Patterns of Organization

1. Patterns of Organization Six Methods Authors Use to Relate Supporting Detail to the Main Idea

2. Explanation • This pattern is used when the author wants to describe the reasons for the ideas being presented.

3. Example • Examples are provided to make the main idea and supporting details clear to the reader. • Signal words, such as “for example” and “for instance,” indicate that this pattern of organization is being used.

4. Comparison and Contrast • By using this pattern, the author can relate two things to each other either by showing how they are alike or how they are different.

5. Cause and Effect • The author can either present a cause and give the results of that cause or, conversely, present an effect and trace its causes.

6. Definition • Authors can devote entire paragraphs to defining an important term or concept.

7. Enumeration • Enumeration is used when the author wants the reader to know the order in which something happened or the order of importance of information being presented. • Some signal words used in this pattern of organization are “first, next, then, finally,” and “first, second, third.”

8. Source • Hancock, Ophelia. Reading Skills for College Students. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007.