Organization and Structure

Structure is the arrangement of details in a work of literature. (How

the supporting information is organized)

Identifying structure is important because it

can help you determine an author’s purpose for writing.

Purpose

• To entertain

• To explain (informational)

• To persuade

• To describe

To Entertain

To Explain

To Persuade

To Describe

Literature is classified as either fiction or nonfiction.

Fiction – Short-stories, poems, novels, plays

Non-fiction – Feature Articles, editorials, letters,

speeches, memoirs, or

(auto) biography

Organization of Fiction

Fiction is arranged in chronological order – the order of time. (as on a timeline)

Chronological order -

Flash backs and flash forwards are considered

part of this type of arrangement.

Fiction writers use dates, time references, and can use time order transitions to show when events happen! Examples of time transitions:

After At length Before Currently

During Eventually First Second, etc.

Finally Immediately Meanwhile Next

Then Later Soon today

Example of chronological arrangement

Dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, probably as far back

as thirteen thousand years ago. Two or three thousand years passed

before humans began to domesticate sheep, goats, and pigs. Later,

farmers raised cattle for food and milk.

Organization of Nonfiction

Nonfiction (true or real world writing) can also be arranged chronologically,

but it can have other forms of organization as well.

Organization of Non-fiction:

# 1 - Cause And Effect

what happened and why

Example of cause and effect arrangement of non-fiction

In 1988 an earthquake hit San Francisco. Buildings rocked on

their foundations and some collapsed. Gas mains ruptured causing fires to break out in the

city. Telephone and electric service was cut off, and a large number of

people were killed.

Organization of Non-fiction

# 2 Compare and Contrast

How two or more people, places, or things are the

same or different.

Example of compare and contrast arrangement

Hurricanes cause more widespread destruction than tornadoes. The wind

speeds in a hurricane are usually slower than those in a tornado. However,

hurricanes can last for hours or days and may be very wide, but tornadoes last for a short time and cover only a

narrow path.

Organization of Non-fiction

#3 Hierarchy

Arranged by the rank or order of importance, size, or difficulty from

least to greatest

(typical transition words: more importantly, still harder, even more

damaging, worse yet, etc…)

Example of hierarchal arrangement of non-fiction

There have been a number of disasters that are memorable for the devastation

they caused. The San Francisco Earthquake claimed a number of lives. Worse than that was the collapse of the World Trade Towers, but the disaster

that has been the worst in recent memory is the tsunami that claimed millions of

lives on December 26th.

Organization of Non-fiction

#4 PROCESS ANALYSIS

How-to descriptions (These are also considered

chronological)

Example of process (how to) arrangement of non-fiction.

When baking cookies it is best to beat the butter and sugar together first.

Then add the eggs and beat again. The next step is to stir in the flour mixture

and chocolate chips. The final step is to drop teaspoons full of the mixture onto

a cookie sheet and bake.

Organization of Non-fiction.

#5 SPATIAL ORDER

Items are described according to their

physical positions (up and down, side to side)

Example of spatial order arrangement of non-fiction:

You probably know where Australia is, but some of its neighbors may be less

familiar. New Zealand is a pair of islands across the Tasman Sea,

southeast of Australia. New Guinea is just to the north of the eastern end of

the small continent, and New Caledonia is due east.

Organization of Non-fiction

#6 Logical

Arranged according to types

or traits

Example of Logical organization

Disasters can be classified into different categories. Natural disasters include things like earthquakes, tsunamis, and

hurricanes. Man-made disasters can include terrorist attacks, wars, or explosions.

Quick review:

Fiction is typically arranged in chronological order.

Non-fiction can be arranged in a number of ways such as:

chronological, spatial, compare and contrast, hierarchy, cause and

effect, process, or logical.

The End!!!!!