Chapter introduction:
Two kinds of process paragraphs will be explained in this chapter: the how-to
paragraph and the explanation paragraph.
The how-to paragraph gives the reader directions on how he or she can do
something: how to install a software program, how to get to the airport, or how to
make tasty barbecued ribs. The goals of such directions are the installed software,
the arrival at the airport, or the great barbecued ribs. In other words, the reader
should be able to do something after reading the paragraph.
The explanation paragraph, on the other hand, tells the reader how a particular
event occurred or how something works. For example, an explanation paragraph
might explain how an internal combustion engine works or how palm trees
reproduce. After reading an explanation paragraph, the reader is not expected to
be able to do anything, just to understand how it happened or how it works.
Process writing is useful in history, business, the sciences, psychology, and
many other areas.
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