Organization in Illustration
Illustration often uses order of importance, saving the most powerful example for last. This strategy is used in the paragraph and essay models on pages 135–37. Or, if the examples are given according to when they happened, it might be organized by time order.
Transitions in illustration let readers know that you are introducing an example or moving from one example to another.
Common Transitions in Illustration
| also | first, second, and so on | for instance | in addition |
| another | for example | for one thing/for another | the most/the least |
| finally | one example/another example |
PRACTICE 4 Using Transitions in Illustration
Read the paragraph that follows, and fill in the blanks with transitions.
Greek myths include many heroes, such as the great warriors Achilles and Herakles. ____________, the myths describe several monsters that tested the heroes’ strength. ____________ of these frightening creatures was the Hydra, a water serpent with many heads. When a warrior cut off one of these heads, two or more would sprout up in its place. ____________ of these mythical monsters was the Gorgons, three sisters who had snakes for hair. Any person who looked into the Gorgons’ eyes would turn to stone. ____________ terrifying monster was Cerberus, a three-headed dog with snapping jaws. He guarded the gates to the underworld, keeping the living from entering and the dead from leaving. Fortunately, some heroes’ cleverness equaled the monsters’ hideousness. ____________, Herakles discovered that by applying a torch to the wounds of the Hydra, he could prevent the creature from growing more heads. ____________, Orpheus, a famous mythical musician, soothed Cerberus by plucking the strings of a lyre. In this way, Orpheus got past the beast and entered the underworld, from which he hoped to rescue his wife.
