The Process Essay
The process pattern of organization is especially importantin scientific writing. For example, it is used to describe biological processessuch as T cell lymphocyte production, chemical processes such as the interactionof drugs, and technical processes such as a colonscopy.
The definition essay contains an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and concluding paragraph. Each part has a basic pattern of organization. However, before we examine these patterns, let's first look at a sample outline for the digestiveprocess. This outline, along with the adapted sample essay, is used by permission of student Hanan Adnan.
Outline
I. Introduction
Thesis: Ingestion, digestion, and absorption are the three major steps involved in the digestive process.
II. Food is ingested.
A. Food enters the mouth.
B. Food is chewed.
C. Food is ready to travel to the stomach.
III. Food is digested.
A. Food is mixed with acidic gastric juices in the stomach.
B. The partially liquid food moves from the stomach to the small intestine.
C. Enzymes are secreted.
IV. Absorption
A. The digested food passes through the walls of the small intestine.
B. The digested food is absorbed into the bloodstream.
V. Conclusion
Paraphrased Thesis: The digestion process involves three major steps: ingestion, digestion, and absorption.
Process Essay Pattern of Organization
INTRODUCTION
1. State what the process is and why it is important.
The digestive process is important in maintaining the lives of living organisms and in providing them with needed energy.
2. Give background information, and define the process.
Groups of organs, such as the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines, work together to perform this complex task. Digestion is the process of breaking down food from large molecules into small ones to make it easier for absorption.
3. State the thesis sentence to include the purpose and the main idea of the essay.
The three major steps involved in the digestive process are ingestion, digestion, and absorption.
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From
HSC English 181, you already know that a paragraph consists of the following:
Ingestion, which occurs in the mouth, is the first step in the digestive process.
After food enters the mouth, the teeth chew it.
AND
Saliva, which is produced by the salivary glands, plays a major role in breaking down the food into smaller pieces.
These small pieces travel to the stomach through the esophagus.
When
you write an essay body paragraph, you need to remember two points. First, each
topic sentence must not only contain the main idea of the paragraph, but
alsothat main idea must be a main point of the thesis sentence. Furthermore,
the body paragraphs must be written in the order that the main points are
listed in the thesis sentence. For example, if you write that the three
major steps involved in the digestive process are ingestion, digestion, and absorption ,
then your first body paragraph must be about ingestion, the second
aboutdigestion, and the final body paragraph about absorption.
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1. Paraphrase the thesis sentence.
2. Summarize the main steps of the process.
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A PROCESS OF DIGESTION The digestive process is important in maintaining the lives of living organisms and in providing them with needed energy. Groups of organs, such as the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and intestines, work together to perform this complex task. Digestion is theprocess of breaking down food from large molecules into small ones to makeit easier for absorption. The three major steps involved in the digestive process are ingestion, digestion, and absorption. Ingestion, which occurs in the mouth, is the first step of the digestive process. After food enters the mouth, the teeth chew it. Saliva, which is produced by the salivary glands, plays a major role in breaking down the food into smaller pieces. These small pieces travel to the stomach through the esophagus. In the stomach, the second step of the digestive process begins. When the chewed food reaches the bottom of the esophagus, a valve lets the food enter the stomach. Contraction of the stomach wall mixes the food. Acidic gastric juices, which are secreted by the gastric glands in the stomach, help in mixing the food and in turning it intoa partial liquid so it will have the ability to move into the small intestine.In the small intestine, enzymes are secreted, and digestion is completed. The last step in the digestive process is absorption. Absorption takes place in the small intestine. The wall of the small intestine is lined with small, finger like projections called villi. Small molecules of food are absorbed by the huge number of villi. Someof these absorbed molecules enter the bloodstream to be distributed throughout the whole body. In conclusion, the digestive process involves three major steps: ingestion, digestion, and absorption. Ingestion, which occurs in the mouth, helps to increase the surface are of the food particles and prepares them for digestion. In the stomach, digestion begins, and it continues until it reaches the small intestine, where absorption takes place. The digestive process maintains organisms' lives by providing them with energy needed for different functions. |