Modes of Paragraph Development

Reading and Writing Academic Paper

1. Modes of Paragraph Development

2. 1. Causal Analysis Tackles the causes and effects of a particular event, phenomenon, or situation. Relationship between or among at least two happenings. It answers the questions “ why” and “how”

3. Writer’s Purpose Informative – which primarily explains Persuasive – attempts to convince the reader to believe what the writer is saying Speculative – suggest possibilities

4. A casual chain is a set of cause and effect that leads to multiple other sets – all happening one after the other. The p rimary and secondary causes and effects of the situation. This is to maintain order and coherence in your essay, and also to avoid losing focus.

5. Concentrate on the immediate rather than the remote causes and/or effects. Root cause – a primary cause is studying well for the past few days. Be wary of the logical fallacy of faulty causality or propter hoc, ergo propter hoc ( Latin for “after this, therefore because of this” )

6. 2. Narrative Writing Storytelling Sequence of events, not necessarily arranged in chronological order, told by a narrator, happening in a particular place at a particular time. Creating a world based on the writer’s imagination.

7. Show rather than tell A rule of thumb that most writers abide by Vivid Description of Details

8. Consistent Point of View (POV) Three most commonly used points of view: FIRST, SECOND, THIRD POINTS OF VIEW Third person POV – used to convey the narrator as an omniscient and dispassionate observer. - narrator is all-knowing; enables the reader to see not only the dialogue, but also the innermost thoughts and desire.

9. Consistent Verb Tense To make clear to the reader whether the story: had already happened; has been happening for some time now; happens on a regular basis; is currently happening; and Will do so indefinitely, or will happen sometime in the future

10. Well – Defined Point or Significance Theme – unifying thought or idea born out of all the other elements of the story.

11. Narrative Devices – technique writers utilizes to add flavor and enrich the meaning of their stories. Anecdote – brief narratives that are written from the writer’s memory. Flashback – event that happened in the past

12. Time Stretch – a single event in the story that the author focuses writing about. Time Summary – a single event is prolonged, a time summary is characterized by jamming together multiple events and/or shortening a relatively long period of time. Flash-forward – an event that has yet to happen in the story. Dialogue – a word or a series of words enclosed in a pair of quotation marks, which signal the characters’ spoken language.

13. 3. Definition Understanding the essence of a word, an idea, a concept, or an expression. It should be done clearly or through specific terms so that even the most abstract concepts can be easily understood and relatable to the human perception. To give information to the reader as to what the author intends to explain.

14. Denotation and Connotation Denotation – primary, explicit, or literal definition of a word. Connotation – secondary meaning of a word.

15. Analysis – process of breaking down a concept into its constituent parts. Collocation - there are words or expressions that are usually almost immediately associated with the concept you are trying to define.

16. Comparison - Make abstract concepts more understandable by using comparison to appeal to the human senses. Contrast - Understanding how at least two similar concept are different from each other

17. Etymology The history of a word. It explains the evolution of a word or how it has come to be. Exemplification and Illustration Exemplification: Defining something by giving examples Illustration: Giving an example and focusing on it to elaborate on the concept you are trying to define.

18. Extended Definition – a personal interpretation of an author to an abstract and multifaceted concept. Function – another way of understanding what a word or concept means is to know its purpose. - answers the question: “What is it used for?” Negation – a technique that you can use to define a word or concept by explaining what it is not. Synonyms – a single word or phrase that share almost the same meaning with the concept you are trying to define * SLANG or COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE - Considered under the umbrella term of synonyms.

19. 4. Division and Classification are essential not just in writing but also in everyday concepts. Enables humans to have some sense of order and predictability in otherwise chaotic and unpredictable life.

20. DIVISION Breaks down a concept into its constituent parts. Process necessitates separating items. CLASSIFICATION Entails categorization which enables one to group together items according to their similarities. To further organize data that have already been defined and classified.

21. Principles to consider Consistency - Parallel similarities in the divisions you make in writing. Exclusiveness - No overlapping between or among the items divided and classified together. Completeness - No important part is omitted from the writing.

22. 5. Comparison and Contrast Weighing your choices’ pros and cons , consequently shedding light to a well-thought of decision/judgement. Banks so much on the use of figurative language as the use of such adds artistic and literary value to, and deepens the meaning and interpretation of discourse

23. ANALOGY Common technique that writers use to demonstrate comparison and contrast Delves beneath the surface differences of at least two subjects expose unperceived and unsuspecting similarities and/or differences.

24. Figurative Language SIMILE – direct comparison between or among subjects. - “like” or “as” METAPHOR – indirect comparison between or among subjects OXYMORON – two seemingly opposite terms are juxtaposed next to – or near – each other in a single expression. PERSONIFICATION – process of making something human.

25. 6. Exemplification Considered as one wat to define a concept Process of enumerating or giving examples. Provide specific instances to support a claim.

26. Visual Illustrations - Appeals to the sense of sight Facts - concepts, ideas, and statement that are generally assumed true, realm and/or existing

27. Anecdotes - Brief narratives within a piece of writing Details - Entails analyzing, process of breaking down a concept or idea into its constituent parts.

28. Opinions - Individual interpretations of people on certain events, situations, ideas, and/or concepts. Observations - Similar to describing; make use of description – appealing to the five senses.

29. 7. Persuasion Based on the assumption that all essays are essentially assertive; the writer always, whether consciously or not, fights for something in his/her paper. Always coupled with argumentation. Argumentation is the use of facts and logic to convince an audience while in persuasion, there is an addition of using emotional appeal or pathos .

30. Make use of … Logos - appealing to the audience’s logic; that is, when you argue, you use facts, and well-supported and well-developed claims to support an argument. Pathos – appealing to the audience’s emotions. Ethos – the appeal to credibility. As a source of information, you are credible, reputable, and respectable. Through honesty and sound judgement.

31. Types of Audiences The Supportive Audience Who are briefed on the issue at hand. Logos in not much needed; Pathos should be maximized to drive your point home. (-Logos ; +Pathos)

32. The Wavering Audience Not readily accepting to your ideas. Make use of your logos to win their support. And since their belief is wavering, build up on your ethos as well. (Logos = Ethos)

33. The Hostile Audience Most difficult to please and win. Lessen the use of pathos , for they are antagonistic. Stick to your logos as you have a good chance of being somewhat believed – but not necessarily sided with-by the hostile audience. (-Pathos; ~Logos)