Organization and
Structure
Structure is the arrangement of
details in a work of literature. (How
the supporting information is
organized)
Identifying structure is
important because it
can help you
determine an author’s
purpose for writing.
Purpose
• To entertain
• To explain (informational)
• To persuade
• To describe
To Entertain
To Explain
To Persuade
To Describe
Literature is classified as either
fiction or nonfiction.
Fiction – Short-stories,
poems, novels, plays
Non-fiction – Feature
Articles, editorials, letters,
speeches, memoirs, or
(auto) biography
Organization of
Fiction
Fiction is arranged in
chronological order – the
order of time. (as on a timeline)
Chronological order Flash backs and flash
forwards are considered
part of this type of
arrangement.
Fiction writers use dates, time
references, and can use time order
transitions to show when events
happen! Examples of time transitions:
After
At length
Before
Currently
During
Eventually
First
Second, etc.
Finally
Immediately
Meanwhile Next
Then
Later
Soon
today
Example of chronological
arrangement
Dogs were the first animals to be
domesticated, probably as far back
as thirteen thousand years ago. Two
or three thousand years passed
before humans began to domesticate
sheep, goats, and pigs. Later,
farmers raised cattle for food and
milk.
Organization of Nonfiction
Nonfiction (true or real
world writing) can also be
arranged chronologically,
but it can have other forms
of organization as well.
Organization of Non-fiction:
# 1 - Cause And
Effect
what happened
and why
Example of cause and effect
arrangement of non-fiction
In 1988 an earthquake hit San
Francisco. Buildings rocked on
their foundations and some
collapsed. Gas mains ruptured
causing fires to break out in the
city. Telephone and electric service
was cut off, and a large number of
people were killed.
Organization of Non-fiction
# 2 Compare and
Contrast
How two or more people,
places, or things are the
same or different.
Example of compare and
contrast arrangement
Hurricanes cause more widespread
destruction than tornadoes. The wind
speeds in a hurricane are usually slower
than those in a tornado. However,
hurricanes can last for hours or days
and may be very wide, but tornadoes
last for a short time and cover only a
narrow path.
Organization of Non-fiction
#3 Hierarchy
Arranged by the rank or order of
importance, size, or difficulty from
least to greatest
(typical transition words: more
importantly, still harder, even more
damaging, worse yet, etc…)
Example of hierarchal
arrangement of non-fiction
There have been a number of disasters
that are memorable for the devastation
they caused. The San Francisco
Earthquake claimed a number of lives.
Worse than that was the collapse of the
World Trade Towers, but the disaster that
has been the worst in recent memory is
the tsunami that claimed millions of lives
on December 26th.
Organization of Non-fiction
#4 PROCESS
ANALYSIS
How-to descriptions (These
are also considered
chronological)
Example of process (how to)
arrangement of non-fiction.
When baking cookies it is best to beat
the butter and sugar together first.
Then add the eggs and beat again. The
next step is to stir in the flour mixture
and chocolate chips. The final step is to
drop teaspoons full of the mixture onto
a cookie sheet and bake.
Organization of Non-fiction.
#5 SPATIAL ORDER
Items are described
according to their
physical positions (up
and down, side to side)
Example of spatial order
arrangement of non-fiction:
You probably know where Australia is,
but some of its neighbors may be less
familiar. New Zealand is a pair of
islands across the Tasman Sea,
southeast of Australia. New Guinea is
just to the north of the eastern end of
the small continent, and New Caledonia
is due east.
Organization of Non-fiction
#6 Logical
Arranged
according to types
or traits
Example of Logical organization
Disasters can be classified into
different categories. Natural
disasters include things like
earthquakes, tsunamis, and
hurricanes. Man-made
disasters can include terrorist
attacks, wars, or explosions.
Quick review:
Fiction is typically arranged in
chronological order.
Non-fiction can be arranged in a
number of ways such as:
chronological, spatial, compare and
contrast, hierarchy, cause and
effect, process, or logical.
The End!!!!!