Reading Comprehension

PATTERNS OF ORGANIZATION

In this chapter you will learn to recognize four basic patterns that writers often use in developing their ideas. Finding the pattern helps you find the main idea. Here, there are four common patterns:

1.    Listing of Related Ideas or Examples

In this pattern, the writer’s main idea is stated in the form of a generalization. This is followed by a list of supporting details.

Example:

People have many different ideas about what makes a great vacation. Some people like to go for long walks in the forest, where they won’t see anyone for days. Others prefer to spend their holiday in an exciting city. There they can visit museums, theatres, and good restaurants. Still others enjoy the fresh air at the seashore. They can spend their days at the beach and listen to the ocean waves at night. A few people decide to stay at home and do some major household projects. They might spend their vacation painting on porch or washing all the windows in their apartment. 

Look at the underlined words. They will tell you each time the author lists another way to spend vacation. These underlined words are signal words. Each signal words refer to the author’s examples.

2.    Sequence

In this pattern, the writer’s main idea includes a series of events or steps that follow one after another.

Example:

Albert Einstein was born near the end of the 1800s in Ulm, Germany. He graduated from the University of Zurich in Switzerland at the age of 26. Fourteen years later he won the Nobel Prize for Physics. For the next ten years he lived in Germany. Then, in the early 1930s, he had to leave Germany because of Hitler and the Nazi Party. He moved to the United States, where he lived until the time of his death at the age of 74. He lived a long and productive life.

In this paragraph, the main idea is Albert Einstein lived a long and productive life. The signal words helps you notice the time of important events in his life.

3.    Comparison/Contrast

In this pattern, the writer’s main idea explains similarities and/or differences.

Example:

Visitors see some similarities between New York and San Francisco. Both cities, for example, are exciting cultural centers. They are equally attractive to people from many parts of the world. The cities are also alike because they both have many beautiful buildings, large, lovely parks and grand bridges. On the other hand, the two cities have important differences. One difference is the lifestyle. New Yorkers are always in a hurry and are much less friendly than residents of San Francisco. The streets in the California city are very clean, unlike New York, where the streets are often dirty. Another major difference is safety: San Francisco has much less crime than New York.

The main idea of this paragraph is: There are both similarities and differences between New York and San Francisco. The signal words refer to each similarities and differences that mentioned by the author.

4.    Cause and Effect

When the main idea is that one event or action causes another, authors use the cause and effect pattern.

Example:

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled millions of gallons of oil in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Biologists who have studied the local wildlife have noted the consequences of the spill. It has resulted in a great decline in the number of birds in the area. The spill also has caused many young harbor seals to suffer from brain damage and death. Killer whales also felt the impact of the spill. Since 1989, more than one third of the whale population has disappeared. 

The main idea of this paragraph is: the oil spill in Alaska resulted in many harmful effects on animals. The signal words refer to each cause and effect that mentioned by the author.