverhad).Forauthentic,sincereteachers,thereisnoprizeattheendoftherace
becausethereisnoraceinthefirstplace.Thereisonlytheenergy,motivation,anddesiretorun,discover,neverstopchasing
itdown.
1. Whatwordortermisthewriterredefininginthisparagraph?
2. Whatisthewritersnewdefinitionofthisword/term?

OrderofImportanceorClimax:StandardStyle(LeasttoMost)
Myencounterwithnaturebecamealearningexperienceforme.Ilearnedtocomepreparedforanything.Ourcanoe
overturningwasproofthatanythingcouldhappen.Allofoursuppliesweregone.Ialsolearnedthatalthoughnatureis
beautiful,shecanalsobedeadly.Ifithadntbeenforthecavewediscoveredinthemoonlight,thehailstormsurelywould
havekilledus.Mostofall,Ilearnedtotrustmymother.IneverthoughtIwouldsaythis,butshedoesknowathingortwo.
Shekeptherwitsaboutherandkeptmecalmaswell.Eveninthemiddleofnowherewithoutanysupplies,shestillmanaged
totakecareofme.Hergrandfatherhadtaughtherhowtosurviveinthewild,andshehadntforgottenathing.
1. Whatisthewriterranking(assigningdegreesofimportanceto)inthisparagraph?
2. Listthewritersideasinthesameorderofimportanceasthewriterhaspresentedthem.

OrderofImportanceorClimax:ReverseStyle(MosttoLeast)
AplantoimprovethecitysparkwasapprovedMondaynightbythecitycouncil.Theplaninvolvesaddinglandscapingtothe
northend,rebuildingthebridgeoverthelake,andupdatingtheplaygroundequipment.Fundsfortheprojecthavebeen
donatedbylocalbusinesseswhohopethatimprovingtheparkwillbringmorepeopletothedowntownareawhichwillinturn
bringmorecustomers.Thenextorderofbusinessisforthecitycounciltoopenthebiddingprocessforthevarious
improvements.Afterbidsareacceptedbythecouncil,themassiveoverhaulandconstructionprojectthatwilleventually
transformthecitysdowntownareacanfinalbegin.
1. Whatisthewriterranking(assigningdegreesofimportanceto)inthisparagraph?
2. Listthewritersideasinthesameorderofimportanceasthewriterhaspresentedthem.

Generalization&Example(Statement&Clarification)Order
AquicktourthroughmyhousewillconvinceyouthatIamanextremelymessypersonevenaslob.Startinginmybedroom,
youwillseeclothestossedaroundasifthieveshadjustlootedtheplace.Tshirtsdanglefromdoorknobs,sockssitballedup
ontopofthedresser,andbluejeanscoverthefloorlikeadropcloth.Atrailofshoesandsneakersleadsyououtofthe
bedroomandintothebathroom.ThereyouwillstandonasoppingtowelandseeablowdryerandacopyofNewsweeklying
onthesinkalongsideanuncappedtubeofCrest.Justbehindyouisthetowelrack:notowel,naturally,justadrippingshirt
andacrustyoldbathrobebelt.Nexttothebathroomisthekitchenslobheadquarters.Totheleftareeruptingbagsof
garbage,abaldtire,andatallstackofyellownewspapers.Totherightyou'llnoticeagreasyovenstackedhighwithpots
andbesideitasinkfullofgraywateranddirtydishes.Consideringalltheitemsyoumusthopover,stepon,andavoid
altogether,touringmyhouseismorelikecompletinganobstaclecoursethanacasualstrollfromroomtoroom.
1. Whatisthegeneralizationinthisparagraph?
2. Thewriterusesadistinctrhetoricalstrategytodevelopthisparagraph.Whatisit?

Classification(Topical)Order
Therearefourbasickindsofwriting:eachmodemaytakedifferentformsbuthasaprimarypurpose.Thefirstisexpository
writing,whichhasapurposeofexplainingsomethingorgivingdirections,suchasprovidingdirectionstoyourhouse.The
secondmodeispersuasivewriting,whichhasapurposeofinfluencingthereaderswayofthinking.Apoliticiansspeechisan
exampleofpersuasivewriting.Thethirdmodeisdescriptivewriting,whichhasapurposeofprovidingvividdetailssothatthe
readercanpicturewhatisbeingpresented.AnessaythatdepictsthegloriousGrandCanyonfitsintothiscategory.Thefourth
modeisnarrativewriting,whichhasapurposeofpresentinganexperienceintheformofastory.Apersonalaccountofa
vacationisanexampleofnarrativewriting.Throughthesefourmodes,orcombinationsofmodes,writershaveseveral
optionsforexpressingtheirideas.
1. Whatcategoriesdoesthewriterbreakthecontentoftheparagraphinto?
2. Whydoyouthinkthewriterputthetopicsinthisparticularorder?Whatpurposemightthewriterhaveforordering
hispointsthisway?

Chronological(Time)Order
Itseemedlikeanordinarydaywhenshegotupthatmorning,butLyndawasabouttoembarkontheworstdayofherlife.
First,shefellinthebathtubbecausehermotherforgottorinseoutthebathoil.ThenLyndaspilledorangejuiceontheoutfit
shehadspenthoursputtingtogetherforherschoolpictures.Whenshechanged,shemesseduptheFrenchbraidhermother
hadputinherhair.Shedroppedallofherschoolbooksasshewalkedoutthedoorandhermathhomeworkflewawayinthe
wind.Onceshemadeittothecar,shethoughteverythingwouldbeallright.Shewaswrong:herfatherdidn'tlookbeforehe
backedoutofthedrivewayandranintotheneighborstruck.Lyndassideofthecarwasdamagedthemost,andsheended
upwithabrokenarm.Thatnight,shecriedherselftosleep.
1. Isthereatopicsentenceinthisparagraph?Whataboutaconcludingsentence?Whatsthemainidea?
2. Areallofthedetailsintheparagraphrelevant?Whyorwhynot?

ProblemtoSolutionOrder:
Severalstudentsreceivepoorgradesonwritingassignments,notbecausetheylacktheabilitytocommunicatebutbecause
theycannotseemtomanagetheirtimewhenitcomestoalargeproject.Theydonotknowwheretobeginandthereforeput
thingsoffuntilthelastminute.Tosolvethisproblem,studentsneedtodevelopatimelineforcompletingtheproject.Ifthey
dividetheassignmentintomanageablechunksorpartsandthensetascheduleforcompletingeachpart,theywillbeable
tofinishtheentireprojectbeforethedeadline.Withoutthepressureofnotknowingwheretobegin,thestudentswillbe
abletofocusontheassignmentandcommunicatetheirideaseffectively.
1. Whatistheproblempresentedintheparagraph?Whatisthesolution?
2. Whatrhetoricalstrategydoesthewriterusetodevelophis/heridea?


SpatialOrder
Icouldntbelievemyeyeswhenwefinallyemergedfromthestormshelter.Wherethebarnoncestoodtherewasnowonlya
fewtuftsofhay,thepaththatledtothehousewasscatteredwithbranchesanddebris,andtheentireroofofthehousewas
gone.Thenorthwallwascavedinandwecouldseerightintothehousewhatwasleftofit.Tearsrolleddownmycheeksas
Inoticedthatmostofourbelongingshadbeensuckedupintothegreatvacuumandscatteredacrossthecountryside.We
heardaloudcrackingandmoaningasthewestwallgavewayandcollapsed,sendingupawaveofdust.Andyet,thereinthe
middleofthefrontyardwasmothersprizedrosebush,swayinginthebreezeasifnothinghadhappened.Seeingitmademe
realizehowluckyweweretobealive.Westoodthereindismay,ourarmslockedaroundoneanother.
1. Thisisaparagraphwithoutacleartopicsentence.What,then,isthemainidea?Howdoyouknow?
2. Whatrhetoricalstrategiesdoesthewriterusetodeveloptheidea?Namemorethanone.

SequentialOrder
Thefirststepinredesigningyourclosetistotakeeverythingoutandsortthroughit.Anythingyouhaventworninoverayear
shouldbegiventocharity.Checkgarmentsforwearandtearandtakecareofanythingthatneedsmending.Ifitisbeyond
repair,getridofit.Thesecondstepistoinstallaclosetorganizer.Chooseonethatwillholdthedifferenttypesofgarments
inyourwardrobe.Thethirdstepistoputitemsintheclosetsothatthoseyouwearmostoftenareeasytoaccess.Thefinal
stepistostayorganized.Putgarmentsbackintheirappropriateplacessothatyouwillbeabletofindthem.
1. Thisisanotherparagraphwithoutacleartopicsentence.Isthereamainidea?Whatisit?Howdoyouknow?
2. Howwouldyoudescribetheflowofthisparagraph?Isitsmooth,easytoread?Whyorwhynot?

OrderofFamiliarity
AfricanAmericansknowwhatitisliketobeunderestimatedbecauseofthecoloroftheirskin.Forexample,ablackperson
whocommunicateswithothersusinginStandardEnglishareoftenpraisedundulyforhowwelltheyspeak.Thisisalsoan
occurrencetoooftenexperiencedbyAsianAmericansaswell,includingthosebornandbredintheU.S.A.Andblackfolk
knowwhatitisliketobefeared,pitied,admired,andscornedsimplyonaccountofourracebeforeweevenhaveachanceto
boo!We,inturn,viewwhitepeoplethroughtheprismofourownracebasedexpectations.Ihonestlyamsurprisedevery
timeIseeawhitemanwhocanplaybasketballabovetherim,justasPuertoRicansandCubanstendtobesurprisedto
discoverAmericanswhosalsatrulywell.Allofwhichistosaythatthenotionthateveryindividualisjudgedsolelyon
personalmerit,withoutregardforsociologicalwrapping,ismythicalatbest.
1. Whatisthemainideaofthisparagraph?Whereisit?Howdoyouknow?
2. Whatrhetoricalstrategiesdoesthewriterusetodevelophis/herideas?

OrderofFrequency,OrderofComplexity,OrderofAudienceAwarenessorAudienceAcceptance
Thesearemostoftenusedattheessay(notparagraph)levelbecausetheideasareoftentoocomplextocombinewithin
singleparagraphs.