Paragraph and
Sentence Strategy:
Moving From Known (Old) Information to Unknown (New)
Information
Strategy 2—Using Repetition of the Topic to Refer
to the Known
Let’s review the following passage and observe the
inconsistencies in the order of known and new
information.
Chocolate does more than just taste good—it has
physiological effects. Spurts of energy are provided by
caffeine, which is contained in chocolate. A sense of
relaxation and comfort is caused by endorphins that it
releases. A cannaboid, when consumed in very large
quantities, can lead to altered states of consciousness.
The first sentence establishes the topic of chocolate,
thereby making it known information. It then moves on to
newer information by saying that “it” has physiological
effects, which then becomes additional known
information. However, the second sentence begins with
new information about spurts of energy that are caused
by caffeine. The reader has to get all the way to the
end of the sentence to figure out that the author is
still discussing chocolate. A similar situation takes
places in the third and fourth sentences as well.
Here’s a revised version of the passage:
Chocolate does more than just taste good—it has
physiological effects. Chocolate contains caffeine,
which provides spurts of energy. It releases endorphins,
which create a sense of relaxation and comfort.
Chocolate also contains a cannaboid which, when consumed
in very large quantities, can lead to altered states of
consciousness.
The author takes full advantage of known-to-new
organization in the revised paragraph above. The reader
can now smoothly follow the author’s ideas and move from
the beginning to the end of each sentence without having
to stop and think. It is clear at the beginning of each
sentence that the author is talking about chocolate, and
the latter halves of all the sentences contain the new
information.
Go to Strategy
3—Using the Known to Link to the Preceding Sentences
Copyright 2006 by the Academic Center and the University
of Houston-Victoria.
Created 2006 by Kelli Trungale. |
