Use Time Order to Write about Events

Use time order (chronological order) to arrange points according to when they happened. Time order works best when you are writing about events.

EXAMPLE USING TIME ORDER

Officer Meredith Pavlovic’s traffic stop of August 23, 2011, was fairly typical of an investigation and arrest for drunk driving. First, at around 12:15 a.m. that day, she noticed that the driver of a blue Honda Civic was acting suspiciously. The car was weaving between the fast and center lanes of Interstate 93 North near exit 12. In addition, it was proceeding at approximately 45 mph in a 55 mph zone. Therefore, Officer Pavlovic took the second step of pulling the driver over for a closer investigation. The driver’s license told Officer Pavlovic that the driver was twenty-six-year-old Paul Brownwell. Brownwell’s red eyes, slurred speech, and alcohol-tainted breath told Officer Pavlovic that Brownwell was very drunk. But she had to be absolutely sure. Thus, as a next step, she tested his balance and blood alcohol level. The results were that Brownwell could barely get out of the car, let alone stand on one foot. Also, a breathalyzer test showed that his blood alcohol level was 0.13, well over the legal limit of 0.08. These results meant an arrest for Brownwell, an unfortunate outcome for him, but a lucky one for other people on the road at that time.