Unit 14, Composition 325Copyright © by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
Composition
Lesson 111
Building Paragraphs IIAnother way to order details in a paragraph is by using spatial order. When you
use spatial order, you arrange details by their location or position. There are
different ways to arrange details in spatial order. For example, your description
may go from near to far, left to right, or low to high.
Some words that help show spatial order include the following: next to, on,
below, above, across, near, far, out, by, through, over, between, away, left,and
down. These words may appear as prepositions, adjectives, or adverbs.
The teapot on the stove whistled. (preposition)
The dog ran in a nearby field. (preposition, adjective)
The following paragraph is arranged in spatial order.
As I sat in the park on the green bench, I looked at Fifi to my right. Her paws
were muddy from the dirt around the bench. She started barking when she
noticed a German shepherd in the nearby field. The dog approached us and sat
in front of the bench. I threw a stick and both dogs went running across the
field. I watched them for a while from the bench, waiting to see which would
return with the prize.Exercise 1 Write the words that signaled spatial order in the above paragraph.
in, on, at, to, around, nearby, in front of, across, fromExercise 2 Write the following details in paragraph form. Use spatial order that moves
from near to far.
Farther to the right was the audio-visual section.
Near the entrance to the left was the circulation desk.
I stood at the entrance to the library.
At the end opposite the library’s entrance were stairs leading down to the
nonfiction books and up to the magazine area.
Just beyond the stairs was the back entrance, filled with works of art by
local patrons.
To the right of the front door was the children’s room.
Past the circulation desk on the left were the reference room and the reading
room.
Behind the circulation desk was the librarian’s office.