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RYERSON UNIVERSITY

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Methods of Organizing Essays

How you organize an essay depends to some extent on the method you use to develop theessay. Some methods of development allow you more flexibility than others. Whatevermethod you use, you want to present your material to its best effect. Following arecommon methods of essay development with examples of how to organize each.

EXPOSITORY ESSAYS

definition (explain the meaning of a complex term or concept)

Example: the meaning offreedom

Organization: define through examples arranged in order of ascendinginterest (e.g., from most simple to most complex)

classification/division (explain the characteristics of a general category bydescribing the specific types or kinds of subcategories that fit under it)

Example: General Category: Core Method of Inquiry workshopsoffered by Ryersons Learning Support Services

Specific Types: Motivation & Procrastination,Task/Time Management, Reading for Comprehension &Memory, Test Preparation & Memory Systems

Organization: All the subcategories are equivalent, so you can arrangethem as you like.

causal analysis (explain causes and/or effects)

Examples:

o the causes of a particular traffic accident

o a related series of events that led to your getting a particular job

Organization: a chain reaction of causes and effects in chronological

order (A caused effect B, B caused effect C, and C caused effect D)

Examples:o separate/independent causes of workplace stress

o different ways in which people react to stress (i.e., separate effects

of stress)

Organization: put the cause or effect you want to emphasize last

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process analysis (explain how to do something)

Examples:

o how to troubleshoot a problem in a circuit board

o how to install a software program

Organization: chronological order, i.e., describe the steps in the orderthey occur in time

systems analysis (explain how something works, functions, or is formed)

Examples:o how a tornado is formed

o how a combustion engine works

Organization: chronological order

Example: the administrative structure of Ryerson

Organization: from most to least important, i.e., in order of responsibilityfrom the top down so that the reader understands the role or function of

each administrator

comparison: show how two things are similar and different

contrast: show how two things are different (if there are no similarities)

Examples:

o similarities and differences between two characters in a play, suchas Hamlet and Laertes inHamlet

o similarities and differences between two styles of management

o differences between two health care models

Organization:Block Method: Choose equal points of comparison and discussone subject entirely before discussing another subject (better forshort essays or if you are comparing more than two things).Alternating Method: Choose equal points of comparison.Compare each aspect of both subjects before moving on to other

aspects (better for long essays).

PERSUASIVE ESSAYS

Use reasons and examples to support your opinion. Arrange the informationin order of ascending interest (e.g., from least to most important, least to mostcomplex, or most practical to most theoretical or abstract). You want to endwith your strongest evidence.