Writing Compositions

When Moses brought down the Tablets, what he presented to the world was a list
of 10 Thesis Statements. Most of Judeo-Christian history since then is the result of
disputes about the development of these Statements and the definitions of the
terms included in them.

Few students see any difference between themselves and the Author of the 10
Thesis Statements. Because of their limited experience, many of them have not
yet realized that everything that can be said has already been said, and that what
makes an individual’s ideas unique are not the thoughts themselves but the way
he develops these thoughts.

There are precisely Six Methods of Development. Whether one is writing in English
or French or Arabic, about Catcher in the Rye or some biological function or World
War II, one cannot but use one or a combination of these methods if one intends
to say anything even remotely interesting.

These methods can be used to develop sentences, paragraphs, or entire
compositions. And here they are:

ENUMERATION

EXAMPLE

CAUSE & EFFECT

COMPARISON & CONTRAST

CIRCUMSTANCE

REPETITION

When we use Enumeration, we present all the elements in the subject or the
predicate. The sample outline is developed in this way.

When we use Example, we present only some of the elements in the subject or
the predicate.

Cause shows what brought something about, whereas Effect shows the result.
Sometimes we use only one, and sometimes we must use both.

Comparison means showing how things are alike. Contrast means showing how
things are different.

Circumstance is the journalist’s preferred method of development. Who, when,
where...

Repetition is the method which should be used most sparingly. It means saying
the same thing in different ways. (C’est un pic, c’est un roc...)