DUPE
n. easily deceived person;
Example: "She felt like a dupe after falling for
the trick.“
"He tried to dupe me with a fake story."
Reading and
Writing Skills
Definitio
n
Using definition to develop an idea helps to
clarify and explain concepts by answering the
question “What does it mean?” This pattern
explains the information through the use of
illustrations, examples, and descriptions. It may
also include one or more different patterns.
Definitio
n
Take note of the term to be defined and the
detailed explanation of the term as these are the
most important parts of this pattern. You can also
use a spider map to better understand a
definition text. The following signal words will
also help you in identifying this pattern.
Exemplificatio
n
An exemplification pattern presents the
general statement and then provides specific and
concrete examples to expound on the main idea.
Simply put, this pattern is used to provide an
example of something.
Exemplificatio
n
Pay attention to the main idea and the
specific examples, as these are the most
important parts of this pattern. You can use a
spider map to better understand an
exemplification text. The following signal
words will also help you in identifying
exemplifications.
Description
(Sensory &
Spatial)
A descriptive pattern basically provides
details on the idea by using either a sensory
or spatial pattern. Through a sensory pattern,
ideas are arranged based on one or all of the
five senses. A spatial pattern, on the other
hand, arranges ideas by location or physical
space.
Description
(Sensory &
Spatial)
The most important elements of this
pattern are the types description used (i.e.,
evocative or informational; spatial or
sensory), the clustering of details, and the
progression of description. A concept map
can be used to understand descriptive texts.
The following signal words will also help you
in identifying such pattern.
Chronology
A chronological pattern organizes ideas
or events according to time. It can either be
in the form of a narration or a process. A
narration sequences events in the order in
which they occurred in time, while a process
organizes details based on stages or steps.
Chronology
The most essential parts of this pattern
are the main idea, major dates and events
such as the final outcome, major
steps/stages, and of course, the order of
presentation. To better comprehend a text
that follows a chronological or procedural
pattern, a chain of events or a cycle can be
used. The following signal words will also help
you in identifying this pattern.
Listing
A listing pattern organizes ideas using
enumeration. Unlike a chronological pattern,
listing does not require the items to be
sequenced chronologically because it does
not have the element of time. It basically
presents a series of items (facts, examples,
features, reasons, and tips) that support a
main idea. Make sure to pay attention to
these essential aspects when writing down
your notes.
Comparison
- Contrast
A comparison-and-contrast pattern organizes
ideas based on how events, places, people, things,
and concepts are similar to or different from one
another. There are two ways on how ideas can be
arranged: separately, which involves describing one
item first followed by the second item: or side-by-
side, which means discussing both items based on
each point of comparison. The sample text on page
compares and contrasts two items side-by-side.
Comparison
- Contrast
Concentrate on the most important parts of a
comparison-contrast pattern: the purpose of
comparison, points of comparison, and the actual
similarities and differences of the items being
compared. Try using a Venn diagram or a
compare/contrast matrix to better understand this
pattern of development. The following signal words
will also help you in identifying such pattern.
Classificatio
n-Division
A classification pattern organizes ideas into
categories or division based on criteria and
standards. This pattern can be used when classifying
people, objects, events, things, places, and other
items. Make sure to always double-check whether
each term is undeniably part of a certain category.
Avoid oversimplifying just so you may be able to
assign something to a category, as it may result in
stereotyping.
Classificatio
n-Division
Take note of the superordinate (name of the larger
group) ideas, the subordinate (subcategories of a
larger group) ideas, and the relationship between
them, since these are the most important parts of
this pattern. You can also use a network tree to
better understand this pattern. The following signal
words will also help you in identifying a pattern.
Cause and
Effect
A cause-and-effect pattern organizes
details based on the cause, the reason, and the
result or consequences of a certain
phenomenon. This pattern may discuss both the
causes and effects, the causes only, or the
effects only.
Cause and
Effect
To better comprehend a text that follows
a cause-and-effect pattern, a fishbone map
can be used. Other graphic organizers that
can be used are as follows:
