Use order of importance to arrange points according to their significance, interest, or surprise value. Save the most important point for last.
EXAMPLE USING ORDER OF IMPORTANCE
Fires caused by human carelessness often have disastrous effects on people’s lives. In a recent incident, when an apartment building was completely destroyed by a fire, the owner and tenants had no homes to return to. They also lost all of their possessions: furniture, clothing, and irreplaceable treasured personal items. Worse than that, however, was that the owner and many of the tenants had no insurance to help them find new housing and replace their possessions. Many had to depend completely on relatives, friends, and a fund that was started for them by neighbors. The most disastrous effect of the fire, however, was that many tenants lost their beloved pets. While firefighters bravely rescued all the people, they were not able to save all the animals. Carelessness has no place around fire, which has the power to destroy.
As you arrange your ideas, consider what your purpose for writing is and what kind of organization would work best to make your main point. Some examples follow in the chart.
| PURPOSE | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|
|
To describe an experience To explain how something works To explain how to do something |
Chronological |
|
To help your reader visualize whatever you are describing as you see it To create an impression using your senses — taste, touch, sight, smell, sound To re- |
Spatial |
|
To persuade or convince someone To make a case for or against something |
Importance |