Paragraph Patterns/Organizational Patterns

The first sentence on that text is called by ..........

• A Closing Statement

• Body Paragraph

• Topic Sentence

• Hook

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

"Government approval for the construction of a suspension bridge was finally granted in 1959, although it was not until 1973 that work finally began. The reasons why a suspension bridge was chosen were twofold. Firstly, the Humber has a shifting bed, and the navigable channel along which a craft can travel is always changing; a suspension bridge with no support piers in mid-stream would not obstruct the estuary. Secondly, because of the geology and topography of the area, the cost of constructing a tunnel would have been excessive."

• Timeline for finishing a suspension bridge

• Building a suspension bridge is costly

• Reasons for building a suspension bridge

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

"The current water shortages in Mexico City contrast remarkably with the city‘s situation in the past. When the Spanish arrived at the Aztec capital in 1519, they found stone buildings and gardens set on an island in the middle of a vast series of interconnected lakes—an ―enchanted vision,‖ according to one Spanish soldier. The Spanish destroyed the buildings, and began draining the water from the lakes to build what became Mexico City. For the next four centuries, the city was able to meet its water needs from springs, shallow wells, and the remaining lake water. In the mid-nineteenth century, as water needs grew and supplies from the aquifer became inadequate, city authorities brought water up from two nearby river systems. Twenty-five years ago, they began piping in water from 80 miles (130 km) away. Because Mexico City is located on a highland, the water must all be pumped uphill at considerable expense."

• History of water supply in Mexico City

• Sources of water supply in Mexico City

• War between Mexico and Spain

What is the main idea of this paragraph?

"Tourism in the mass form as we know it today is a distinctly twentieth-century phenomenon. Historians suggest that the advent of mass tourism began in England during the industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and the availability of relatively inexpensive transportation. The creation of the commercial airline industry following the Second World War and the subsequent development of the jet aircraft in the 1950s signalled the rapid growth and expansion of international travel. This growth led to the development of a major new industry: tourism. In turn, international tourism became the concern of a number of world governments since it not only provided new employment opportunities but also produced a means of earning foreign exchange."

• Difference between tourism in the past and the present

• How tourism industry was developed

• Tourism promotes more jobs and foreign exchange

Anna has to describe a square and a triangle. Her teacher told her to write a paragraph about how the two shapes are alike and how they are different. What pattern should she use?

• question and answer

• sequence

• cause and effect

• compare and contrast

What is the pattern of organisation in this paragraph?

"Government approval for the construction of a suspension bridge was finally granted in 1959, although it was not until 1973 that work finally began. The reasons why a suspension bridge was chosen were twofold. Firstly, the Humber has a shifting bed, and the navigable channel along which a craft can travel is always changing; a suspension bridge with no support piers in mid-stream would not obstruct the estuary. Secondly, because of the geology and topography of the area, the cost of constructing a tunnel would have been excessive."

• Listing

• Process

• Cause/Effect

• Story/History

What is the pattern of organisation in this paragraph?

"Tourism in the mass form as we know it today is a distinctly twentieth-century phenomenon. Historians suggest that the advent of mass tourism began in England during the industrial revolution with the rise of the middle class and the availability of relatively inexpensive transportation. The creation of the commercial airline industry following the Second World War and the subsequent development of the jet aircraft in the 1950s signalled the rapid growth and expansion of international travel. This growth led to the development of a major new industry: tourism. In turn, international tourism became the concern of a number of world governments since it not only provided new employment opportunities but also produced a means of earning foreign exchange."

• Listing

• Cause/Effect

• Process

• Story/History

What is the pattern of organisation in this paragraph?

"The current water shortages in Mexico City contrast remarkably with the city‘s situation in the past. When the Spanish arrived at the Aztec capital in 1519, they found stone buildings and gardens set on an island in the middle of a vast series of interconnected lakes—an ―enchanted vision,‖ according to one Spanish soldier. The Spanish destroyed the buildings, and began draining the water from the lakes to build what became Mexico City. For the next four centuries, the city was able to meet its water needs from springs, shallow wells, and the remaining lake water. In the mid-nineteenth century, as water needs grew and supplies from the aquifer became inadequate, city authorities brought water up from two nearby river systems. Twenty-five years ago, they began piping in water from 80 miles (130 km) away. Because Mexico City is located on a highland, the water must all be pumped uphill at considerable expense."

• Listing

• Time order: series of events

• Time order: steps of the process

• Cause/effect

Which signal words are likely to appear in a Story/History paragraph? Choose all the correct options

• Consequently

• At that time

• Nowaday

• In 1905

Bad drivers are responsible for more accidents on the road. Car insurance companies can raise their rates due to the increase of wrecks. New traffic laws are passed because of the behavior of dangerous drivers. What is the organizational pattern?

• cause and effect

• sequence

• problem-solution

• Time order: steps of the process