Organization
Order ideas so each sentence builds on the last. Look for clues that link sentences.
The rules
- Find the sentence that introduces the topic. It usually comes first.
- Look for pronouns and phrases that point backward (this, these, that, the former). The sentence they refer to has to come before.
- Look for time words (first, then, finally) and chronology.
- For "where should this sentence go" questions, put it right after the sentence it depends on and before the one that depends on it.
Watch out: Placing a sentence where it makes sense on its own but breaks the next sentence's reference. Always reread the neighbors.
Worked example
Sentence A: "It took three years to build." Sentence B: "The old library was finally finished in 1952." Which comes first?
- Sentence A uses "It," which needs a noun before it.
- Sentence B names the library.
- So B comes first.
Answer: B, then A
Try it yourself
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