Second, each division, be it a part, chapter, section or paragraph, should deal
with “one” item or idea. The level of generality of the item or idea lying within
each division will of
course be determined by the location of the subdivision
within the hierarchy of headings. The item or idea, though, may be simple or
complex, static or developed and with or without components.
Status
One of the ways to structure writing well and to ensure clarity is to be
conscious of, and then to indicate clearly, the status of each proposition. The
status of a proposition is its place in the structure. It may be a summary or a
contradiction, the cause or effect, the basic premise or a passing observation,
the classic view or the modern, a major link in the structure or an aside, a
rejected view or an exception, a consequence or a conclusion.
It is particularly important to indicate to the reader which propositions are
basic. Do this in any of several
ways. State that they are basic propositions.
State the propositions early in the piece. Dwell on the proposition. For
example, amplify the proposition, say it more than once, say it in short form
then expand it, give an apt or memorable quotation. Give an example, or better
still, a contrasting array of examples, for example a simple example, a counter
intuitive example and an unusual example.
It is interesting that a common failing for writers is to slip up in their treatment
of basic propositions. In the worst case they omit them altogether. In other
cases they gloss over them or treat them implicitly. The reason for this is
probably that the writer is so familiar with the material that they forget that the
point is basic. This bears out the saying that
the hardest thing to see is the
ground that you are standing on.
Apart from articulating the status of a proposition in the text it is possible in
some cases to indicate its status by the use of headings. There is a
presumption that a heading contains a major point, even if it is abbreviated.
There is also a presumption that material that has the same level of heading has
the same status or bearing.
General Rules
There are some general rules for portraying structure, which apply in most
writing. First, place ideas in your text to maximum advantage. Most obviously
put like ideas, contrasting ideas and related words and ideas together because
“the position of the words in a sentence is the principal means of showing their
relationship”.
350
Second, “express coordinated ideas in similar form” so that
“expressions similar in content and function are outwardly similar;” in this way
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Strunk and White (1979) p 26
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