1. Directions: Highlight transition and cue (signal) words that tell you what type of
writing it is.
Headaches
(Cause and Effect)
Recurring headaches can have initiate disruptive effects in a person's life. Initially,
in many cases, these headaches make a person nauseous to the point that he or she
must go to bed. Furthermore, sleep is often interrupted because of the pain.
Disrupted sleep worsens the physical and emotional state of the sufferer. For those
who try to maintain a normal lifestyle, drugs are often relied on to get through the
day. Such drugs, of course, can lead to other negative effects. Drugs can inhibit
productivity on a job, perhaps even causing regular absences. Not only is work
affected, but the seemingly unpredictable occurrence of these headaches leads to
disruption in family life. The interruption to a person's family life is enormous:
cancelling plans in the last minute and straining relationships with friends and
family. It is no wonder that many of these people feel discouraged and even
depressed due to the cycle of misery reoccurring headaches cause.
Arizona and Rhode Island
(Contrast)
Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of the U.S., they are strikingly
different in many ways. For example, the physical size of each state is different.
Arizona is large, having an area of 114,000 square miles, whereas Rhode Island is
only about a tenth the size, having an area of only 1,214 square miles. Another
difference is in the size of the population of each state. Arizona has about four
million people living in it, but Rhode Island has less than one million. The two states
also differ in the kinds of natural environments that each has. For example, Arizona
is a very dry state, consisting of large desert areas that do not receive much rainfall
every year. However, Rhode Island is located in a temperate zone and receives an
average of 44 inches of rain per year. In addition, while Arizona is a landlocked state
and thus has no seashore, Rhode Island lies on the Atlantic Ocean and does have a
significant coastline.
http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/fwalters/compcont.html

2. Work and School
(Comparison)
Work and school are very much alike in at least five ways. First, both require an
early start. Going to work requires getting up early to avoid the traffic rush, and
going to school requires getting up early to be assured of a parking space. Second,
promptness is important in both places. Being at work on time pleases the
employer; being in class on time pleases the instructor. Third, both involve quotas.
A job imposes various quotas on a worker to ensure maximum production—for
example, a certain amount of boxes must be filled on an assembly line, or a
designated number of calls must be made by a telephone solicitor. Likewise,
school imposes quotas on a student to ensure maximum effort--for instance, a
certain number of essays must be written in an English composition class or a
specific number of books must be read in an American Novel course. Fourth, both
work and school deadlines must be met. On the job, the boxes would have to be
filled and the telephone calls made by a certain time; in a class, the essays would
have to be submitted and the books read by a certain date. Finally, both work and
school benefit society. Workers produce useful and entertaining items for people
to use, such as refrigerators and televisions. Similarly, students prepare themselves
to enter fields like medicine and law, fields which serve society. It is not surprising
that work and school share these five similarities, since one of the purposes of
school is to prepare a student for the job of his choice.
http://www.sinclair.edu/centers/tlc/pub/handouts_worksheets/english/075_com
parison_contrast.pdf
Weightlessness in Space
(Cause and Effect)
Astronauts face many problems in space caused by weightlessness. One of
these problems is floating around the cabin. To solve this problem, astronauts wear
wear shoes that are coated with a special adhesive. This adhesive sticks to the floor
of the cabin. Serving food is another problem. It won't stay put on the table! Experts
solved this problem by putting food and drinks in pouches and tubes. It only needs
to be mixed with water. Weightlessness also causes problems when an astronaut
tries to work. The simple task of turning a wrench or a doorknob can be difficult.
Since there is no gravity to keep him down, when he exerts a force in one direction,
the opposite force may flip him over completely. To solve this problem, he must be
very careful about how much force he uses to do these simple tasks. Here on earth,
life is much simpler, thanks to gravity.

3. Apollo 11
(Descriptive)
On July 16, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida. Where was it going? To the moon! The crew consisted of Neil Armstrong,
Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. They landed on the moon in the Sea of Tranquility
on July 20, 1969. The moonwalk took place the following day. On July 21, 1969, at
precisely 10:56 EDT, Commander Neil Armstrong emerged from the spacecraft and
took his famous first step onto the moon’s surface and declared, “That’s one small
step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” What a glorious moment in human
history!
http://patternbasedwriting.com/elementary_writing_success/paragraphexamples/
Jell-O Pudding
Sequence/Process)
Making pudding is a quick and easy task, if you follow these simple steps. First,
purchase Jell-O Instant Pudding mix. You can choose from many different flavors –
banana, chocolate, or vanilla for example. Next, open the box and pour the contents
into an appropriate sized bowl. Then, add your milk and stir together. The amount
of milk will depend on the size of mix you bought. If you bought the family size
package, more milk will be needed. And remember, stir your mixture well; you don’t
want lumpy pudding! After mixing, store your mixture in the refrigerator for at least
30 minutes or until it becomes firm and dense. Finally, you are ready to eat your
pudding. Place the desired amount into a bowl for yourself and enjoy!