© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Guide to College Reading, 6/e Kathleen T. McWhorter Chapter 9 Following the Author’s Thought Patterns

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers This Chapter Will Show You How to:  Improve your understanding and recall by recognizing thought patterns  Identify commonly used thought patterns  Learn transitional words and phrases that signal thought patterns

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Six Common Thought Patterns  Recognizing the author’s thought pattern will improve comprehension and recall. Six common thought patterns are: A) Illustration/Example B) Definition C) Comparison/Contrast D) Cause/Effect E) Classification F) Chronological Order/Process  Recognizing the author’s thought pattern will improve comprehension and recall. Six common thought patterns are: A) Illustration/Example B) Definition C) Comparison/Contrast D) Cause/Effect E) Classification F) Chronological Order/Process

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Illustration/Example  An idea is explained by providing specific instances or experiences that show it. KEY IDEA Example

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Definition  An object or ideas is explained by describing the general class or group to which it belongs and how the item differs from others in the same group. TERM General class or group Distinguishing feature

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Comparison/Contrast  A new or unfamiliar idea is explained by showing how it is similar to or different from a more familiar idea. ITEM A Item B Similarities Differences

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Cause/Effect  Connections between events are explained by showing what caused an event or what happened as a result of a particular event. EVENT A Shorter work week Late for class More leisure time EVENT B Missed the bus

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Single Cause/Multiple Effects Single Cause Event A Event B Event C Event D

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers  Multiple Cause Event A Event B Event C Event D Multiple Cause/Single Effect

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Multiple Causes/ Multiple Effects  Multiple Cases Event A Event B Event C Event D

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Classification  An object or idea is explained by dividing it into parts and describing or explaining each. TOPIC Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Chronological Order/Process  Events or procedures are described in the order in which they occur in time. EVENT or PROCESS 1. Action or step 2. Action or step 3. Action or step

© 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Longman Publishers Visit the Longman Companion Website Take a Road Trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty! Visit the Patterns of Organization module in your Reading Road Trip CD-ROM for multimedia tutorials, exercises, and tests.