Patterns of Development in Writing

Question 1

Narration

Answer 1

• Purpose is to tell a story or relay an event
• An especially useful tool for sequencing or putting details and information into some kind of logical order, usually chronological
• Used in academic writing for strong impact

Question 2

Description

Answer 2

• Purpose is to recreate, invent, or visually present a person, place, event, or action so that the reader can picture that which is being described
• Heavily based on the sensory details: sight, sound, smell, feel, taste

Question 3

Definition

Answer 3

Moves beyond the dictionary definition to deeply examine a word or concept as we actually use and understand it

Question 4

Exemplification/Classification

Answer 4

• Carries one or more examples into great detail, in order to show the details of a complex problem in a way that’s easy for readers to understand
• Takes one large concept, and divides it into individual pieces
• Helps the reader to understand a complex topic by focusing on its smaller parts.

Question 5

Process-Analysis

Answer 5

• Analyzing a process can also be thought of as “how-to” instruction
• Academic writing can incorporate process analysis to show how an existing problem came to be, or how it might be solved, by following a clear series of steps

Question 6

Comparison & Contrast

Answer 6

• The goal is generally to show that one item is superior to another, based on a set of evaluations included as part of the writing

Question 7

Cause and Effect

Answer 7

• Offer an explanation about why that sequence matters
• Powerful when the author can provide a cause/effect relationship that the reader wasn’t expecting and as a result see the situation in a new light

Question 8

Problem Solution

Answer 8

• To identify the problem

- Then providing a logical, practical, solution for the problem