Organising information and signposting
In a nutshell
Organising information and ideas is an essential step in any writing process. When done right, you create a framework that identifies key points that can be used in your writing. In this summary, you will learn different ways to organise information and ideas effectively.
Paragraphs
Paragraphs create sections used to cover points that shape your writing. Paragraphs should be organised around the overall purpose you want to communicate in your writing. Below is an example of how you might organise paragraphs based on the following writing task:
Example
Write an article to convince people that recycling makes a difference to the environment.
Paragraph Structure | Paragraph Content |
Introduction | - Begin by explaining the problem. - You could write about the climate crisis we are facing and how necessary it has become for people to get involved and be more accountable for their contributions to this crisis. - Let readers know what you will be covering in this article.
|
Point 1: two paragraphs | Paragraph 1: - Point 1: Recycling reduces landfill usage.
- State how bad landfills are for the environment and what happens if people don't care to recycle. Insert an example. Paragraph 2:
- State the ways recycling has reduced landfill usage in a certain place and the positive impact, i.e. reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases within the area. |
Point 2: two paragraphs | Paragraph 3: - Point 2: Recycling reduces pollution. - State the negative effects of pollution. Paragraph 4: - State the direct and indirect impact that recycling has on pollution levels. |
Counterpoint: two paragraphs | Paragraph 5: - Counterpoint: Corporations produce most of these environmental issues. - Here, you acknowledge why people may not be convinced to recycle. - Individuals cannot make a big difference until these large corporations change how they treat the environment. Paragraph 6: - Your job in this paragraph will be to answer the following: Why should people feel responsible when they are not the leading contributors to this crisis? - State how individuals should not avoid their part in caring for the environment just because they are not the leading producers of waste. - Paint a picture that shows the detrimental impact on the world if everybody stopped making small changes. |
Conclusion | - Bring all your points together. - Relay the benefits. - Relay the necessity of people caring. |
Signposting
Signposting is a method whereby you use phrases or words to guide the reader through written content. It allows you to link ideas, sentences and paragraphs together. By signposting, you can keep your ideas related to one another while being able to bring in new points that add to the topic.
Examples
- Furthermore
- In addition
- Comparatively
- In comparison
- Similarly
- In the same way
- To summarise
- In conclusion
Types of sentences
Using a variety of sentence types in your writing is a great way to keep your readers engaged. Below is a table that outlines the three types of sentences along with some examples.
Sentence Type
| example | Sentence type attributes
|
Simple sentences | I enjoy writing stories.
| 1. Main clause - 'I enjoy'
2. Verb - 'writing' 3. Object - 'stories.' |
Compound sentences | I love eating good food, so I tend to eat out a lot.
| 1. Two main clauses 2. Connective that connects the two main clauses - 'so' |
Complex sentences | My dad's guitar, which is from the '80s, is a collector's item. | 1. Main clause 2. Subordinate clause combined with the main clause - 'which is from the '80s' |
Varying sentence structures
Along with having a clear structure to your writing, it should also be a priority to make your writing engaging for readers. Varying the structure of your sentences is an easy way to achieve this. Generally, you can vary sentence structures by:
- Adding transitional phrases or words
- Compounding sentences
- Changing sentence lengths
- Using pronouns
- Switching phrases around
