Methods

of Development & Orders of Development

Ms. Gobeille
ENG3U

There are many ways to organize information in an essay. After brainstorming, main points
will become your supporting paragraphs. If you consider each one of these as a category,
your specific ideas and information should be organized into each category.

When you make your case in an essay, you use METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT. Typically,
essays use multiple methods to make their case.

Method of
What It Does Useful For
Development




Cause and

Effect








Compare and

Contrast








Process

Analysis







Classification
and Division




 Methods of Development & Orders of Development
Ms. Gobeille
ENG3U

Definition







Examples and
Illustration








Narration








Description








Allusion





 Methods of Development & Orders of Development
Ms. Gobeille
ENG3U

Analogy








Facts








Reference to

Authority








Refutation








Restatement





 Methods of Development & Orders of Development
Ms. Gobeille
ENG3U

Another important consideration when writing essays is how you order information.
Consider the following Organizational Patterns:
Organizational Pattern Useful For




Deductive








Inductive








Chronological








Spatial