1. Patterns of Development The arrangement of an essay, speech, or story according to its purpose. These notes cover the wide range of logical ways to organize a text or section of a text. You should be able to identify the different patterns of development in works we read and/or pieces we view.

2. Narration Telling a story or recounting a series of events Based on knowledge gained from reading, observation, or experience Usually governed by chronology Includes concrete details, a point of view, and sometimes elements like dialogue A personal story easily pulls a reader in because we all love a good story! Narration is not simply crafting an appealing story; it is crafting a story that supports your thesis.

3. Description Closely related to narration because they both include specific details Unlike narration, description emphasizes the senses – think imagery Often used to establish a mood or atmosphere Can make writing more persuasive By making readers see what you see and feel what you feel, you make it easy for them to empathize with you, your subject, and your argument. Narration and Description usually work hand in hand.

4. Process Analysis Explains how something works, how to do something, or how something was done “How-to” and “self help” books are typically driven with process analysis Most successful when explanation is clear and logical with transitions marking sequences of major steps or stages Clear: Unclear:

5. Exemplification Providing a series of examples, facts, specific cases, or instances Turns a general idea into a specific one Makes an argument more clear and more persuasive to a reader May be one extended example or a series of related ones to illustrate a point Examples are a type of logical proof called induction (from Aristotle).

6. Comparison and Contrast Juxtaposition of two things to highlight their similarities and differences Can be organized subject by subject or point by point When using comparison and contrast in your own writing, steer clear of the following words and phrases: are alike are similar same different compares to contrasts with

7. Classification and Division Sorting ideas into major categories Provides a way to make connections between things that might otherwise seem unrelated Allows us to find a distinctive way to break down larger ideas into parts

8. Definition Ensures that authors and their audiences are speaking the same language Lays the foundation to establish common ground Identifies areas of conflict Sometimes only a passage of a larger work establishes terminology. Sometimes an entire work serves to define.

9. Cause and Effect Analyzes the causes that lead to a certain effect or the effects that result from a cause Powerful foundation for argument Depends upon crystal clear logic Often, but not always, signaled by a why in the title or the opening paragraph.