1. Paul Mundy www.mamud.com Putting it in the right order 12 ways of ordering information A Ж Z 1 2 B X Ω غ Ỡ

2. When to use these orders In lists In tables and figures To structure a story To structure a manuscript

3. 13 ways of ordering information 1. Alphabetical 2. Importance 3. Logical 4. Chronological 5. Reverse chronological 6. Result and cause 7. Compare and contrast 8. Categorical 9. Spatial 10. General to specific 11. Specific to general 12. Questions and answers 13. Familiar to unfamiliar

4. 1Alphabetical From A to Z Eg, phone directory, glossary, list of references A… B… C…

5. 2Importance Most important first, then less important Eg, news story, inverted pyramid Transition words: first, second, also, finally, in addition, equally important, more or less importantly Important! Less important Detail More detail

6. 3Logical From cause to effect X causes Y which causes Z We did X which resulted in Y which resulted in Z Transition words: because, since, for, so, as a result, consequently, thus, hence, therefore X Y Z

7. 4Chronological In the order things happened Eg, materials & methods in scientific paper Eg, tell story in order it happened First this happened, then this, then that… Transition words: before, after, first, next, then, when, finally, while, as, during, earlier, later, meanwhile 1... 2... 3…

8. 5Reverse chronological In the reverse order that things happened Tell the end first Say what happened before that Then say what happened before that E.g. The Ancestor’s Tale (Richard Dawkin) Transition words: before, previously, to prepare for, prior to 3... 2... 1…

9. 6Result and cause Tell the end first Then go back to the beginning and tell events that led up to it Like a detective story – starts with crime, then shows how the crime was committed Transition words: back in, how did this happen?, it was not always like this 3... 1... 2…

10. 7Compare and contrast Shows how two or more items are similar or different Eg, two villages (with and without intervention) Eg, two alternative approaches Transition words:  Similarities: also, additionally, just as, as if, as though, like, similarly  Differences: but, yet, only, although, whereas, in contrast, conversely, however, on the other hand, rather, instead, in spite of, nevertheless X Y

11. 8Categorical Divide your subject into categories, then describe each one in turn Eg, situation in towns, situation in rural areas Eg, marketing of goats, marketing of cattle Transition words: here, there, in X, in Y, larger, smaller

12. 9Spatial A tour from one place to another Eg, situation in Maharasthra, in Uttaranchal, in Karnataka Eg, description of a farm Transition words: above, below, beside, nearby, beyond, inside, outside

13. 10General to specific From general principle to individual case Transition words: for example, such as, like, namely, for instance, that is, in fact, in other words, indeed

14. 11Specific to general From individual case to general principle Transition words: is an example of, shows that, this means that

15. 12Questions and answers Easy to write and read Pose questions that audience will ask May not be adaptable to topic or medium Transition words: who… he/she, what… it, where… there, when… on/at/ago, why… because, how… by, how much... about Q?→A!

16. 13Familiar to unfamiliar Use a familiar situation or item to explain a new idea Transition words: is like, is similar to, just as, unlike, compared with 

17. When to use these orders In lists In tables and figures To structure a story To structure a manuscript