2. Writing Order in a paragraph (I)

3. INTRODUCTION Now that you have learned how to achieve unity and coherence in the paragraph, your next concern is how to arrange your material in an orderly way. In the following two units, we’ll focus on the most common ways of arranging ideas or items of information. When you write a paragraph, you may choose to arrange your material according to an order of timespacelogic In this unit, we’ll focus on the first two.

4. Time order One logical way to develop a paragraph is to arrange the supporting details in a time sequence, from the beginning to the middle to the end. In this kind of chronological organization, earlier occurrences precede later ones. In this way the writer virtually leads the reader step by step to the completion of an event by well-placed words of transition or clear-cut instructions. Time order is useful in explaining a process, in writing about historical events, or in telling a story. You may use specific transitional expressions listed below:

5. first in the first place firstly at the very beginning then next in the next place afterward thereafter some time later later on once years ago in the past before previously earlier suddenly at the same time meanwhile when…while… until… as… at lastfinallyeventually at the end

6. Examine paragraphs 2-5 of the passage and see how it tells the story of the writer’s father in a time sequence. She doesn’t know this, but it was Camels that my father, her grandfather, smoked. But before he smoked cigarettes made by manufacturers — when he was very young and very poor, with glowing eyes—he smoked Prince Albert tobacco in cigarettes he rolled himself. I remember the bright-red tobacco tin, with a picture of Queen Victoria’s partner, Prince Albert, dressed in a black dress coat and carrying a cane.

7. By the late forties and early fifties no one rolled his own anymore (and few women smoked) in my hometown of Eatonton, Georgia. The tobacco industry, coupled with Hollywood movies in which both male and female heroes smoked like chimneys, completely won over people like my father, who were hopelessly hooked by cigarettes. He never looked as fashionable as Prince Albert, though; he continued to look like a poor, overweight, hard working colored man with too large a family, black, with a very white cigarette stuck in his mouth.

8. I do not remember when he started to cough. Perhaps it was unnoticeable at first, a little coughing in the morning as he lit his first cigarette upon getting out of bed. By the time I was sixteen, my daughter’s age, his breath was a wheeze, embarrassing to hear; he could not climb stairs without resting every third or fourth step. It was not unusual for him to cough for an hour.

9. My father died from “the poor man’s friend”, pneumonia, one hard winter when his lung illnesses had left him low. I doubt he had much lung left at all, after coughing for so many years. He had so little breath that, during his last years, he was always leaning on something. I remembered once, at a family reunion, when my daughter was two, that my father picked her up for a minute — long enough for me to photograph them—but the effort was obvious. Near the very end of his life, and largely because he had no more lungs, he quit smoking. He gained a couple of pounds, but by then he was so slim that no one noticed.

10. Space order Space order is often used when you describe a place. In doing this, you must choose a particular point of view, and maintain it throughout your description. You should also make sure that your description takes a definite direction. You may describe from left to right, from top to bottom or bottom to top, from nearest to farthest, and so on. Look at the following paragraph as an example:

11. Mr. Cook, a renowned American historian, arranges the books on his bookshelves in a unique way. In the upper right hand corner, there are books about the development of the early colonies in new England and the War of Independence. Right under them can be found books on the slave trade, the plantation system and the growth of the southern states. The left side of the shelf contains hundreds of books concerning subjects of the Westward Movement, Indian culture, the cowboys’ contributions to American society and the Gold Rush in California. From the description above, one can see that Mr. Cook regards his bookshelves as a map of the U.S. and arranges his history books accordingly. It is odd, but it is convenient.

12. To indicate position or direction, you may used such words or phrases as: from here, inside, out of, in front of, behind, at the back of, next to, beside, on, over, above, under, beneath, beyond, on the right/left-hand side, on the corner, on the opposite side of, between

13. Exercise A Exercise B Exercise C

14. Ex. AComplete the following paragraph by filling in the words and expressions given below.

15. The first computers were developed _________. They were so large that they required special air-conditioned rooms.________________, in the 1960s, desk-sized computers were developed. This represented a gigantic advance. _________________________, however, a third generation of computers, which were even smaller and faster, had appeared.______, the first microprocessor, less than one square centimeter in size, was developed. ______, electronic engineers predict that even smaller and more sophisticated computers will be on the market before the twenty-first century. around 1945 about twenty years later before the end of that same decade in 1971 today In 1971 around 1945 About twenty years later Today Before the end of that same decade

16. Ex. BThe following sentences are disarranged. Rearrange them to follow the time order and write the sentences in paragraph form.

17. 1. By ten o’clock the flying hero landed in front of a huge crowd of wildly cheering people, tired, unshaved, suddenly hungry. 2. On the morning of May 20th, 1927, Lindbergh’s “spirit of St. Louis” struggled into the air from New York. 3. Then a fishing boat appeared, and, an hour later, land. It was Ireland. 4. After 34 hours of continuous piloting, the flight of 3,600 miles was over. 5. When night came, Lindbergh flew steadily on, hoping that his course was the right one. 6. Throughout the next day the “spirit of St. Louis” flew on over the seemingly limitless sea.

18. On the morning of May 20th, 1927, Lindbergh’s “spirit of St. Louis” struggled into the air from New York. When night came, Lindbergh flew steadily on, hoping that his course was the right one. Throughout the next day the “spirit of St. Louis” flew on over the seemingly limitless sea. Then a fishing boat appeared, and, an hour later, land. It was Ireland. By ten o’clock the flying hero landed in front of a huge crowd of wildly cheering people, tired, unshaved, suddenly hungry. After 34 hours of continuous piloting, the flight of 3,600 miles was over.

19. 1.My dormitory is a large, spacious and comfortable room with four beds. 6. As you walk into the room, you are faced with a large window on the southern side of the room. 5. Below the window is a large desk on which there is a clock, a telephone and a computer. 2. Around the desk are four chairs for us to sit on during out study. 7. The four bed are located in the four corners of the room. 3. Between the two beds on the ease side of the room is a large wardrobe for hanging clothes and storing bedding. 4. Opposite to it is a large bookcase with neatly arranged book.

20. My dormitory is a large, spacious and comfortable room with four beds. As you walk into the room, you are faced with a large window on the southern side of the room. Below the window is a large desk on which there is a clock, a telephone and a computer. Around the desk are four chairs for us to sit on during out study. The four bed are located in the four corners of the room. Between the two beds on the ease side of the room is a large wardrobe for hanging clothes and storing bedding. Opposite to it is a large bookcase with neatly arranged book.

21. Ex. CWrite a paragraph on one of the following topics. 1. Important events of the week / month / year / last century… 2. Your own life story so far. 3. A photo of your family.

22. One day this spring, one of my classmate suddenly got a fever and coughed. It was a time SARS struck our city. And my classmate was suspected to be a victim of the dangerous disease. Though afraid of being infected, we didn’t leave him alone. One of his roommates phoned 120, and before long an ambulance rushed him to the hospital. During his stay in the hospital, we sent him short messages through mobile phones every day to comfort and encourage him. Finally, he turned out to be merely infected by a common cold. Only a few days later, he got out of the hospital, to everyone’s relief. Sample

23. The writer describes the in a time sequence process that one of his classmates fall ill, was sent to the hospital, then recovered and got out of the hospital. The writer uses signal words or expression to show the time sequence, such as: One day this spring, It was a time…, before long, During his stay in the hospital, Finally, Only a few days later, etc. Thus, the paragraph is well written. Comments