Chapter
For the most part, we write paragraphs without a specific method or plan of organization. When you sit down to write, you don’t usually tell yourself, “I am going to write eight paragraphs that are four sentences long each.” Effective and mature writing is more organic.
Applying logic and structure to paragraphs comes in the revision stage. When you have completed a draft, one way to tackle organization and coherence in your revision is to study the logic and construction of individual paragraphs.
There are plenty of ways to classify these systems of logic and structure, but we’ll focus on four: rank order, spatial, chronological, and general to specific.
Rank Order
Paragraphs can be organized to build toward a main point, with the most important part of the message coming at the end. This last point is sometimes the key/topic sentence, but not always. This method of organization is useful in building up to a problem or claim that will be further developed in later paragraphs. Read the following example from The Future of Road-making in America (1905):
This section of the book advocates for more road construction in rural areas. One of the author’s primary claims is that a lack of road infrastructure causes people to migrate to cities. The final sentence of the paragraph is the most rhetorically powerful expression of the writer’s message.
Spatial
Spatial organization for paragraphs makes sense for exposition or description. If you are describing the appearance of a sculpture or statue, it makes sense to write the description in a way that’s analogous to the appearance of the statue itself. Consider the following example:
In this chapter, the writer describes road construction and maintenance in New Jersey. It makes sense to start off by describing the physical geography of the state. Based on this spatial description, I would probably be able to draw a topographical map of New Jersey with some degree of accuracy.
Chronological
Just like you would describe physical appearance using spatial paragraph organization, you would describe sequential events chronologically. If you were writing a paragraph about all the things you ate on Tuesday, it makes sense to start with breakfast and end with your midnight snack. Take a look at the following example:
This paragraph describes a sequence of events beginning in 1900. In this case, it wouldn’t make sense to describe what happened in 1901 before what happened in 1900. Of course, there are cases where you might use a reverse chronological method for organizing a paragraph. Rarely, however, would you organize a paragraph starting with the events of 1901, followed by the events of 1900 and 1902.
General to Specific
A good metaphor for the general to the specific method of organizing a paragraph is the top part of an hourglass. The top of the hourglass has a lot of sand, but only a small amount of sand passes through the middle. Consider the following example:
The writer begins by claiming that all roads in the U.S. can be improved. He gradually narrows this focus to state at the end of the paragraph that the main focus of this improvement should be dealing with the specific issue of steep grades on existing roads.
Works Cited
Toby Fulwiler. (2007). The Working Writer. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. pp 197.
The Future of Roadmaking in America, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/33706/33706-h/33706-h.htm
LICENSE AND ATTRIBUTION
Adapted from “6.8: Logic in Paragraphs ” of Writing, Reading, and College Success: A First-Year Composition Course for All Learners (Kashyap and Dyquisto), 2020, used according to creative commons CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 .