Chapter Five:
Relationships I
Authors use two common methods to show relationships and make
their ideas clear: transitions and patterns of organization.
This chapter also explains two common types of relationships:
• Relationships that involve addition
• Relationships that involve time
Transitions
Look at the following items. Which one is easier
to read and understand?
1. One way to lose friends is to talk but not
listen. A way to end friendships is to borrow
money and not pay it back.
2. One way to lose friends is to talk but not
listen. Another way to end friendships is to
borrow money and not pay it back.
The second item is easier to understand.
The word another makes it clear that the writer is
adding a second way to lose friends.
Transitions are words or phrases (like another)
that show relationships between ideas. They are
“bridge” words, carrying the reader across from
one idea to the next:
Two major types of transitions are words that
show addition and words that show time.
Words That Show Addition
Once again, find the item that is easier to read
and understand:
1. Many people rent DVDs because rental is
cheaper than tickets to a movie theater. DVDs
are now available online as well as in stores.
2. Many people rent DVDs because rental is
cheaper than tickets to a movie theater. Also,
DVDs are now available online as well as in
stores.
HERMAN: © Jim Unger/Dist. By Newspaper Enterprise Association. Inc.
The word also in the second item makes the
relationship between the sentences clear.
The author is providing reasons why renting movies is
popular. The first reason is that renting DVDs is cheaper
than buying tickets to the movies. A second reason is that
the movies are so readily available.
The word also makes it clear that another reason is being
given. Also is an addition word.
Addition words signal added ideas.
These words tell you a writer is presenting one
or more ideas that continue along the same line
of thought as a previous idea.
Here are some common words that show
addition:
one
to begin with
also
further
first
for one thing
in addition
furthermore
second(ly)
third(ly)
other
another
next
moreover
last (of all)
final(ly)
Words That Show Time
Look at the following items. Which one is easier
to read and understand?
1. The two neighboring families used to get
along well. They are not on speaking terms.
2. Previously, the two neighboring families got
along well. Now they are not on speaking terms.
The words previously and now in the
second item make the relationship
between the sentences clear.
Before, the families got along well; but now they
don’t speak to each other.
Previously and now and words like them are time
words.
Time words tell us when something happened
in relation to when something else happened.
Here are some common words that show time:
before
immediately
when
until
previously
next
whenever
often
first (of all)
then
while
frequently
second(ly)
following
during
eventually
third(ly)
later
as (soon as)
final(ly)
now
after
by
last (of all)
Some additional ways of showing time are dates (“In 1890 ... ,” “Throughout the
20th century ...”, “By 2012 ...”) and other time references (“Within a week ...,”
“by the end of the month...,” “in two years ...”)
The List of Items
Pattern
See if you can arrange the following sentences in a logical order,
so that they form a short paragraph. Which sentence should be
first? Second? Third? Last? Use the addition words as a guide.
A. One common strategy is to consume massive quantities of junk food,
which is easily done thanks to all the ever-present convenience stores
and fast-food restaurants.
B. There are some widely popular, inappropriate methods that people
use to combat stress.
C. Finally, watching hours of nonstop TV can put people in a stupor
that helps them forget the problems of everyday life.
D. Another way to deal with stress is to doze or sleep for hours and
hours, even during the day.
Here is a logical order for the sentences on the last
screen:
There are some widely popular, inappropriate methods that people use to
combat stress. One common strategy is to consume massive quantities of junk
food, which is easily done thanks to all the ever-present convenience stores and
fast-food restaurants. Another way to deal with stress is to doze or sleep for
hours and hours, even during the day. Finally, watching hours of nonstop TV can
put people in a stupor that helps them forget the problems of everyday life.
This paragraph begins with the main idea: “There are some widely
popular, inappropriate methods that people have to combat
stress.”
The next three sentences go on to list three of those methods,
resulting in the pattern of organization known as a list of items.
The transitions One, Another, and Finally introduce the points
being listed and indicate their order.
A list of items refers to a series of reasons, examples, or
other points that support an idea.
The items have no time order, but are listed in whatever order
the author prefers.
Addition words, such as those in the box below, are often used
in a list of items to tell us that other supporting points are being
added to a point already mentioned.
Textbook authors frequently organize material into lists of items,
such as a list of types of economic systems, symptoms of heart
disease, or reasons for teenage drinking.
one
first
second(ly)
third(ly)
to begin with
for one thing
other
another
also
in addition
next
moreover
further
furthermore
last (of all)
final(ly)
The Time Order Pattern
See if you can arrange the following sentences in a logical order,
so that they form a short paragraph. Which sentence should
come first? Second? Third? Last? Use the time words as a guide.
A. Next, the two people declare themselves a couple, telling friends
and relatives about the new person in their lives.
B. The two people then make a commitment to have an exclusive
relationship with each other.
C. A relationship begins when two people show interest in each other
and choose to spend time together.
D. Last, the two people formalize the relationship by cohabitation
or marriage.
Here is a logical order for the sentences on the last
screen:
A relationship begins when two people show interest in each
other and choose to spend time together. The two people then
make a commitment to have an exclusive relationship with each
other. Next, the two people declare themselves a couple, telling
friends and relatives about the new person in their lives. Last, the
two people formalize the relationship by cohabitation or marriage.
Authors usually present events in the order in which they
happen, resulting in the time order pattern of organization.
The time transitions then, Next, and Last introduce the points
being listed and indicate their order.
Two kinds of time order are a series of
events or stages and steps in a process.
As a student, you’ll see time order used frequently.
For example, textbooks in all fields describe events
and processes, such as …
• the events leading to the Boston Tea Party
• the important incidents in Abraham Lincoln’s life
• the steps involved for a bill to travel through Congress
• the process involved in writing a paper
• the stages in the development of a cell
One Kind of Time Order:
Series of Events or Stages
Series of Events or Stages
Time Order: Events
Event 1
Time Order: Stages
Stage 1
Event 2
Stage 2
Event 3
Stage 3
Here is the first sentence of a paragraph
organized as a series of stages:
Children master language in predictable stages.
A Second Kind of Time Order:
Steps in a Process (Directions)
Time Order: Steps
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Here is the first sentence of a paragraph
organized as steps in a process:
Here is a six-step technique that will help you
relax quickly.
Chapter Review
In this chapter, you learned how authors use transitions and patterns of organization to
make their ideas clear. Just as transitions show relationships between ideas in sentences,
patterns of organization show relationships between supporting details in paragraphs and
longer pieces of writing.
You also learned two common kinds of relationships that authors use to make their ideas
clear:
Addition relationships
- Authors often present a list or series of reasons, examples, or other details that
support an idea. The items have no time order, but are listed in whatever order
the author prefers.
- Transition words that signal such addition relationships include for one thing,
second, also, in addition, and finally.
Time relationships
- Authors usually discuss a series of events or steps in the order in which they
happen, resulting in a time order.
- Transition words that signal such time relationships include first, next, then,
after, and last.
The next chapter—Chapter 6—will help you learn three other important kinds of
relationships: definition-example, comparison and/or contrast, and cause-effect.