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 Course 3 > Unit 2 > General Writing
General Writing: Paragraph Development by Chronological Sequence

One logical way to develop a paragraph is to arrange the supporting details on the basis of time order, from the beginning to the middle to the end. This kind of chronological organization is typical of a sequence in which earlier occurrences precede later ones. In this way the writer virtually leads the reader step by step to the completeness of an event by well-placed transitions or the clarity of instructions.

Examine the following paragraph and identify the time order with the help of those underlined transitional signals.

Sample:
On May 20th,1927, just after ten to eight in the morning, Lindbergh's "Spirit of St Louis" struggled into the air from a New York airfield. For several hours the weight of the petrol prevented the young pilot from flying more than a few feet above the wave-tops. Night came and thick fog covered up the stars. Lindbergh flew steadily on, hoping that his course was the right one. He struggled to keep awake, checking the fuel all the time to keep mind active. Throughout the next day the "Spirit of St Louis" flew on over the seemingly limitless sea. Then a fishing boat appeared, and, an hour later, land. It was Ireland. Lindbergh set a compass course for Paris. By ten o'clock the lights of France's capital shining beneath him. Tired, unshaved, suddenly hungry, the flying hero came down to Le Bourget airport, and landed in front of a huge crowd of wildly cheering people. After 34 hours of continuous piloting, the flight of 3,600 miles was over.

 
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