Sequencing?
People often think of numbers when they hear the word sequence. The numbers “1,2,3,4” are in sequence. Sentences and paragraphs are also placed in sequence.
What is sequencing?
Sequence refers to the order that symbols appear. The sequence “1,2,3,4” is a logical sequence. There is pattern to the numbers. The numbers are arranged from smallest to largest. They could have been arranged in a different sequence. Likewise, there are a number of different ways to logically organize sentences.
Writers typically arrange sentences, paragraphs, and ideas in one of several patterns. Common patterns include:
| Spatial | (near to far) |
| Chronological | (first to last) |
| Logical order | (first step to last step) |
| Specificity | (general to specific) |
| Familiarity | (known to unknown) |
| Comparative | (alternating similarities) |
| Importance | (least important to most important) |
| Cause and effect | (alternating cause and effect) |