TACHS: Written Expression: organization

A method you can use

1. Establish the paragraph’s purpose before evaluating an opening, ending, inserted sentence or transition. Label the role of each sentence: introduction, evidence, explanation, contrast or conclusion. The best revision connects those roles without changing the writer’s claim.
2. Original example: “The garden needed less water after volunteers spread mulch around the seedlings. The mulch slowed evaporation from the soil.” A relevant concluding sentence is “Keeping moisture in the soil reduced the need for extra watering.” A sentence about the volunteers’ favorite flowers introduces a new topic and does not finish this explanation.
3. When placing a sentence, look for a pronoun, repeated term, cause or time marker that needs earlier information. A transition such as however signals a contrast; therefore signals a consequence. Select the actual relationship instead of choosing the most formal-sounding word.
4. Transfer: “The path was shorter. It crossed a muddy field.” If the next sentence explains why walkers still chose the paved route, however can introduce that choice because it contrasts with the shorter distance. Therefore would falsely suggest that the shorter path itself caused the paved route to be selected.

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Related section practice

45 practice questions cover this skill. Try a set below or use the question bank for more.