In Reading 1, "Spell It in English," we saw how English spelling developed over time to what it is today. In Reading 2, we saw how the words coconut and satellite originated and how they came to mean what they mean today. Both these readings use a chronological (time) order.
A process essay can describe events in the order they occurred over a period of time, such as in a history or a biography. It can also describe events over a period of time such as a morning, a day, childhood, during the war, in the order the events occur.
Another type of process essay can describe a technical process such as how a computer works or how hair is transplanted or how chocolate is made. (This type of essay contains many verbs in the passive form.)
Yet another type of process essay is the "how to" essay in which you tell someone how to do or make something. This type includes topics such as how to prepare a special dish, or how to get a driver's license.
The essential component in all process essays is time order, and the use of time expressions and transition signals indicate the time sequences clearly.
►Thesis Statement for the Process Essay
• The thesis statement for a process that is historical should name the process and indicate chronological order through words like develope or evolved.
Student Essay Thesis:
Chinese is one of the world's oldest languages and its written form as in most
languages developed from the pictograph.
• The thesis statement for a technical process should name the process
and indicate that it involves a series of steps.
Hair transplantation is a fairly simple process.
• It may also name the main steps in the process:
The main steps in the process of hair transplantation are removal of
the desired number of hair transplants, removal of small plugs in the
bald area, and the insertion of the hair transplants.
• The thesis statement of a "how to" essay is the same as the one for the
technical process. It should name the process or item and indicate that
it involves a number of steps.
Baking your own bread can be quite easy if you follow these steps.
Rescue breathing for a person who is unconscious involves a
sequence of steps that must be followed carefully.
► Organizing the Process Analysis Essay
Deciding how to divide a process essay into paragraphs can be tricky. If you are writing a historical or narrative type of chronological process, divide your paragraphs by major time periods as in the student essay. However, if you are writing about how to do something, the following guidelines will help you:
• Introduction
Introduce the topic and explain why the process is performed, by whom it is
performed, and in what situation it is performed. You may list the main steps
of the process in the order in which they are performed.
• Body Paragraphs
Start to describe the process, introducing the first step in a topic sentence.
You may at this point state the equipment and supplies needed for the process.
Divide the process into three or four major steps. Each major step would be a
body paragraph. For example, if you were describing a wedding' ceremony in
your country, the first major step would explain the preparations, the next
would describe the ceremony, and the last would describe the reception or
banquet.
• Conclusion
Summarize by restating the main steps and describing the result. The type of
conclusion will depend on the type of process you are describing (see the
student essay).
► Time Expressions
Time may be indicated by a preposition with a date or historical period: in 1920, by the 16th century, over the next ten years, or other time expressions. We will look at some prepositions commonly used with time.
During indicates the duration of the activity from beginning to end,
usually without stating the length of time.
For indicates the length of time or an appointed time.
Since indicates a period of time from its beginning to the present.
He has been living there since 1920. (He is still there.)
During her first year at college, she performed remarkably.
I waited for an hour. My appointment was for three o'clock.
Other prepositions of time indicate when or how long: as, in, on, to, till, up to, upon, as early as, as soon as, as late as.
The process should be completed in three hours.
He worked till ten o'clock.
She spends up to three hours every day rehearsing.
The class will have a test on Friday.
She woke up as soon as it was daylight.
Cook the beans from twenty-five to thirty-five minutes.
Leave to thaw for an hour upon taking it out of the freezer.
Dependent clauses can be introduced by prepositions used as adverbs (after, before, until) or by adverbs (when, while):
After (or when) you have made a rough draft, start revising your work.
Before starting on the second draft, make sure that your details support your
topic sentences.
Don't forget to look up the spelling of words you are unsure of when you are
editing.
Do not be distracted while you are editing each sentence.
Other useful words that indicate a sequence in a process are ordinal numbers: first, second, third; and interrupters: next, then, later, simultaneously, eventually. These expressions place an action in the past: previous to, prior to, just before.
Prior to writing your research, make sure you have all the information at
hand.
Next, revise your draft.
Task: Look back at Reading 1 and underline all the words that indicate time or
sequence.
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