Toefl exam Essentials

1. chronological order (time)
2. order of importance
3. comparison and contrast
4. cause and effect
Chronological order describes events in the order that they
happened, will happen, or should happen. History texts, mem-
oir, personal essays, and instructions often use this organization.
Writers often provide clues in the form of transitional words or
phrases to guide readers through events. Here are some common
chronological transitions:
first, second, third
before
after
Next
now
then
when
as soon as
Immediately
suddenly
soon during
while
Meanwhile
later
Finally
in the meantime
at last
eventually
afterward

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READING
101
Order of importance arranges ideas by rank instead of time.
Writers may organize their ideas:
■
by increasing importance (least important idea
→most
important idea), or
■
by decreasing importance (most important idea
→least
important idea)
Newspaper articles follow the principle of decreasing impor-
tance; they give the most important information first (the who,
what, when, where, and why about an event). Arguments may fol-
low the principle of increasing importance, saving the most per-
suasive points for the end. Transitions offer clues about this type
of organizational pattern, too. The following are common tran-
sitions used to indicate order of importance:
first and foremost
most important
more important
moreover
above all
first, second, third
last but not least
finally