Narration Use narration to establish a series of events that tells the reader what happened.

Narrationfollows a chronological pattern of development. It is a convincing mode of paragraph development to the extent that it tells a coherent story. This pattern or time line is usually very easy to understand. In the following narrative, the firstnarrative paragraph is followed by two descriptive paragraphs. Note the use of transitional words such asthereafter, first, next, and after. Process Use process in paragraphs to develop sequences that describe how an action is carried out orhow something works. The following paragraph shows a typical sequential treatment of a generalphysical phenomenon. Note the concentration of process verbssuch as to find, samples, sums, andprovides. Description Use descriptive prose to provide a physical picture or a functional view of the subject. Physicaldescription develops a picture by identifying the shapes, materials, position, and functions of itssubject. Such prose often serves as the raw material for more elaborate forms of analyticalprose. Analogy Use analogy to explain one object or process in terms of another. The aptness of the analogy isgenerally a point of subtle judgment. Some analogies are more valid than others. Comparing anapple to the space shuttle is not likely to be an effective analogy. Explaining the Internet byreference to a highway system might make a better analogy. In the following analogy, a bodyinfection is compared with an invading army of attack organisms. Cause and Effect Use cause and effect in paragraphs when you are tracking the development of one situation or eventout of another. Cause and effect is an analytical mode of paragraphdevelopment that attempts to show how events are influenced by or caused by others--thelinkage of causation. In the following paragraph the development follows the inductive pattern ofreasoning from effects back to causes. Definition Develop paragraphs by definition when you want to setworking generalizations that will help control the meaning and scope of important terms. Defining is an effective way of controlling the scope ofterms. In the following paragraph, an extended definition is used as part of the introduction to a research article. The intention here is both to establish the terms of the discourse and to establish the importanceof the subject. By exploring the meaning of the term bimetals, the writer creates ashared concept that focuses the discussion that follows. Note the use of other devices, such asfunctional description and enumeration. Analysis Analysis examines a subject by evaluating one of its aspects--weighing evidence and possible causal linkages. It resemblesother forms of paragraph development,especially classification and division. The objectof analysis, however, is to get to the center of how somethingworks. The following paragraph considers the link betweencancer, poverty, and stress. Enumeration Use enumeration in paragraphs when you want to itemize or list aset of topics or a series of some kind. Enumeration is apowerful way to establish a series of observations and toemphasize each element. In the following paragraph, the itemsare enumerated in a series of itemized recommendations. Comparison and Contrast Use comparison and contrast to develop a topic by examining its similarities or dissimilarities toanother thing, process, or state. Comparison emphasizes the similarities, contrast the differences. A paragraph may use both comparison and contrast. In the following example, two kinds ofelectrical cable are compared. The aim here is to convey the superiority of A over B for twocategories of performance.