Matching Pairs Organizational PatternsOnline version Match each organizational pattern to its description and purpose. by Sheila Lobert 1 Sequential Pattern 2 Topical Pattern 3 Spacial Pattern 4 Cause-Effect Pattern 5 Problem-Solution Pattern 6 Chronological Pattern 7 Advantages-Disadvantages Pattern 8 Compare-Contrast Pattern This pattern of organization arranges information according to a progression of time, either forward or backward. This format works well when a topic is best understood in terms of different segments of time. For example, topics of an historical nature are best organized using this pattern. This pattern divides information into two main sections, one that describes a problem and one that describes a solution. This pattern is typically used in persuasive writing, where the writer's general purpose is to convince the reader to support a certain course of action. The pattern is designed to compel the reader to make some kind of change in opinion or behavior by establishing that a problem exists, then providing a solution. This pattern is used to show the different causes and effects of various conditions. This pattern is particularly effective when writing a persuasive document in which the writer advocates some action to solve a problem, because it demonstrates important relationships between variables. This pattern arranges information according to how two or more things are similar to or different from one another (or both). This is an effective pattern to use when the reader can better understand one subject when it is described in relation to another. If the reader is familiar with one topic, the writer use this familiarity to shed insight on another topic. This pattern of organization arranges information according to how things fit together in physical space; i.e., where one thing exists in relation to another. This pattern works well when a writer wishes to create a mental picture of something which has various parts distinguished by physical location. Topics involving geography, for example, are often best organized in this way. This pattern organizes information about a topic by dividing it up into its "good" and "bad" parts, or pro's and con's. It is effective to use when a writer wishes to objectively discuss both sides of an issue without taking a persuasive stance. This allows the reader to weigh both sides of an issue. This pattern is the most commonly used format, and will typically work when the other patterns do not. It arranges information according to different sub-topics, or the "types" of things that fall within a larger category. Using this pattern, each "type" represents a main section of information. This pattern of organization is similar to a chronological pattern but arranges information according to a step-by-step sequence that describes a particular process. In this pattern, each main section of information represents a main step that one would follow in the actual process. The points included within each main section represent the sub-steps one would follow. When one wishes to describe a process that follows a specific series of steps in a particular order, this pattern works well.
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