Writing and Study Skills Clinic

Writing and Study Skills Clinic Coherent Transitions and Structured Writing

Overview • Transitioning as organizational framework • Transitioning as logical connector • Transitioning as logical progression

American Academic Writing • Creating levels of meaning • Establishing a pattern of organization • Determining the elements necessary to fulfill the requirements of the promise you’ve made the reader • Recognizing how the sections or parts of your work fit together to work toward the meaning of the whole

Coherent Transitions • Transitions at the same or similar levels need to reflect the same structure, or word patterns so that the reader feels on firm ground. • Organizing principles include: • Purpose, focus • Conditions necessary for argument to exist • Proving relationships • Tracing chronology • Informing • Convincing

Common Patterns of Organization • Definition • 6 ways to define in English • Example • Illustrating by best or worst case scenario • Classification • Types or kinds • Cause/effect • Ramifications, catalysts • Compare/contrast • Juxtapose • Problem/solution • Explaining and positing • Process • Steps, ways • Persuasion • In the best of all worlds

Areas of shift • When to transition at the most general level of your work: • When you are focusing on some element further explaining a piece of the whole. This can include: • Definitions • Detractions • When allowing the type of section to take dominance in the overall focus of the paper: • Lit Review • Methodology • Results • Discussion

Keeping the ideas together • Topic sentences are the litmus test of a well-structured paper. When maintaining one train of thought, certain conventions include: • Using demonstrative pronouns • This theory, these elements, that choice • Using adjectival coordinators • Another limitation, The other places, Further explanations, Such character traits • Using quotes

Moving the ideas apart • When moving the argument along, transitional elements include: • Introductory adverbial elements • Relationships of opposition, addition, summation, and the like • In the end • However • Not to be outdone • “Strong” universal noun structures • The subject and/or object are prefaced by “the” or zero article • Society • The male orangutan • Parallel structures to previously introduced levels

When reading • Recognizing the author’s intent and his structure to fulfill that intent will keep the flow clear and allow for skimming and scanning. • What conventions best fulfill the coherent needs of your field of study? In what settings? • Nouns? Adjectives? The organizational patterns? • Being able to identify the ideas that SHOULD follow also determines strong coherence and enables the reader to more readily see gaps in the logic or overall structure.

When writing • Outlining each section with the main idea firmly affixed to the beginning, and allowing for the tangents necessary to shore up weaknesses and meet the audience’s requirements will help you decide how to direct the reader’s attention. • Allowing for multiple paragraph explanations from the planning stage will ensure you don’t skimp on the details/ will allow for rich textual interplay/will guide you in further research and exposition.

Need more support? • Call to make an appointment: • 657-278-2738 • Check out the complete list of our workshops: • On Facebook: • Cal State Fullerton Graduate Students • Grad Studies Website: • http://www.fullerton.edu/graduate/ulc/ • ULC Website: • http://fullerton.edu/ulc/graduate_workshop.asp

Writing and Study Skills Clinic