PATTERN OF
DEVELOPMENT
IN WRITING
ACROSS
DISCIPLINES
S I T D O L O R A M E T

In order for you to become proficient
and fluent in using English language, it
is essential that you should develop the
four then, now five macro skills namely,
Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking,
and Viewing. In this course, we will be
focusing on the first two macro skills
mentioned hereof- Reading and Writing.

WHAT IS
WRITING?

Writing is a form of human
communication by means of a set of
visible marks that are related, by
convention, to some particular structural
level of language.

WHY IS
WRITING
IMPORTANT?

It’s the fuel that drives communication, and
communication serves as a framework for
society. Clear communication—and hence,
good writing—is critical because it
facilitates coworker collaborations, business
transactions and interpersonal interactions.

In short, no matter what you plan on doing with
your life or which academic fields interest you,
you will need to know how to write effectively.
It’s one reason why you can expect many college
courses to have a writing- and reading-intensive
curriculum. The more you practice your writing
skills, the more they will improve.

Written communication skills are essential for
allowing employees to coordinate their work,
collaborate with coworkers and respond to
clients. However, there are some hidden
attributes of a good writer.

Employers generally recognize that someone
who demonstrates good writing skills is more
likely to be someone who thinks clearly, knows
how to organize information and understands
how to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.
As a result, good writers may be more likely to
work well with other people. Plus, their ability to
organize information in logical ways can support
their problem-solving and decision-making
abilities.

When an employer sees employees or job candidates who
possess good writing skills, they tend to form the following
opinions about these people:
• They are intelligent. Grammatical errors, poorly formed
sentences and improper word choices can make a person seem
less intelligent than they might actually be.
• They are credible. Solid writing implies that the writer is
competent, and this leads to credibility and authoritativeness.
• They understand professionalism. A good writer is able to
convey professionalism in written communication.
• They are organized. The act of writing requires the careful
organization of information before it can be presented in a

NARRATION
Narration is pattern of writing that tells a story of an event or
an experience. You relate a sequence of events which reveals
something of importance (your main point), and all other
important events of your story (your supporting details) to
bring it to life with a detailed account of what happened-
Who was involved in the event? When did the event happen?
Where did the event occur? What is the focus of your
narrative? A concluding statement that emphasizes the main
point of your narrative is very important to make sure that
your readers understand the purpose of telling the story. A

Example:
When I was 11, my cousin and I discovered how
much fun it was to play in the mud. We would
pretend to be making mud pies. Sometimes we
would splatter each other in a game of war. One
day we imagined that we were pigs and flopped
down on our backs in a mud puddle. Then we had
a contest to see who could make the most
convincing oink. My mother came home, caught
wallowing, and threw a it. She said that we had
gotten our clothes filthy and would have to wash

DESCRIPTION
Description is writing by painting a word
picture of person, place, animal or thing
through sensory details to create a clear
and vivid impression of the topic. Let
your readers see what you see, hear
what you hear, smell what you smell,
taste what you taste and feel what you

A vivid description highlights the one
feature that most stands out about the topic
which is the so called dominant
impression. This becomes the topic
of the paragraph and will guide you in
choosing your supporting details which can
be 'objective' or ‘subjective'. Objective
details are your factual observation (what
you see, hear and touch) on the subject

Subjective details are your feelings or
opinions about what you are observing.
Details in a descriptive paragraph are
normally arranged in spatial order. To
end a descriptive paragraph, the
concluding statement must reinforce the
the focus of your description and the
general impression you want your

Example:
My favorite possession is a hand carved wooden fox given
to by one of my closest friends. His ears stand straight up
as if on the alert for guests. He holds his head high, proud
of his position in life. In his two front paws, he carries a
little round crystal candle holder containing a burgundy
candle. The fox is painted a dark burgundy, and he stands
on his hind legs as if offering to light my way through the
darkness. His tail trails along the ground, and he looks as
if, any minute, he could set down the candle and start
dancing a waltz. He's an elegant fox, and I never get tired

COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
Comparison shows the similarities and contrast tells
differences among subjects- people, objects, places,
animals, situations or ideas. Both subjects to be
compared and contrasted have to be identified clearly as
you write the topic sentence, and need to have enough
in common as basis of comparison. In other words, the
same points are used to compare and contrast your two
subjects. Supporting details of each point will show your
knowledge of both subjects which are in the same
general class like two pets, two movies or two friends.

A comparison-contrast paragraph can either just point
out the similarities or differences, or it can tackle either
using subject-by-subject comparison (block pattern) or
point-by-point comparison. In a subject-by-subject
comparison, all points about one subject are discussed
and then all points about the other subject. While in
point-by-point comparison, each point for both
subjects and then to the next point are discussed. In
concluding the comparison-contrast paragraph, a
reinforcement the main idea, restatement of the main
idea or writer's preference on what should be done are

CAUSE AND EFFECT
Cause and effect paragraphs are written to help your
readers understand why something happened or is
happening, and how one thing affects something else.
A cause is what made an event or particular thing
happen. An effect is what happens as a result of the
event. In a cause and effect paragraph, a causal
relationship must exist which means one event actually
caused another event and did not just come before it
in time.

The importance of the causes and effects to be
discussed must be considered. A cause and effect
paragraph explains either the causes of a
situation or event, or the effects of it, but does
both in the same piece of writing. Details are
usually arranged in climactic order- for example,
from least to most important.

Example:
(The example paragraph below examines the causes as the topic
sentence identifies the problem (effect) that is to be discussed.)
Newspapers are folding. Paper costs are high but loss of literate readers
is much higher. Forty-five percent of adult citizens do not read
newspapers. Only 10 percent abstain by choice. The rest have been
excluded by their inability to read. Even the most distinguished daily
papers are now written at an estimated tenth-grade level. Magazines
such as the Nation, New Republic, Time, Newsweek, and the National
Review are written at a minimum of twelfth-grade level. Circulation
battles represent a competition for the largest piece of a diminished pie.
Enlargement of that pie does not yet seem to have occurred to those
who enter these increasingly unhappy competitions. The only successful
major paper to be launched in the last decade, USA Today, relies on a
simplistic lexicon, large headlines, color photographs, and fanciful

DEFINITION
Definition tells what a word means to have a
clear understanding of any word especially
technical words, slang and specialized words
used in the paragraph. A definition paragraph
includes the three components of a formal
definition which are term to be defined, the
general class to which the term belongs, and the
characteristics that make the term different from
all other terms in that class.

Its topic sentence identifies the term to be
defined, and the rest of the paragraph develops
the definition by examples, by outlining a
process, or by using one or more of the patterns
of development. Defining by negation, that is
telling what the term is not, can also be used.

CLASSIFICATION
Classification is another type of paragraph development
that involves sorting of items(people, things, ideas) into
categories. The topic sentence of a classification
paragraph states the topic being classified and how it is
being classified. Each of the categories must differ from
each other with distinct information which will be sorted
accordingly. Supporting details are examples of the
categories into which the topic has been sorted.
Chronological, Spatial and Climactic orders may be used
for this type of paragraph.

PROBLEM-SOLUTION
Problem-solution is a type of writing that
identifies a problem and proposes solutions, and
persuades your readers that the problem has to
be addressed. Your problem-solution essay
begins by identifying the problem to your reader
and by conveying to them the importance of
solving the problem. Inform them about the
problem.

Evidences must be presented in the body part of
the essay to show the existence of the problem.
Then persuade them that a possible solution
must be done. In the concluding part, your
readers must be reminded of the problem and
the solution, thus, a forceful question to reinforce
the urgency of addressing the problem must be
stated. A climactic order is normally used for
developing the essay.

PERSUASION
Persuasion is writing that takes a stand on an
issue and also examines opposing viewpoints.
Evidences to support your position about an
idea or issue must be presented to convince
your readers. Your evidences must include the
following: statement of facts, statement of
opinion, statistics, and first-hand experience

A forceful statement that briefly
acknowledges your opposition, restates
your position, reinforces your reason for
your position, calls to action or states a
prediction can conclude your persuasive
paragraph.

TOPIC SUMMARY:
Narration is the act of telling a story, usually in
some kind of chronological order.
The purpose of persuasion in writing is to
convince or move readers toward a certain point
of view, or opinion.
Cause and effect is a method of paragraph or
essay development in which a writer analyzes the
reasons for—and/or the consequences of—an
action, event, or decision.

TOPIC SUMMARY:
The primary purpose of descriptive writing is to
describe a person, place or thing in such a way that a
picture is formed in the reader's mind.
Problem-solution is pattern in writing that divides
information into two main sections, one that describes
a problem and one that describes a solution.
Compare and contrast is a rhetorical style that
discusses the similarities and differences of two or
more things: ideas, concepts, items, places, etc.

TOPIC SUMMARY:
Definition explains what something is in
comparison to other members of its class, along
with any limitations.
Classification is a method of paragraph or essay
development in which a writer arranges people,
objects, or ideas with shared characteristics into
classes or groups