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Spatial Order

Spatial order is best used for the following purposes:

• Helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it
• Evoking a scene using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound)
• Writing a descriptive essay

Spatial order means that you explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your readers, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you. The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals to follow from place to place. The key to this method is to choose a specific starting point and then guide the reader to follow your eye as it moves in an orderly fashion from your starting point. Pay attention to the following student’s description and how she guides the reader through the viewing process, foot by foot.

Sample Spatial Order Paragraph

Attached to my back-bedroom wall is a small wooden rack dangling with red and turquoise necklaces that shimmer as I enter. Just to the right of the rack, billowy white curtains frame a large window with a sill that ends just six inches from the floor. The peace of such an image is a stark contrast to my desk, sitting to the right of the window, layered in textbooks, crumpled papers, coffee cups, and an overflowing ashtray. Turning my head to the right, I see a set of two bare windows that frame the trees outside the glass like a three-dimensional painting. Below the windows is an oak chest from which blankets and scarves are protruding. Against the wall opposite the billowy curtains is an antique dresser, on top of which sits a jewelry box and a few picture frames. A tall mirror attached to the dresser takes up much of the lavender wall.

The paragraph incorporates two objectives covered in this chapter: using an implied topic sentence and applying spatial order. Often in a descriptive essay, the two objectives work together.

The following are possible transition words to include when using spatial order:

• Just to the left or just to the right
• On the left or on the right
• Across from
• A little further down
• To the south, to the east, and so on
• A few yards away
• Turning left or turning right

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph using spatial order that describes your commute to work, school, or another location you visit often. Collaboration: Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

KEY  TAKEAWAYS

• The way you organize your body paragraphs ensures you and your readers stay focused on and draw connections to your thesis statement.
• A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts.
• Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research.
• Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing. It is useful for explaining the history of your subject, for telling a story, or for explaining a process.
• Order of importance is most appropriate in a persuasion paper as well as for essays in which you rank things, people, or events by their significance.
• Spatial order describes things as they are arranged in space and is best for helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it; it creates a dominant impression.

The information in this section comes from Successful College Composition p.24-29: Crowther, Kathryn; Curtright, Lauren; Gilbert, Nancy; Hall, Barbara; Ravita, Tracienne; and Swenson, Kirk, “Successful College Composition” (2016).  Galileo: English Open Textbooks . Successful College Composition is a transformation of Writing for Success, a text adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee. Kathryn Crowther, Lauren Curtright, Nancy Gilbert, Barbara Hall, Tracienne Ravita, and Kirk Swenson adapted this text under a grant from Affordable Learning Georgia to Georgia Perimeter College (GPC) in 2015.

Spatial Order by Cheryl McCormick; Sue Hank; and Ninna Roth is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What Is Spatial Order And How To Use It In Essay?

Table of Contents

When it comes to effective writing, high school and college students typically think about aspects like good story content, convincing evidence, appropriate word choice, correct grammar, etc.

But the clear and logical organization is an essential part of effective writing, too.

There are several patterns of logical organization that can be used in writing academic essays and term papers :

• Chronological order.
• Compare-contrast pattern.
• Order of importance.
• spatial order.
• Problem-solution method.
• Cause-effect pattern.
• Advantages-disadvantages pattern.
• Topical pattern.

There are no strict rules which pattern should be used for an effective conveying of ideas. Think carefully of patterns that make sense, and would help your readers get a better understanding of the information.

Besides, paper organization principles have many variations, and very often, different methods are combined.

Let’s talk of the most commonly used patterns: the spatial order meaning and its function.

Spatial order as a principle of organization

Writing an impressive high school or college academic essay depends on the logical organization of the content. Pro essay writing websites recommend organizing your thoughts is as important as the choice of relevant facts to prove your point of view.

For example, in a description of a scene or setting, a specific logical order helps the audience visualize the scene.

… So, what is spatial order?

It is a type of logical organization pattern that is used in descriptive writing. Its main feature is that things are described as they appear when observed.

This approach makes it easier for writers to paint a vivid picture for readers.

Let’s discuss this concept in detail and begin with spatial order definition.

Spatial order definition

…How would we define spatial order?

It’s a principle of descriptive writing when items are arranged in the order of their physical location or correlation.

This structural order in descriptive paragraphs determines the readers’ perspective and how details are perceived. Focus is on location; time is ignored.

How may this organizational arrangement be used?

• In fiction , it is used for descriptions of objects and places; in nonfiction – for describing physical or social phenomena.
• Technical writers can use this method for explaining how a mechanism works or how parts of a machine fit together.
• Food critics apply this pattern when they review a new restaurant for a description of the dining area.
• Architects utilize this order to describe designs of buildings.

What is the spatial order?

…What does spatial order mean?

If talking about descriptions, this method means that the writer explains or describes objects as they are arranged in space. It creates a picture for readers, and the audience’s perspective is the viewpoint from which the writer describes what’s around.

First, the writer has to choose a specific starting point and then create an orderly logical progression by providing readers with directional signals they should follow from place to place.

If the description is complicated, you can use a simple chart or diagram to help your readers understand it quickly.

Spatial writing: the details

A spatial organization of information in paragraphs is also called descriptive writing. It is often used when a narrator wants to describe how something looks. For example, you can use this approach in descriptive essays about a person when you describe someone’s appearance, starting from the feet and moving up to the head.

Take a look at spatial order example which describes various layers of a volcano.

A volcano is a beautiful and dangerous natural phenomenon. The magma chamber, an extremely hot part which people rarely see, is under the Earth surface beneath the bed’s rock. The conduit is running from the volcano’s magma chamber to the crater which is at the top of the volcano.

Logical order of location in space can be used in some narrations, classifications, comparisons, and other forms of expository writings.

Have a look at this description paragraph.

According to annual weather patterns, there are 6 major climate regions. In the extreme northern latitudes, the climate is polar without any plant life. Next to it, there is cold tundra in the extremes of the north of Asia and North America where we can find shrubs and grasses. In the adjacent temperate regions, there are forests with a rich diversity of plants.

Don’t worry if you still have some trouble with a proper understanding of what the spatial order is. You can always count on us and order essay from experienced writers.

What are spatial order signal words?

Here is a short list of spatial order signal words which might indicate that a speaker or a writer is following a spatial organization pattern.

Many of these words are prepositions that are placed at the beginning of sentences to connect them with the ideas expressed in the preceding sentences.

• On the left hand
• On the right hand
• Attached to
• At the top of
• To the side of
• In front of

These words are used to build a vivid picture that the audience can grasp.

Spatial organization in writing: how to..?

The spatial pattern works well when writers want to create mental pictures of something that has various parts distinguished by physical location. You may start by describing a scene, object, or a location as a whole and then focus on specific details in the setting.

This type of organization is the best for describing a setting and scene, but writers can also utilize it for giving directions or instructions.

If you wish to apply this method of organization in your description, you need to make a series of decisions.

• First of all, decide what scene you want to describe first. You should take the perspective of your readers and determine what details are the most important and relevant for them.
• Then you should think about the aspects of the scene you want to include in your description and describe all the elements in a logical order, choosing a starting point. When utilizing this pattern in essays describing items, writers can start from the left and move gradually to the right or go from top to bottom, from inside to outside or from west to east.
• It’s essential to use transition words and phrases to show logical relationships between the details.

Read this description of a room where all the details are described in the order of their location in space.

When you walk in the door of my bedroom, the first thing you notice is a large bed on the wall. In front of my bed, there is a grey carpet on the floor. Above the bed, there is a beautiful picture and an old clock. As you turn to the left, you will see a wardrobe and a big mirror.

This approach to the logical organization has some disadvantages as well. When a writer describes elements in such a way, all of them get equal weight.

But if you want to emphasize one specific aspect of a scene and draw particular attention to something, a spatial pattern makes it hard to achieve that goal so you’d better choose another organization method.

Without a clear organizational pattern, your readers could become confused.

A solid organizational pattern helps your audience see connections and allows them to stay focused. Spatial organization in writing a descriptive essay allows readers visualize something as the writer wants them to see it, by evoking a scene using five senses (sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound).

But you shouldn’t use spatial writing in long text because they may sound monotonous and your readers will be bored. Think about other methods of organizing your ideas.

Sometimes, it is better to use a chronological pattern or even just stream-of-consciousness method to communicate a specific idea in a clear, intelligible manner.

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9.3 Organizing Your Writing

Learning objectives.

• Understand how and why organizational techniques help writers and readers stay focused.
• Assess how and when to use chronological order to organize an essay.
• Recognize how and when to use order of importance to organize an essay.
• Determine how and when to use spatial order to organize an essay.

The method of organization you choose for your essay is just as important as its content. Without a clear organizational pattern, your reader could become confused and lose interest. The way you structure your essay helps your readers draw connections between the body and the thesis, and the structure also keeps you focused as you plan and write the essay. Choosing your organizational pattern before you outline ensures that each body paragraph works to support and develop your thesis.

This section covers three ways to organize body paragraphs:

• Chronological order
• Order of importance
• Spatial order

When you begin to draft your essay, your ideas may seem to flow from your mind in a seemingly random manner. Your readers, who bring to the table different backgrounds, viewpoints, and ideas, need you to clearly organize these ideas in order to help process and accept them.

A solid organizational pattern gives your ideas a path that you can follow as you develop your draft. Knowing how you will organize your paragraphs allows you to better express and analyze your thoughts. Planning the structure of your essay before you choose supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and targeted research.

Chronological Order

In Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , you learned that chronological arrangement has the following purposes:

• To explain the history of an event or a topic
• To tell a story or relate an experience
• To explain how to do or to make something
• To explain the steps in a process

Chronological order is mostly used in expository writing , which is a form of writing that narrates, describes, informs, or explains a process. When using chronological order, arrange the events in the order that they actually happened, or will happen if you are giving instructions. This method requires you to use words such as first , second , then , after that , later , and finally . These transition words guide you and your reader through the paper as you expand your thesis.

For example, if you are writing an essay about the history of the airline industry, you would begin with its conception and detail the essential timeline events up until present day. You would follow the chain of events using words such as first , then , next , and so on.

Writing at Work

At some point in your career you may have to file a complaint with your human resources department. Using chronological order is a useful tool in describing the events that led up to your filing the grievance. You would logically lay out the events in the order that they occurred using the key transition words. The more logical your complaint, the more likely you will be well received and helped.

Choose an accomplishment you have achieved in your life. The important moment could be in sports, schooling, or extracurricular activities. On your own sheet of paper, list the steps you took to reach your goal. Try to be as specific as possible with the steps you took. Pay attention to using transition words to focus your writing.

Keep in mind that chronological order is most appropriate for the following purposes:

• Writing essays containing heavy research
• Writing essays with the aim of listing, explaining, or narrating
• Writing essays that analyze literary works such as poems, plays, or books

When using chronological order, your introduction should indicate the information you will cover and in what order, and the introduction should also establish the relevance of the information. Your body paragraphs should then provide clear divisions or steps in chronology. You can divide your paragraphs by time (such as decades, wars, or other historical events) or by the same structure of the work you are examining (such as a line-by-line explication of a poem).

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph that describes a process you are familiar with and can do well. Assume that your reader is unfamiliar with the procedure. Remember to use the chronological key words, such as first , second , then , and finally .

Order of Importance

Recall from Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” that order of importance is best used for the following purposes:

• Persuading and convincing
• Ranking items by their importance, benefit, or significance
• Illustrating a situation, problem, or solution

Most essays move from the least to the most important point, and the paragraphs are arranged in an effort to build the essay’s strength. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to begin with your most important supporting point, such as in an essay that contains a thesis that is highly debatable. When writing a persuasive essay, it is best to begin with the most important point because it immediately captivates your readers and compels them to continue reading.

For example, if you were supporting your thesis that homework is detrimental to the education of high school students, you would want to present your most convincing argument first, and then move on to the less important points for your case.

Some key transitional words you should use with this method of organization are most importantly , almost as importantly , just as importantly , and finally .

During your career, you may be required to work on a team that devises a strategy for a specific goal of your company, such as increasing profits. When planning your strategy you should organize your steps in order of importance. This demonstrates the ability to prioritize and plan. Using the order of importance technique also shows that you can create a resolution with logical steps for accomplishing a common goal.

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph that discusses a passion of yours. Your passion could be music, a particular sport, filmmaking, and so on. Your paragraph should be built upon the reasons why you feel so strongly. Briefly discuss your reasons in the order of least to greatest importance.

Spatial Order

As stated in Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , spatial order is best used for the following purposes:

• Helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it
• Evoking a scene using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound)
• Writing a descriptive essay

Spatial order means that you explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your reader, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you.

The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals to follow from place to place. The key to using this method is to choose a specific starting point and then guide the reader to follow your eye as it moves in an orderly trajectory from your starting point.

Pay attention to the following student’s description of her bedroom and how she guides the reader through the viewing process, foot by foot.

Attached to my bedroom wall is a small wooden rack dangling with red and turquoise necklaces that shimmer as you enter. Just to the right of the rack is my window, framed by billowy white curtains. The peace of such an image is a stark contrast to my desk, which sits to the right of the window, layered in textbooks, crumpled papers, coffee cups, and an overflowing ashtray. Turning my head to the right, I see a set of two bare windows that frame the trees outside the glass like a 3D painting. Below the windows is an oak chest from which blankets and scarves are protruding. Against the wall opposite the billowy curtains is an antique dresser, on top of which sits a jewelry box and a few picture frames. A tall mirror attached to the dresser takes up most of the wall, which is the color of lavender.

The paragraph incorporates two objectives you have learned in this chapter: using an implied topic sentence and applying spatial order. Often in a descriptive essay, the two work together.

The following are possible transition words to include when using spatial order:

• Just to the left or just to the right
• On the left or on the right
• Across from
• A little further down
• To the south, to the east, and so on
• A few yards away
• Turning left or turning right

On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph using spatial order that describes your commute to work, school, or another location you visit often.

Collaboration

Please share with a classmate and compare your answers.

Key Takeaways

• The way you organize your body paragraphs ensures you and your readers stay focused on and draw connections to, your thesis statement.
• A strong organizational pattern allows you to articulate, analyze, and clarify your thoughts.
• Planning the organizational structure for your essay before you begin to search for supporting evidence helps you conduct more effective and directed research.
• Chronological order is most commonly used in expository writing. It is useful for explaining the history of your subject, for telling a story, or for explaining a process.
• Order of importance is most appropriate in a persuasion paper as well as for essays in which you rank things, people, or events by their significance.
• Spatial order describes things as they are arranged in space and is best for helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it; it creates a dominant impression.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Spatial Order in Composition

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In composition , spatial order is an organizational structure in which details are presented as they are (or were) located in space—from left to right, top to bottom, etc. Also known as order of place or space structure, spatial order describes things as they appear when observed. In  descriptions of places and objects, spatial order determines the perspective from which readers observe details.

David S. Hogsette points out in Writing That Makes Sense: Critical Thinking in College Composition that " technical writers may use spatial order to explain how a mechanism works ; architects use spatial order to describe a building design; [and] food critics reviewing a new restaurant use spatial order to describe and evaluate the dining area," (Hogsette 2009).

As opposed to chronological order  or other methods for data organization, spatial order ignores time and focuses primarily on location (or space, which makes this term easy to remember).

Transitions for Spatial Order

A spatial order comes with a set of transitive words and phrases that help writers and speakers navigate a spatially ordered paragraph and distinguish its parts. These include above, alongside, behind, beneath, beyond down, farther along, in back, in front, near or nearby, on top of, to the left or right of, under and up, and more.

Just as the words first, next and finally function in a chronological organization, these spatial transitions help guide a reader spatially through a paragraph, especially those used to describe scene and setting in prose and poetry. 

For instance, one might start by describing a field as a whole but then focus in on individual details as they relate to one another in the setting. "The well is next to the apple tree, which is behind the barn," or, "Further down the field is a stream, beyond which lies another lush meadow with three cows grazing near a perimeter fence."

Appropriate Use of Spatial Order

The best place to use spatial organization is in descriptions of scene and setting, but it can also be utilized when giving instructions or directions. In any case, the logical progression of one thing as it relates to another in a scene or setting provides an advantage to using this type of organization.

However, this also provides the disadvantage of making all items described within a scene carry the same intrinsic weight or importance. By using spatial order to organize a description, it becomes hard for the writer to ascribe more importance to, say, a dilapidated farmhouse in a full detailing of a farm scene.

As a result, using spatial order to organize all descriptions is not advised because sometimes it is important for the writer to only point out the most important details of a scene or setting, giving emphasis to things like the bullet hole in a glass window on the front of a house instead of describing every detail of the scene in order to convey the idea that the home is not in a safe neighborhood.

Writers should, therefore, determine their intention when setting a scene or occurrence before deciding which organization method to use for it. Although the use of spatial order is quite common with scene descriptions, sometimes chronological or even just stream-of-consciousness is a better method of organization to convey a certain point.

Hogsette, David. Writing That Makes Sense: Critical Thinking in College Composition. Resource Publications, 2009.

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Spatial Order Organization: What Is It and How to Use it in Essay Writing

Table of contents

According to Merriam-Webster , spatial order organization is the process of relating to space and the objects in it. In writing, it refers to a method in which ideas and elements are laid down logically according to the sequence of their location or their relationship.

Spatial order organization is like putting a disarray of elements into one specific order. It's like fitting pieces of a puzzle together to create a compelling story.

Yes, something like that.

In this article, you will learn more about what spatial order organization is and how you can use it while writing essays for high school and college.

What is Spatial Order Organization

For any kind of essay assignment, grammar, choice of words, information, and also research findings are the main characteristics that students focus on. Similarly, laying down the information in a logical order is also equally indispensable and shouldn’t be sidelined.

Unlike chronological order and other methods of writing, spatial order does not rely on time but is instead solely dependent on the location of the objects. To implement spatial order in your essays and other writing assignments, your information needs to be in an organized format and should showcase the ideas of the writer in a logical flow. It should convey the exact situation as it was observed the first time. This writing format is mostly used for descriptive essays.

Let’s take a look at a few advantages and disadvantages of spatial order organization.

Advantages of Spatial Order Organization in Writing

• There might be times when you would have to describe and involve a lot of objects in your scene setting. In the absence of spatial order, this could lead to confusion for you and your professors, who would not be able to follow the sequence of your description. Spatial order results in clear writing.
• A scene can be completely described using logical order. Through this logic, your professors will understand the content of your essay, no matter how complex the event or scene is.
• The use of transition and signal words in spatial order essays is highly necessary as they connect all the ideas and details of the essay and enhance the readability of your paper.

Disadvantages of Spatial Order Organization in Writing

• Due to the usage of sequence and order in the writing pattern of your essays, reading it can become monotonous. Hence, using it for long texts and essays should be avoided.
• When the writer showcases all the elements of the spatial order essay in a particular arrangement, equal weight is distributed to all these elements. So, if the writer wants to emphasize on a specific aspect of the scene, or draw attention to a particular subject in the essay, they would not be able to frame that essay easily.

How to Effectively Use Spatial Order Organization in Writing?

‘Spatial order organization’ sounds fancy, but how do you use it appropriately while writing your essays? Here are six essential tips to help you use them correctly to enhance your writing.

1. Select an interesting topic

To write an attention-grabbing paragraph, you need to write on a subject that converges with the spatial organization. Brainstorming is an excellent method to come up with various topic ideas and figure out a basic content structure.

When you write your ideas down, you visually explore the concepts before making a final decision. Ask yourself a few questions:

• What do you want to write about?
• How will this be relevant to whoever reads it?
• Will this topic be of interest to your readers?

2. Structure an outline

Creating an outline should be your next step, as this will make your content flow, give it direction and make it look more organized.

Don't digress from your chosen topic. Digressing will make you lose focus on your spatial structure and content, which will end up creating a negative impression of your effort.

3. Share references and examples

If you’re finding it difficult to write the content for your chosen topic, use references from the internet that will assist in forming your spatial essay.

In these types of essays, visual cues are extremely important. Since these are descriptive in nature, you would majorly be describing an event, a place, a thing, or a situation. Giving examples and references within the body will guide your readers in understanding and literally visualizing what you want to say.

Ensure that you pick a starting point and an ending point so that you can arrange all the details properly for your body paragraph.

Here’s a useful video by IELTS Liz on how to use examples in your essay

4. Construct the body paragraphs

Structuring your body paragraphs is vital. In spatial-order essays, writers have the freedom to choose any sequence, side, or process.

They can choose not to write the essay from the main character’s point of view as well as start the essay from the ending. But remember that the body paragraphs should provide clear divisions or chronological steps.

To make it easier for your readers to understand the sequence of the essay, transitional words in the body paragraphs are used to create a relationship between the full-blown information present and the concepts that are to be expanded. That gives you a high-scoring essay.

5. Use transition and signal words

The usage of transition words and signal words in spatial-order essays is very crucial. They are necessary to link the ideas of the writer and make the paragraph more coherent.

Transition words and spatial order essays go hand in hand, as they make it easier to interpret the entire scenario that the writers are trying to describe to their readers. They also help in assisting the readers in reading the essay in a spatial, logical order.

Here are some examples of transition words:

• In spite of
• In contrast to
• At the same time

Signal words, on the other hand, are prepositions that denote the location, place, and position of the subject in view. Here are a few examples of spatial order signal words:

• Across from
• On the left
• On the right
• Attached to
• At the top of
• At that point

6. Personalize and make it self-explanatory

As you craft your spatial order essay, add a note of personalization to your paragraphs. Since these kinds of essays are laid down in a particular order and can get predictable, including personal tones and phrases can help your essay become relatable and more enjoyable.

For example, if you are writing about your college dorm room, you need to add a bit of your personality in your writing. Through this, the readers will latch on to your emotions and that personal touch, making it possible for them to visualize every detail from the writer’s point of view.

Thus, they could conjure up a visual description of your dorm room.

Now that you know the methods to keep in mind while creating a spatial order organization essay, here is an example of the same to get a clearer idea:

“ When you walk into my room, the first thing you’ll see is a queen-sized bed with its back against the wall. As you go further, you will notice an indigo carpet on the floor, right at the foot of the bed.

On the right-hand side of the bed, on the wall, you will see eight photographs of my family and friends and a large wall hanging beside it. When you look over to the left side of the bed, you will see a beautiful antique clock and my guitar placed right underneath it.

Facing the exit, there are two brown cupboards on your right and a full-body mirror leaning next to it. ”

In this passage, the reader can clearly visualize where all the items in the room are placed as they have been enlisted in the order of their location. Spatial order essays thus give structure to the description and paint a picture for the readers, making it easier to comprehend.

Spatial order organization is a primal factor for writing descriptive, logically sequenced essays.

There are many who don't focus on the sequence of their essay, and there are many who have never heard of spatial order.

These essential tips will help you use spatial order organization in your essay writing, giving you an edge over other students in class. The logical sequencing will enhance the quality of your essay and is sure to leave your teachers impressed.

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How to Use Spatial Order in Essays and Assignments

• Spatial order definition

Using the Spatial Order in Essay Writing

How do i use spatial order in an essay, the importance of spatial order in essay writing.

You could be struggling to understand the meaning of spatial order in writing. Let us, in this article, demystify the tenets of spatial order. Good command of English alone won't make a difference in writing the best quality essays. Instead, combining the command of English with good organization of your essay makes you an effective writer.

Regarding organization, a good essay has to have the best presentation and logical development of ideas.

Your tutors or professors do not tell you that these are some of the areas they asses when marking your essays.

Gradecrest.com through its R&D department has worked hard to ensure that our clients get the best.

That makes us the best fast essay writing service . When the writers set out on their writing journey, they usually observe the text structure as well as cohesive elements to ensure our clients get quality papers.

A good essay structure means the ideas are woven together in the best manner possible. However, apart from the structure, a cohesive organization glues the details together to make a good essay.

Spatial order is an example of a cohesive organization that writers can use for excellent essays.

Spatial Order Definition

A spatial order organizational style is also known as the order of place or space structure.

It helps in the presentation of ideas or things as is in their locations.

Compared to the chronological order that lists ideas from top to bottom based on their date of occurrence, spatial order focuses on the description of the locations of things.

Ordinarily, spatial ordering makes the use of phrases such as: o n top of, in front of, besides, alongside, beyond, further from, further along, behind, centric, elevated from, and under, just to mention a few.

Spatial ordering or spatial organization is used when writing descriptive essays.

The main agenda here is to invoke the senses of the reader and help them have a good grip on the concepts and facts presented in the essay.

There are different steps to follow when using the spatial order:

• Decide on the scenarios that need to be described in the beginning : Always start with the most important ideas, especially when you have two or more scenarios, like when writing a descriptive essay . Space the ideas based on their relevance, weight, and importance in the essay and make up your mind on what, to begin with.
• This sets the mood for your audience and keeps them glued to your paper. Should spatial order reflect in the first paragraph? Yes, this would be good as your thesis statement will lead the audience into the body and keep them glued to the end.
• Want quality custom written essays by the experts? You should order it with us. Gradecrest.com has writers who are well versed in spatial ordering. Tutors from the world over like spatial ordering: it is a gateway to scoring high in your essays.
• Details of the Scene : Once you have decided on the scenarios, proper planning is inevitable. While planning is quintessential in any form of writing assignment whether it be essays, research papers, speech, and coursework, spatial ordering means going further than the initial plan. It means setting every detail when describing a scene, to capture the finer details, the physical location of everything as you begin the writing process.
• Have a logical flow when describing the elements : Spatial order is all about logic. When writing in a logical order, the elements flow seamlessly. As a rule of thumb, spatial order entails the description of events from top-bottom or the furthest right to the furthest left; the decision is purely on you as a writer. When ideas are closer to the rights of your readers, they interact with it first hand and do not struggle to get the gist of your writing. Forming logical relationships is a tough endeavor. However, the use of transitions and avoiding too many adjectives in your writing can spark the minds of the audience. You must also display high levels of critical thinking and creativity to maintain an audience to the end.

If you are writing a descriptive essay about a place or a narrative essay, spatial ordering can come in handy.

The spatial order has some benefits besides assuring you of the best grades.

• It simplifies the complex processes and scenes and thus increasing the flow and understanding of ideas in the essay. A reader easily relates to ideas and facts in a spatially ordered essay.
• It improves the originality of your essay as you express creativity and critical thinking more than using logical order or other ordering approaches.
• It evokes the senses of the reader and makes it easy for them to visualize the gist of the essay. You would want to please that hard professor to get the best grades. Trust us, our team of experts can write you the best essay with flawless grammar, well researched, spatial order arrangement, and plagiarism free. Place an order and enjoy our special

Note that using too much spatial arrangement in your essay is discouraged as it might give some unimportant scenes importance.

Therefore we recommend only using spatial ordering when seeking to spice up an essay but be wise when using spatial order.

It is always best to get academic writing help if you do not understand how to.

List of Transitional Words to use in Spatial Order Essays

When writing descriptive essays using the spatial order approach, certain signal words can help you bring the best out of the paper. Use these signal words in your spatial order essays and wow your professor, lecturer, or teacher for the best grades.

• To the left
• Slightly below
• Parallel to
• Alternate to
• Adjacent to
• To the side
• On the right hand
• On the left hand
• At the top of
• At the bottom of
• At a depth of

These transition words are like power words to incorporate in your essay when you decide to use a spatial order. They help give a positional placement of an object when describing its features.  For instance, when describing a character, the writer can describe the placement of the television on the scene. They will have to explain it in relation to where the character is seated or standing.

Spatial Essay Order Outline Example

To reiterate, spatial order is mostly used in compositions to present the details of a given subject depending on the location it is in. It is an approach used mostly in constructive writing. Majorly, it helps frame the object relative to its place and create an ideal mental image to the reader. When writing a spatial order essay or composition, like for instance, a profile essay of a person or place, you must first begin by drafting an outline.

Mostly, spatial order essays are five-paragraph essays. They can be anything between 500 words or 1000 words, depending on the essay prompt.

 Below are some of the components of the outline:

Spatial Order Essay Introduction

• Essay hook or grabber to lure the attention of the readers
• Background of the essay, covering the reasons for the topic of object choice
• Thesis statement, which outlines what the spatial order essay is all about.

The Body of the Spatial Order Essay

• Description of the first object (topic sentence, supporting ideas and facts (in-text citations and signal words), and concluding sentence).
• Description of the second object (topic sentence, supporting ideas and facts (in-text citations and signal words), and concluding sentence)
• Description of the third object (topic sentence, supporting ideas and facts (in-text citations and signal words), and concluding sentence)
• Description of the nth object (topic sentence, supporting ideas and facts (in-text citations and signal words), and concluding sentence)

Note that every single body paragraph should contain only one idea or object description.

Conclusion of a Spatial Order Essay

• Concluding transitions and sentence
• Summary of the entire essay
• Restated thesis statement
• Final words or concluding remarks

We hope that our advice helps. 

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What is a spatial order in speech and in writing?

Speech spatial order is a type of logical organization pattern that describes things according to their actual location in space. Definition: this order is also called the order of place and spatial structure. And in speech, it means that the narrator describes objects using an ordered logical sequence, describing things as they look when actually observed. An example is the following model: the narrator sets himself the task of describing the room, and in the description, he uses the spatial order, so his story will begin with the entrance to the room and with a description of those objects that first catches his eye. This will be followed by a description of the middle part of the room and only at the end – its distant elements. In this way, the narrator can observe the principle of spatial order and helps the listeners create a clear and vivid idea in their minds about the object of the story.

For what type of writing is spatial order usually best?

As a rule, the principle of spatial order is best suited for descriptive writing . For example:

• In fiction or non-fiction, when a description is required to evoke certain feelings in the reader or to tell in great detail about the location of certain objects and places. And also, in order to describe physical or social phenomena.
• In technical and scientific literature, when a specific explanation of the operation of various mechanisms, systems and devices is required. Or if you need to make it clear to readers what the structure consists of and how its various elements interact with each other.
• In the case of interior descriptions by designers or critics. Here, they are faced with the task of conjuring up in the imagination of readers an idea of the arrangement of furniture, decor, and everything that fills the room. Spatial order will help a lot to achieve the best result.
• Architects and designers also often resort to using this principle.
• Of course, spatial order is also used when writing an essay.

How to write a spatial order essay?

To write an essay corresponding to the spatial order, it is necessary to describe objects in accordance with their actual position relative to you. Or, if you want to describe what this or that person looks like, then your description should begin with the legs and further up, ending with the head. In addition, before you start writing such an essay, you need to have an accurate idea of what is the main purpose of this description? You must decide what result you need to achieve so as not to deviate too much from the given topic in the process of writing an essay. And in order not to miss anything while writing, you can create a structured plan that will help you stay on course, because organization is the most important element of spatial order essay.

Of course, if you are a first-time writer, then it will be quite useful for you to have the help of a specialist or professional writer who will teach you and tell you what to look for when working with spatial order. You can find such an assistant on our site Writingstatement.com , and the Internet also is a great source of inspiration and filling ideas for writing an essay. On educational portals, you can read examples of written essays in spatial order to get an idea of how to do it right. And, finally, be sure to check the finished text for semantic and logical mistakes.

Define spatial order signal words

Many of these words and phrases are prepositions and are at the beginning of a sentence, and they often act as connecting conjunctions, combining the previous sentence with the new one. The main role of signal words is to create a brighter and more understandable picture for the reader, which the author is trying to convey through words and sentences, in addition, they serve to clarify and create greater order in the entire text as a whole. When writing an essay in spatial order, the use of signal words should never be neglected.

What is a chronology? Why is it used in literature?

By itself, the concept of chronology means a list of events in their time sequence. In writing, authors usually tell a story, describing successive events from beginning to the end, so that a certain structured picture is formed in the imagination of readers, which helps them better understand the essence of what they are reading about. This order in literature is called chronological order, and is the most popular among writers. However, one can often find a work in which the chronological order is not observed at all, on the contrary, it is completely turned upside down, that is, the author begins his story from the end and gradually moves towards the beginning. In this order, understanding the big picture can be a little difficult, but often this style makes the work unique and unusual.

3 types of chronology in writing

Distinguishing the chronological type of writing from the rest is quite simple, since it basically includes very specific time periods in a logical sequence. The most popular types of chronology are the following three types:

• Linear chronology . If the author uses this type of chronology, then all the events he describes occur according to an increasing time scale. For example: “Mr. Gray woke up at 9 o’clock in the morning, at 10 am he left for work, at 3 pm he had lunch in a restaurant, and by 6 pm he returned home.” This is a typical chronological linear sequence model.
• Reverse chronology . This is a way of storytelling in which the plot of the story is revealed in reverse order, that is, the first scene described is actually the end of the plot, and the last scene is the first in chronological order. An example is the following plot: the main character of the novel goes to bed and falls asleep, the next event described will be what preceded her falling asleep and then right up to the moment when she woke up in the morning of the day described.
• Nonlinear chronology . This type of chronology is not similar to either the first or the second; there is no clear  sequence and order in it. There are many digressions and disparate events in this way of writing, which sometimes helps the author to create a lively, interesting and extraordinary work. However, when choosing a non-linear chronology as a writing style, it is necessary to understand that it is quite easy to lose the thread of the narrative here or go astray, therefore this style is quite difficult.

Thus, we see that each type of chronology has its own nuances and its own individual structure, which must be followed from the beginning to the very end of the work. It makes no sense to mix and intertwine types of chronology with each other, since the narrative will lose its basis and become too vague and difficult to understand.

3 rules for writing a spatial order essay

So, having dealt with the three types of chronology, signal words and the concept of spatial order, we can derive three basic rules that must be followed when writing an essay in spatial order.

Choosing the right topic

The first thing you need to do before you start working on an essay is to choose a topic and create a structured plan that answers in detail all the questions related to your topic. These questions may sound like this: What is the main goal I pursue when writing this essay? What chronological structure do I want to use? How would it be better to formulate the topic of my essay so that it clearly reflects the intention of my work? There can be a huge number of such questions, however, the clearer your idea of ​​​​the topic is, the better and richer your essay will turn out.

Arrangement of information

A very important role is played by how correctly and logically you arrange the information blocks in your essay. The narration should be consistent and coherent, and thoughts should be clearly and understandably formulated in such a way that it is convenient for the reader to receive and remember the information that you present. Map out for yourself a visual diagram of what is your starting point (the beginning of the description), and which is the end point (the end of the description).

Transitional words

The third point, which is also one of the most important. The use of transitional words is an essential attribute when writing almost any descriptive essay of a spatial order, here are some of them:

• nevertheless
• in the same way
• in spite of
• in contrast
• at the same time
• while this might be true
• on the other hand
• for example
• for instance
• specifically
• to illustrate, etc.

But it is important to note one more thing, transitional words should be appropriate, they should not be too much in sentences, they should not interfere with the general understanding of the text, otherwise your work will have too much water, which will make it difficult to read.

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What is Spatial Organization in Writing? (Spatial Order Explained)

by  Antony W

September 5, 2021

There’s more to writing an essay than just doing research, creating an outline,   and developing a solid argument around a topic.

Even the logical organization of your thoughts and an accurate sequence of events are significant in coming up with a strong storyline for the topic in question. 

So in addition to understanding the basic rules for writing comprehensive essays, it also helps to learn and understand the writing patterns used in essay writing.

There are about eight patterns of organization in essay writing. And the one we’re going to look in this case is the spatial organization.

In this guide, you will learn everything there is to know about spatial organization, from what it is and signal words used to its uses and how to apply it in essay writing.

Let’s get started.

What is Spatial Order in Writing?

Spatial order organization in writing is where an author looks at all the important elements of a given scenario and then orders information based on how people or objects fit together in a given physical space.

In spatial organization, you order the information in a particular order, and this can be either from top to bottom or from left to right.

If anything, spatial organization in writing works as a visual tour guide, giving your readers a clear mental image that allows them to know the exact location of objects.

It’s important to understand that spatial organization doesn’t fit in all types of essay writing. More often than not, it’s a powerful tool to use when writing descriptive essays, especially where you want to convey the relationship between an object to another.

Why is Spatial Order Organization Important?

Spatial organization in writing is important because it allows you to create scenic description, making it easy for your target audience to visualize a concept. 

Since spatial organization allows you to use senses, from touch and sound to smell and taste, to make a concept look real, it becomes quite easy for a reader to find the concept more descriptive.

4 Steps to Writing a Spatial Order Essay

Start by brainstorming your topic. This part is a no brainer, so it shouldn’t take an entire afternoon.

You might want to write down your thoughts on paper or a digital notepad. It helps a lot to organize your thoughts in a series. Also, make sure the purpose of the writing is clear from the very beginning.

Research is an important part of writing a spatial essay. You still want to know what other people have written about the subject in question, even if you think you understand it very well.

Take references from previous write-ups, magazines, and articles. Check to make sure that the sources from which you get your information are credible.

College essays must have outlines.   Even if you feel like your spatial order assignment is easy to pull off, your instructor expects you to use a standard outline for the assignment.

Again, it’s important to create an outline because it helps to organize your thoughts in a logical order.

Before you create an outline for your spatial order essay, determine how you’d like your information to flow. In spatial writing, you can organize your events to flow from past to present – or include a mix of flashback or surprises.

From brainstorming to research to outlining your thoughts, you now have everything you need to write your spatial organization assignment.

Simply use the information collected from your research to write your paper. Make sure the sources you use in writing are credible.

If you are not sure about the trustworthiness of a source or the accuracy of the information shared, either look into a completely different source or ignore it altogether.

How Many Parts Does a Spatial Order Essay Have?

A spatial order essay has three parts. These are the opening paragraph, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. As you can see, the outline isn’t any different from that of regular essays. Which means that the writing approach isn’t so much different either.

The introduction should grab the attention of your reader from the get go. Follow the hook with some background information, which should clearly explain the reason for choosing the topic.

The last sentence of your introduction should be the thesis statement of the essay ,  which explains what the spatial order essay intends to cover.

You will have a minimum of four paragraphs in the body section of the essay. Each paragraph should describe an object in details. And just like paragraph rules in essay states, every paragraph in the body section should cover only one object.

Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence, followed by supporting ideas, and end with a closing link that easily transition to the next subsequent paragraph.

End the essay with a strong conclusion paragraph. There are at least four ways to tackle this section.

First, you can give concluding remarks about the topic without introducing new ideas. Second, you can end the essay with a quote ,  provided it’s relevant to the topic. Third, you can write a short summary of the whole essay. Or you can simply restate the thesis statement.

Words Used in Spatial Order Essays

There are many signal word that you can use in spatial order writing. Below are some common examples of signal words to use in spatial essay writing.

• To the left
• To the right
• Adjacent to
• Parallel to
• To the side
• Beyond center

This by no means exhausted list of the signal words used in spatial essay writing, but they are the most common ones that you will come across.

Let Us Help You Write Your Spatial Order Essay

Are you struggling to get your spatial order essay written? Or maybe you’re about to run out of time to submit the essay to your instructor for review? You simply have to take advantage of  our essay writing service  and let  us help you complete the assignment in time. Also, don’t forget to contact our support team if you have any question.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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The Meaning of Spatial Order Explained With Perfect Examples

Spatial order is one of the organization tools that helps you describe details in your writing. It is considered very logical and helps the reader understand a scene or situation better. Here, we give you the meaning of spatial order with examples.

Dictionary Meaning

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word spatial means of or relating to space and the relationship of objects within it . Spatial order is the method of writing in which ideas are arranged in the order of their physical location.

While writing, one focuses on the story content, grammar, choice of words, etc. However, arranging the content in a logical order is as important as using the right words. When the elements of a scene, for example, are described in a specific order, the scene becomes easy to understand.

This is where spatial order comes in. It is the method of organizing content such that the details are described in the order of their location in space. It is a logical progression of a view that proceeds usually from left to right and top to bottom. This method of description helps the readers visualize the scene better. Spatial order is often used for descriptive writing. This method makes it easier for the writer to paint a picture for the reader.

► Let us discuss the concept with some examples. Take a look at the following sentence:

In my pantry, there are several things like flour, eggs, tea powder, sugar, canned food, and dry pasta.

This sentence gives a general information about the things that one will find in the pantry. Reading the sentence, the readers will picture each item given in the list. However, they may not be able to picture those items in the pantry as there is no clue of how they have been placed or arranged.

► Now read this. In my pantry, eggs, tea powder, and sugar have been kept in the top shelf. Flour, canned food, and dry pasta are on the second shelf.

Here, spatial order has been used. The items in the pantry have been enlisted in the order of their location. This way of writing has made it easier for a reader to visualize the arrangement of items, thus painting for him, a better picture of the pantry. Thus, we see that the use of spatial order gives a structure to the description, and also makes it easier for the readers to understand it.

Let us see how spatial order is used while writing.

► The writer decides what needs to be described first in a story. He then decides to put that scene first. Mostly, that’s one of the most important scenes/situations of the story and is of use in setting the right mood.

► The writer then works on the details of the scene and describes its elements in a logical order.

► When using the spatial order, he chooses to describe them from right to left or top to bottom. Starting from the left-most element in the scene, he moves to the right. Or he may go top-down. He may start from a point far from the main character through whose eyes the readers are viewing the scene.

► To form a logical relationship between the details, the writer needs to use transitions. They are words or phrases that are placed in the beginning of a sentence to connect it with the idea expressed in the preceding sentence.

Transitional words/phrases

Transitional words like these, some of which are prepositions, help the writer give the positional details of the elements in a scene.

Let’s take an example. In the image given below, a character, say, John, is viewing what one sees in the image. The writer describes the details of the scene, as seen by John, who sees from the eyes of the reader. The description proceeds from top to bottom and left to right. The writing uses spatial order.

► John locked the door and stood for a minute or two on a sidewalk taking the scene in. The morning walk was calm and quiet. Across the street from him was a block-patterned wall of another building, stretching end to end. The white wall had yellowed through the years, but looked quite strong. The sun had cast shadows on it. A gray stone sidewalk that run along the wall seemed hushed. On the sidewalk, on the left, was an old black streetlamp. This old rusty lamp, like the wall, had withstood many seasons. Today, the lamp wasn’t alone on the street. On the right, John could see a policeman standing, reading a newspaper. He didn’t even look up to see him on the other side of the street. He was standing near a newsstand, whose owner was nowhere in sight. The colorful magazines, newspapers, a stand, and a chair looked orphaned without their owner. John decided to cross the road and ask the inspector about the newsstand owner.

► In the above section, the wall has been described first. It is the farthest from the reader. Then, the sidewalk has been described. Then the elements have been described from left to right; the order in which they are physically located. The use of spatial order helps the reader visualize the scene just through words (even without looking at the image).

Let us take another example from Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano (1947).

► Far to his left, in the northeast, beyond the valley and the terraced foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the two volcanoes, Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl, rose clear and magnificent into the sunset. Nearer, perhaps ten miles distant, and on a lower level than the main valley, he made out the village of Tomalín, nestling behind the jungle, from which rose a thin blue scarf of illegal smoke, someone burning wood for carbon. Before him, on the other side of the American highway, spread fields and groves, through which meandered a river, and the Alcapancingo road.

► In this paragraph, the narrator describes a particular scene as seen by the protagonist of the novel. The description starts with two volcanoes which are at a distance. The narrator uses the transitional word “nearer” to give the location of the village. He uses other transitions “on the other side” and “through” to describe a space on the other side of the highway. Lowry has used spatial order as a tool to organize the details of the scene.

Let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using spatial order in writing.

➥ The elements of a scene or ideas are arranged in the order of their physical location. ➥ The descriptions follow a logical order, thus helping the reader visualize a scene in a better way. ➥ With the use of transitional words, the scene can be made easier to understand.

Disadvantages

➥ The use of spatial order in long texts can make the reading monotonous. ➥ Since the elements of a scene are described in a certain order, all the elements get equal weight. With this, it becomes difficult to emphasize one particular aspect of the scene.

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Table of Contents

Collaboration, information literacy, writing process, spatial order.

Spatial Order refers to the practice of organizing information (e.g., descriptions of places and objects, instructions and processes) according to their physical location.

It is commonplace in many genres (especially fiction genres but also nonfiction genres) for writers to describe a scene so that readers can imagine themselves in that setting.

• At the beginning of a novel or movie, a fiction writer or screenwriter could begin with a tight focus on the central protagonist and then move out (e.g., left to right, top to bottom, circle view) to reveal that character’s setting.
• A realtor uses a floorplan to organize a description of a house for sale
• A geologist uses GPS coordinates to chart soil contamination around an old gas tank at a gas station.
• An art critic writes a critique of a painting.
• A police officer draws a map of an accident scene based on accident reports.

Sample Transitional Words for Spatial Order

Brevity - Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence - How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow - How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity - Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style - The DNA of Powerful Writing

Recommended

Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community

Structured Revision – How to Revise Your Work

Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World

Credibility & Authority – How to Be Credible & Authoritative in Speech & Writing

Citation Guide – Learn How to Cite Sources in Academic and Professional Writing

Page Design – How to Design Messages for Maximum Impact

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Space Order in Descriptive Text (Sample Questions and Answers)

Definition of Spatial Order in Descriptive Essay – Description essay is a genre of essay that gives an idea of something, objects, people, etc. If you want to be able to write a good description essay, then there are numerous things you should pay attention to, and one of them is Spatial Order.

What is the Spatial Order? And how do you use it in the descriptive essay? Without any further, here’s the complete explanation of spatial order in descriptive essay.

Table of Contents

Definition of Spatial Order in Descriptive Essay

Imagine if you were standing at the door of your class. How would you describe your classroom to someone who has never seen it? Here are some possibilities:

• You might start describing your classroom starting from the left side of the classroom door and explaining further clockwise to the right and ending at the class door again.
• You might start describing at the front of the class first, starting from describing the blackboard, the teacher’s desk, and the area around the teacher’s desk. Then you will describe the student desk and chair in the middle of the room, then finally you will describe the wall / window on the back or side of the room.

The two examples above are Spatial Order. Below are kinds of spatial orders or signal words that you can use to write a good descriptive essay:

• Top to bottom
• Bottom to top
• Far to near
• Near to far
• Right to left
• Left to right
• Outside to inside
• Inside to outside

Topic, Controlling Idea, and Concluding Sentence in Descriptive Essay

The sentence topic usually describes the name of a person, place, or object. While controlling idea usually provides general information, such as messy , interesting , beautiful , busy , crowded , noisy , and so on.

Take a look at these sentences below :

That was an example about topic and controlling idea , whereas the concluding sentence contains an idea that is repeated in the main sentence.

For example:

• To sum up, everyone doubts the old house in this village will survive one more winter.
• The little children and their teacher were very relieved when they got out of the cave.

Sample Question About Spatial Order

Read the following description of a person. Then answer the questions about the organization of the paragraph that follow.

My Tall Nephew

My nephew is extremely tall-six feet, six inches tall, to be exact. He has short, light brown, and curly hair, and blue eyes. He has straight nose, and his mouth curls into a smile easily. He usually wears casual clothes, the same as typical of young people everywhere: a T-shirt and jeans. You can read the name of his school in red and blue letters on the front of his shirt. You notice that his jeans are a little too short as your eyes move down his long legs. Perhaps he can’t buy pants to fit his long legs and narrow waist, or perhaps he doesn’t care much about clothes. On his feet, he wears sneakers. His sneakers that were used to be white when they were new, now are gray with age. My nephew is not a casual person despite his casual clothes. He stands tall and straight, and you think to yourself, “This is a strong and confident young man.”

1. Analyze the topic sentence. Underline the topic with one line and the controlling idea with double line.

2. What is the nephew’s most noticeable physical feature?

__________________________________________________________________

3. Which sentence is the concluding sentence?

4. What word in the topic sentence is repeated in the concluding sentence?

5. What kind of spatial order does the writer of this paragraph use?

• My nephew is extremely tall-six feet, six inches tall, to be exact.
• His tall figure.
• The concluding sentence is: He stands tall and straight, and you think to yourself, “This is a strong and confident young man.”
• The word  tall is repeated in both topic and concluding sentence.
• The writer use  top to bottom  as the spatial order.

That was our explanation about spatial order in descriptive essay, along with sample questions and answers. We hope this article is helpful and thanks for reading!

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Space Order

Work by yourself or with a partner.

1. Read the model paragraph, and decide which space order it uses from the list on the previous page.

2. Look at the paragraphs on pages 80 and 82, and tell which space order they use.

The Shared Refrigerator My roommate and I share a refrigerator. My roommate's half of our refrigerator is very neat. On the top shelf is a carton of milk, a pitcher of orange juice, and a bottle of mineral water. These are arranged in a straight line on the shelf. On the next shelf are cans of soda. These are carefully lined up in rows. Orange soda is in the first row, Pepsi in the second, and 7-Up in the third. On the third shelf, he keeps dairy foods such as butter, cheese, eggs, and yogurt. On the bottom shelf sit plastic containers of leftovers.1 These are neatly arranged by size. The large ones are in the back, and the small ones are in the front. There are two drawers in the bottom of the refrigerator. In his drawer, my roommate keeps vegetables and fruit. Each item is in a separate plastic bag in the drawer. My roommate is an organized person, and his half of our refrigerator really reflects his personality.

leftovers: food that was not eaten at an earlier meal

Space Order— Analyze the organization of the model paragraph on the previous page

Outlining and fill in the outline below. (For more practice in outlining, your teacher may ask you to outline the paragraphs on pages 80 and 82 also.)

Topic Sentence:

Concluding Sentence:

The Shared Refrigerator

My roommate's half of our refrigerator is very neat.

A. On the top shelf

My roommate is an organized person, and his half of our refrigerator really reflects his personality.

Specific The second key to writing a good description is to use specific details.

DetililS When you describe something, you paint a picture with words. Your goal is to make your reader "see" what you have described. The way to do this is to use a lot of specific details. Specific means exact, precise. The opposite of specific is vague. The more specific you can be, the better your reader can see what you are describing.

Here are some examples:

Vague Specific a lot of money $500,000.00

a large house a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house a nice car a Lexus smokes a lot smokes three packs of Camels a day a pretty face warm brown eyes, shining black hair, and sparkling white teeth

Work with a partner. Add as many specific details as you can to these vague descriptions. Then compare your details with those of other students.

My uncle is big.

A. He is six feet, three inches tall and weighs 250 pounds._

B. He wears size fifteen shoes._

C. He can hold a basketball upside-down in one hand._

1. My boss has a nice house.

2. My neighbor's children are spoiled brats.

3. Carl is a bad driver.

4. The inside of the taxicab was dirty.

5. The bus was crowded.

Continue reading here: Being Specific

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Readers' Questions

What is space order in newspaper?

Space order in newspaper is the order in which articles appear in a newspaper. It usually begins with the most important or most relevant news on the front page and moves through less important stories on the “inside in” pages.

What is space order in reading?

Space order in reading refers to the arrangement of ideas and events in a text according to the order in which they actually occur in physical space. This means that when reading, the reader should move through the text in the same order that the events occur in physical space. This can help to ensure a smooth flow of ideas and create a more cohesive narrative.

What is space order in writing?

Space order in writing is the organization of a text according to the physical or temporal distance between ideas or events. It is an important element of writing, as it serves as a way for authors to make the flow of their writing more logical, allowing for smooth transitions between ideas and a clearer understanding for the reader. At its most basic level, space order involves placing related ideas close together, while separating unrelated ideas farther apart.

What is a usage of space order?

Space order is a powerful organizational tool that can be used to give a clear structure to an essay or presentation. Space order helps readers and viewers to follow the flow of an argument, by arranging ideas and details by their physical or temporal relation to each other, instead of by their importance or relevance. In other words, it allows the writer to group ideas into paragraphs, sections, or chapters in a logical way that makes sense to the reader. Space order can also be used to create contrast, highlight a particular point, or draw attention to a key piece of evidence.

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Spatial Order

As stated in " The Writing Process: How Do I Begin? ", spatial order is best used for the following purposes:

• Helping readers visualize something as you want them to see it
• Evoking a scene using the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound)
• Writing a descriptive essay

Spatial order means that you explain or describe objects as they are arranged around you in your space, for example in a bedroom. As the writer, you create a picture for your reader, and their perspective is the viewpoint from which you describe what is around you.

The view must move in an orderly, logical progression, giving the reader clear directional signals to follow from place to place. The key to using this method is to choose a specific starting point and then guide the reader to follow your eye as it moves in an orderly trajectory from your starting point.

Pay attention to the following student’s description of her bedroom and how she guides the reader through the viewing process, foot by foot.

The paragraph incorporates two objectives you have learned in this chapter: using an implied topic sentence and applying spatial order. Often in a descriptive essay, the two work together.

The following are possible transition words to include when using spatial order:

• Just to the left or just to the right
• On the left or on the right
• Across from
• A little further down
• To the south, to the east, and so on
• A few yards away
• Turning left or turning right
• Exercise 9.5
• 17325 reads
•  Front Matter
• Components of a Sentence
• Compound Subjects
• Exercise 2.1
• Action Verbs
• Linking Verbs
• Helping Verbs
• Exercise 2.2
• Sentence Patterns
• Exercise 2.3
• Common Sentence Errors
• Run-on Sentences
• Punctuation
• Coordinating Conjunctions Tip
• Exercise 2.4
• Key Takeaways KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Writing Application
• Exercise 2.5
• Exercise 2.6
• Compound Subjects Tip
• Separation of Subjects and Verbs
• Collective Nouns
• The Subject Follows the Verb
• Questions Tip
• Exercise 2.7
• Exercise 2.1 Writing at Work
• Exercise1 Exercise 2.1
• Exercise 2.8
• Exercise 2.9
• Exercise 2.2 Writing at Work
• Exercise 2.10 Tip
• Exercise 2.11
• Exercise 2.12 Writing at Work
• Exercise 2.13
• Indefinite Pronouns and Agreement
• Exercise 2.14
• Exercise 2.15
• Exercise 2.16
• Exercise 2.17
• Exercise 2.18
• Good versus Well
• Bad versus Badly
• Better and Worse
• Exercise 2.19
• Exercise 2.20 Writing at Work
• Exercise 2.21
• Exercise 2.22
• Exercise 2.23
• Key Takeaways
• Exercise 2.24
• Exercise 3.1
• Commas in a List of Items
• Exercise 3.2
• Exercise 3.3
• Exercise 3.4
• Exercise 3.5
• Exercise 3.6
• Semicolons to Join Two Independent Clauses
• Exercise 3.7
• Colons to Introduce a List
• Colons to Introduce a Quote Tip
• Exercise 3.8
• Direct Quotations Writing at Work
• Punctuating Direct Quotations
• Quotations within Quotations
• Exercise 3.9
• Exercise 3.10
• Exercise 3.1 KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Exercise 3.11
• Hyphens between Two Adjectives That Work as One
• Hyphens When a Word Breaks at the End of a Line
• Exercise 3.12
• Commonly Confused Words
• Exercise 4.1
• Exercise 4.2
• Exercise 4.1 Tip Tip
• Exercise 4.3
• Exercise 4.2 Writing at Work
• Using a Dictionary and Thesaurus
• Exercise 4.4
• Exercise 4.5
• Exercise 4.6
• Exercise 4.7
• Exercise 4.8
• Exercise 4.9
• Exercise 4.10
• Exercise 4.11
• Exercise 4.12
• Brief Definition or Restatement
• Exercise 4.13
• Exercise 4.4 Tip Writing at Work
• Working with Words: End-of-Chapter Exercises Learning Objectives
• Exercise 5.1 Tip Tip
• Exercise 5.2
• Exercise 5.3
• Exercise 5.4
• Exercise 5.5
• Exercise 5.6
• Exercise 5.1 Tip
• Exercise 5.7
• Exercise 5.8
• Exercise 5.9
• Exercise 5.10
• Exercise 5.11
• Exercise 5.12
• Exercise 5.13
• Exercise 5.14
• Exercise 5.15
• Exercise 5.16
• Exercise 5.17
• Exercise 5.18
• Perfect Verb Tenses
• Exercise 5.19
• Exercise 5.20
• Exercise 5.21
• Exercise 5.22
• Exercise 5.23
• Exercise 5.3 Tip
• Exercise 5.24
• Help for English Language Learners: End-of-Chapter Exercises Learning Objectives
• Identifying Common Academic Purposes
• Summary Paragraphs
• Analysis Paragraphs
• Synthesis Paragraphs
• Exercise 6.1 Writing at Work
• Exercise 6.1
• Exercise 6.2
• Exercise 6.3
• Developing a Topic Sentence Tip
• Exercise 6.4
• Exercise 6.5
• Exercise 6.4 Writing at Work
• Developing Paragraphs That Use Topic Sentences, Supporting Ideas, and Transitions Effectively
• Identifying Parts of a Paragraph
• Exercise 6.6
• Supporting Sentences Tip
• Exercise 6.7
• Exercise 6.5 Writing at Work KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Exercise 6.8
• Exercise 7.1
• Using Sentence Variety at the Beginning of Sentences
• Exercise 7.2
• Starting a Sentence with a Prepositional Phrase Writing at Work
• Exercise 7.3
• Connecting Ideas to Increase Sentence Variety
• Joining Ideas Using an -ing Modifier
• Dangling Modifiers
• Joining Ideas Using an -Modifier
• Joining Ideas Using a Relative Clause Tip
• Exercise 7.1 Writing at Work
• Coordination
• Exercise 7.2 Writing at Work
• Subordination Tip
• Exercise 7.4
• Exercise 7.5
• Using Parallelism Tip
• Exercise 7.6
• Exercise 7.7
• Exercise 7.8
• Exercise 7.9
• Exercise 7.10
• Choosing a Topic
• Using Experience and Observations Tip
• Reading Tip
• Exercise 8.1
• Exercise 8.2 Tip
• More Prewriting Techniques
• Narrowing the Focus
• Brainstorming Writing at Work
• Idea Mapping
• Exercise 8.2
• Topic Checklist
• Organizing Ideas
• Methods of Organizing Writing
• Exercise 8.3 Tip
• Writing an Outline Tip Tip Tip
• Constructing Topic Outlines
• Exercise 8.4
• Exercise 8.5
• Getting Started: Strategies For Drafting
• Exercise 8.3
• Setting Goals for Your First Draft Writing at Work Tip
• Discovering the Basic Elements of a First Draft
• The Role of Topic Sentences Tip Tip
• Exercise 8.6
• Writing a Title
• Writing Your Own First Draft
• Understanding the Purpose of Revising and Editing Tip
• Creating Unity and Coherence Tip
• Exercise 8.6 Tip Writing at Work
• Exercise 8.7
• Being Clear and Concise
• Exercise 8.8
• Exercise 8.9
• Exercise 8.10
• Using Feedback Objectively
• Editing Your Draft Tip
• Checklist Tip Tip
• Exercise 8.11
• Exercise 8.12
• Elements of a Thesis Statement
• Exercise 9.1
• Examples of Appropriate Thesis Statements Tip
• Exercise 9.1 Writing at Work
• Thesis Statement Revision Tip
• Exercise 9.2 Writing at Work
• Select Primary Support for Your Thesis Tip
• Identify the Characteristics of Good Primary Support
• Exercise 9.2
• Exercise 9.3 Writing at Work Tip
• Exercise 9.4
• Exercise 9.5 Tip Tip
• Exercise 9.6 Tip
• Exercise 9.3
• Exercise 9.7 Tip Tip Writing at Work
• Exercise 9.6
• Writing a Conclusion
• Exercise 9.8 Tip Writing at Work
• Writing Essays: End-of-Chapter Exercises
• Constructive Criticism and Targeted Practice
• Critical Thinking
• Exercise 10.2
• More Qualities of Good Writing
• Rhetorical Elements and Cognate Strategies
• Exercise 10.3
• Exercise 10.4
• Words Are Inherently Abstract
• Words Are Governed by Rules
• Words Shape Our Reality
• Words and Your Legal Responsibility
• Exercise 10.5
• Do Sweat the Small Stuff
• Get the Target Meaning
• Consider the Nonverbal Aspects of Your Message
• Review, Reflect, and Revise
• Exercise 10.6
• Additional Resources
• Thinking Critically
• Overcoming Fear of Writing
• Exercise 11.1
• Determining Your Purpose
• Credibility, Timing, and Audience
• Communication Channels
• Exercise 11.2
• Narrowing Your Topic
• Focus on Key Points
• Planning Your Investigation for Information
• Staying Organized
• Exercise 11.3
• Business Ethics
• Giving Credit to Your Sources
• Challenges of Online Research
• Evaluating Your Sources
• Exercise 11.4
• Managing Your Time
• Compiling Your Information
• Exercise 11.5
• Exercise 11.6
• General Purpose and Thesis Statements
• Organizing Principles
• Effective Sentences
• Transitions
• Exercise 12.1
• Formal versus Informal
• Introductions: Direct and Indirect
• Adding Emphasis
• Active versus Passive Voice
• Making Errors at the Speed of Light
• Exercise 12.2
• Effective Argumentation Strategies: GASCAP/T
• Appealing to Emotions
• Recognizing Fallacies
• Ethical Considerations in Persuasion
• Exercise 12.3
• Exercise 12.4
• Evaluate Content
• Evaluate Organization
• Evaluate Style
• Evaluate Readability
• Apostrophes
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Split Infinitive
• Double Negative
• Irregular Verbs
• Commas in a Series
• Faulty Comparisons
• Misplaced Modifiers
• Exercise 13.1
• Break Up Long Sentences
• Revise Big Words and Long Phrases
• Evaluate Long Prepositional Phrases
• Delete Repetitious Words
• Eliminate Archaic Expressions or References
• Avoid Fillers
• Eliminate Slang
• Evaluate Clichés
• Emphasize Precise Words
• Evaluate Parallel Construction
• Obscured Verbs
• The “Is It Professional?” Test
• Five Steps in Evalution
• Delivering the Evaluation
• Exercise 13.2
• Proofreading
• Design Evaluation
• Visual Aids
• Designing Interactive Documents
• Exercise 13.3
• Tips for Effective Business Texting
• Tips for Effective Business E-mails
• Virginia Shea’s Rules of Netiquette
• Exercises 14.1
• Memo Purpose
• Memo Format
• Audience Orientation
• Professional, Formal Tone
• Subject Emphasis
• Direct Format
• Objectivity
• Strategies for Effective Letters
• Exercise 14.1
• Traditional Categories
• Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
• Professional
• Unsolicited
• Sample Business Proposal
• Exercise 14.2
• What Is a Report?
• Types of Reports
• Informational or Analytical Report?
• How Are Reports Organized?
• Exercise 14.3
• Main Parts of a Résumé
• Contact Information
• Work Experience
• Use Key Words
• Follow Directions
• Insert a Key Word Section
• Make It Easy to Read
• Printing, Packaging and Delivery
• Exercise 14.4
• Format for a Common Sales Message
• Getting Attention
• Sales Message Strategies for Success
• Exercise 14.5
• General Formatting Guidelines
• Exercise 15.1 Tip
• Exercise 15.1
• Exercise 15.2
• In-Text Citations Writing at Work
• References List Tip
• Formatting Cited Material: The Basics
• Formatting Brief Quotations
• Formatting Paraphrased and Summarized Material Tip
• Exercise 15.3 Tip
• Exercise 15.4 Writing at Work
• Formatting In-Text Citations for Other Source Types
• A Work by One Author
• Two or More Works by the Same Author Tip
• Works by Authors with the Same Last Name
• A Work by Two Authors
• A Work by Three to Five Authors
• A Work by Six or More Authors
• A Work with No Listed Author
• A Work Cited within Another Work
• Two or More Works Cited in One Reference
• A Famous Text Published in Multiple Editions
• An Introduction, Foreword, Preface, or Afterword
• Electronic Sources
• Online Sources without Page Numbers
• Exercise 15.5
• Formatting the References Section: The Basics
• Formatting the References Section
• Exercise 15.3
• Formatting Reference Entries for Different Source Types
• A Book by Two or More Authors
• An Edited Book with No Author
• An Edited Book with an Author Tip
• A Translated Book
• A Book Published in Multiple Editions
• A Chapter in an Edited Book
• A Work That Appears in an Anthology
• An Article in a Reference Book
• Two or More Books by the Same Author
• Books by Different Authors with the Same Last Name
• A Book Authored by an Organization
• A Book-Length Report
• Exercise 15.6
• An Article in a Scholarly Journal
• An Article in a Journal Paginated by Volume
• An Abstract of a Scholarly Article
• A Journal Article with Two to Seven Authors
• A Journal Article with More Than Seven Authors Writing at Work
• A Magazine Article
• A Newspaper Article
• Exercise 15.7
• Citing Articles from Online Periodicals: URLs and Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs)
• An Article from an Online Periodical with a DOI
• An Article from an Online Periodical with No DOI
• An Article Accessed through a Database Tip
• An Abstract of an Article
• A Nonperiodical Web Document
• Graphic Data
• An Online Interview (Audio File or Transcript)
• An Electronic Book
• A Chapter from an Online Book or a Chapter or Section of a Web Document
• A Dissertation or Thesis from a Database
• Computer Software
• A Post on a Blog or Video Blog Writing at Work
• A Television or Radio Broadcast
• A Television or Radio Series or Episode
• A Motion Picture
• A Recording
• Exercise 15.8
• Title Block Format
• Paragraphs and Indentation
• Tables and Illustrations
• Parenthetical Citations
• Exercise 15.4
• Useful Sources of Examples of MLA Style
•  Back Matter

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Spatial Order: What It Is and How to Use It While Writing an Essay

by Robert Pattinson | Apr 8, 2023 | Student Guide | 0 comments

Initially, the meaning of spatial order in writing could be challenging to understand. Spatial order is how we organize information in space (e.g., a house or an event as a space), from top to bottom, from left to right, chronologically, etc. We also call it space structure or order of place. So, spatial order is the way we observe them appearing in space. It is one of the organizational methods that aid your writing while describing specific arrangements in space.

We regard it as being entirely rational and aids the reader in better analyzing a scene or circumstance. There is more to completing an essay than merely conducting research, which is drafting an outline and developing a perfect thesis statement.

You will discover every detail you need to know about spatial order in this article, from the definition of spatial order and how to use spatial order writing .

Table of Contents

What is the Meaning of Spatial Order?

It becomes simple for authors to glance around and convey information in spatial sequencing when presenting their experience in words. Also, this technique enables readers to visualize explanations logically.

What is Spatial Organization in Writing?

While writing descriptive essays, spatial organization or spatial order is employed. The primary goal is to stimulate the reader’s senses and give them a solid understanding of the essay’s ideas and information.

Writing with spatial order organization opens up possibilities, sequencing, and logical progression, making it simple for readers to understand the directional cues. 

In descriptive writing, a writer can use various writing styles. These include:

• Detailed descriptions
• categorizations
• evaluations
• expository writing

All styles involve a logical order of spatial organization.

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What is the Spatial Order of Signal Words or Transition Words?

In a spatial-order essay, the use of transition words or signal words is essential. They are necessary to connect the writer’s thoughts and improve the paragraph’s flow. Several spatial order transition words serve as prepositions, which link sentences to the concepts represented in the ones before them.

A speaker or writer describes a spatial organization pattern if they use any of the terms on this list of spatial order signal words.

At the top of

In front of

To the side of

Attached to

On the left hand

On the right hand

How to Write a Spatial Order Paragraph?

One of the most searched queries nowadays is How to get WebAssign Answers . If you need help with the answers, let us assist you.

What is Spatial Order in Speech?

The spatial speech pattern arranges data based on how objects fit together in space. This style works well when your primary points are directed to several places that may exist independently. The fundamental indication of spatial order demonstrates that the crucial issues are located in prominent places, just like you can explore more information on Nodal Analysis in this post.

The speech is organized using spatial patterns considering the subject’s physical location. A speaker could discuss the first level of a building and then proceed to the second and third floors.

How to Write a Spatial-Order Essay?

Choose an Interesting Subject

An interesting subject is where good writing begins. A topic might alter the overall impression, whether you are writing for academic purposes or a professional audience. To begin, generate ideas for your subject. Writing down your thoughts allows you to visually examine them before deciding on a course of action. Think about the following questions.

• What are you planning to write?
• Will the reader find it helpful?
• Will your readers be interested in this subject?

Create an Outline

Provide Instances and References

Build Your Body Paragraphs in The Right Way

Use Transition and Signal Words

Concluding Each Paragraph

Make It Unique and Self-Explanatory

Ensure you include some of your personality in each paragraph while planning the spatial order essays. Using personal touch may assist in making your essay more engaging and fascinating, given that such essays are formatted in a specific aspect and may quickly become predictable.

Things to Remember while Writing a Spatial Order Essay

• You may express, evaluate, and make sense of your thoughts with the help of a solid organizational structure.
• Your body paragraph structure helps you and your audience stay on topic.
• Preparing your essay’s organizational structure enables more efficient and targeted research.
• Order of significance works best in persuasive essays and essays where you rank events and individuals or describe objects according to their importance.
• The chronological sequence is helpful, whether narrating a story, outlining a method, or expressing your concern’s records.

The Benefits of Ordering Spatial Order Essays from Gotakemyonlineclass

Many students do not notice their essays’ logical order and have never heard of spatial order. You may employ spatial order structure in your essay writing with the assistance of these crucial ideas, giving you an advantage over all other students in the classroom.

Students will receive the Take my online class assistance and essay writing services from gotakemyonlineclass.com. If you have questions about producing an essay about spatial order, you can get them from our expert essay writing services.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is spatial order structure.

In spatial order structure, each central point is organized in a directed structure that links each main point to the overall structure. This structure is employed for informative speeches and written essays when the subject is arranged by place, geography, or going through an area.

What Are The Types Of Spatial Data?

Geometric and geographic data are the two major categories of spatial data. Anything capable of being projected to a sphere is considered geographic data. Anything capable of being translated into a flat, two-dimensional surface is known as geometric data.

What Is Spatial And Temporal Order?

The spatial order of objects explains how they look under observation. Temporal order is the inherent order of the cosmos, as seen by the way forces like gravity are ideal for supporting life.

What Is Spatial Vs Topical Order?

Significant points are arranged in a spatial order based on their physical and geographic ties. As opposed to Topical Order, when a topic is dissected into its component pieces and then organized in a specific order that the speaker specifies for a particular reason.

What Is Spatial Vs Chronological Order?

A chronologically ordered speech pattern arranges its critical points following a timeline of events or happenings. For an introduction and informational talks, this approach is highly effective. In contrast to how each primary point is arranged in a spatial pattern of organization , a directional structure connects each main point to the entire.

What Is An Example Of Spatial Order Speech?

The home was in good condition. High hills rose behind and not far on either side; some were open outages, while others were farmed and wooded. The view in front was more expansive. In this example of spatial order speech , the facts are organized using specific starting and ending points. The reader may better visualize the area in this explanation around the cottage with the help of these spatial order examples .

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What is Spatial Order? Description and Examples

Our topic for today is about spatial order!  For this guide, I will tackle the definition of spatial order. Moreover, I will teach you how to write one and provide you examples to illustrate what I mean. Fasten your seatbelt, for the class is in session!

This is the flow of my guide:

Contents (Clickable)

   What Is a Descriptive Essay?

Let’s have a short review of descriptive essays, as spatial order essays are useful in the latter. Descriptive essays, according to the Purdue OWL, are defined as a genre in which students are tasked to describe an object, experience, a person, and many more.

In a descriptive essay, you have to paint a picture of what you are trying to convey to the reader. Your reader has to have a mental image of what you are trying to describe.

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   what is spatial order.

In spatial order essays, objects are arranged according to their respective positions from your perspective. You can start from the left or to the right, it’s up to you.

Let’s say that Object #1 is located to the left while Object #2 is in front of the former. See what I mean?

Your objective is to provide your reader a mental image of where the objects are located. Simply put, you have to be the visual tour guide.

   List of Signal Words for Spatial Order Essays

There are various signal words that are useful in writing your spatial order essays. Here are some signal words for you:

• To the left
• To the right
• Parallel to
• Adjacent to
• To the side

Although this is not a comprehensive list of signal words, these words are commonly seen in spatial order essays. Nevertheless, please take note of these signal words that signifies the location of an object.

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   spatial order essay outline.

I will be creating an outline to help you in writing your spatial order essay. As always, this is only a basic outline. It is subject to change depending on your preferences.

Let us pretend that we are observing the objects you see in a dining room.

• Object #1 (Ex: wall)
• Object #2 (Ex: picture frames)
• Object #1 (Ex: cabinet filled with porcelain)
• Object #2 (Ex: large vase)

Across/Front

• Object #1 (Ex: table)
• Object #2 (Ex: Chairs)
• Object #3 (Ex: Plates of food)

Do you see what I did there?

An outline helps if you want your thoughts to be organized, or if you want your essay to have a consistent flow.

   How to Write a Spatial Order Essay?

I will be teaching you the basics of writing a spatial order essay. Yes, this tutorial is caters to beginners of spatial order writing.

1 Ask yourself!

Simply put, brainstorm! What do you want to write about? Do you like to describe your room? Or a big city in your imagination? It’s your call.

2 References

References can be your own photos or from the internet, even your own drawings!

If it’s your drawing, make sure it is related. A drawing of your own anime character is not counted, unless that character is part of a scene (Ex: City or inside a shop)

If it’s the latter, then you can write about it from that character’s perspective. Write about what he/she is seeing.

References are there to inspire you and to guide you.

Note: If you are describing your room, and you are IN your room… no need to take a picture.

Again, this is to organize your thoughts and the flow of your essay.

Stick to one location at a time. If you choose “right”, then focus on the said location first.

Have your list of signal words beside you. You will need it.

Don’t try to use sophisticated vocabulary, unless you know how to use them properly!

Don’t forget to edit if you see mistakes in your essay.

It’s time to write examples of spatial order essays. I will keep things simple just for you. Let’s start with a topic… I’ll write about the objects I see in front of my study table!

“On the far right corner of my study table, there is a five-layer drawer with a faded Mickey Mouse as its design. On its right sat my sibling’s dusty pink dollhouse. A two-foot black electric fan is placed just beside the dollhouse. My functioning black laptop is located just next to it, in a vain effort to cool off the device. My phone enclosed in a blue protective case and a black fine-toothed comb are nearby. My unzipped gray laptop is leaning on a row of books like a rag doll. Behind the aforementioned items are a row of books- textbooks, manga, fiction, and non-fiction. Their colorful spines decorated my study table with life. My bubble wrapped wooden sword is on top of the row of books. My pocket power supply decorated in white and green lays next to my wooden sword. A purple hairbrush is right next to it, followed by a stack of papers. A book about political theories and my furry frog pencil case lay on top of the papers.”

Okay, that was longer than I thought. The length does not matter unless your professor specified a word count. This is going to be our second example. I’m going to describe the objects I see in my room!

“In front of me is my wide wooden study table spanning from my window until about two feet away from the door. A faded Mickey Mouse drawer and a pink dollhouse sat on my study table. My study table is decorated with books I’ve acquired throughout the years. Above the study table is a wooden platform. The platform is adorned with a row of books. A foot above the row of books is my clock, hooked properly on the white wall. In front of the books are two plastic figures of ponies. The first figure is shorter. The color of its mane is a vibrant shade of pink, violet, and yellow. The second is taller by an inch or two. The blue and pink locks of mane are neatly tied in a braid. A row of seven picture frames are beside the tall action figure. Under the table is a huge purple container packed with old clothes. Above the cover of the container are pillows wrapped in a protective transparent cover. To my left is a three-foot dark brown cabinet containing my sibling’s activity books. An assortment of toys adorned the top of the cabinet. A glass bedroom table is right next to it. A large blue container filled with my costumes and props for cosplay sat beside it. My red-eared sliders are in an aquarium next to the container. The latter is supported with a steel platform. Below the platform is a blue electric fan, a trash can is stationed right beside it. To my right is a wooden cabinet constructed between a plastic five-layer drawer and a dressing table. A miniature plastic drawer containing keys and accessories is displayed at the left corner of the dressing table. On the other hand, an apple green chest containing a pouch and trinkets is located at the right corner. A long rectangular mirror is suspended on the wall just above the dressing table. It is situated between two Styrofoam stars.” There goes my second example!

For beginners, you can try to describe your room or your study table. If you have a picture of your favorite place, you can start with that too.

I would like to say: c ongratulations! You have reached the end of my guide.

Now you know that spatial order essays are spatial in their own way. You can describe your favorite place or your room using spatial organization. You can paint a picture using words.

I believe it takes time and practice to master this type of essay. Remember to keep learning! Learning doesn’t stop. Good luck on your assignments!

See you next time, dear readers!

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Ordering Information in the Body of the Essay

Choosing a Logical Order for Ideas - Once you have your thesis and your groups of supporting information with topic sentence ideas, you can determine the best possible order in which to present them in the essay. To determine the most logical shape or order, ask and answer these questions:

• Is there a basic topic sentence idea that you should present first, before you explain the others, because the reader needs its information as background and because the other topic sentence ideas build upon it?
• Are there some topic sentences and groups of information that are more important than others? Can you discern a logical pattern, either in ascending or descending order of importance?
• Are there some topic sentences and groups of information that normally come first in a time sequence?

Order of complexity, order of importance, and time order are three basic, logical ways of shaping ideas to help the reading audience follow the flow of thought.

For example, consider the sample topic sentence, Adults returning to college face time, study, emotional, and family problems. Assuming that the order of the topic sentences in the support follows the order of ideas in the thesis, are these ideas arranged in a logical order? There doesn't seem to be any idea that has to be explained first. Also, each of the topic sentences that could be developed from this thesis seems equally complex. And the ideas don't exist in any type of chronological order.  So how do you determine a logical shape and order of ideas for this essay? One way is to move from the problems that affect just one person, the student, to the problems that affect the whole family (emotional problems, study skills, juggling work and family, changing family roles).  Another way is to move from the problems that can be dealt with more directly to those that are more complex to deal with (study skills, juggling work and family, changing family roles, emotional problems). The point here is that there needs to be some rationale or logical connection for ordering the ideas in the essay so that the essay's shape makes sense to others. And, whatever way the writer chooses, he/she then needs to align the order of ideas in the thesis to reflect the actual order of ideas in the support in order to complete the essay's logical shape.

Emphasis as a Means of Ordering Information in an Essay

Emphasis, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is a "special importance or significance placed upon . . . something." You can choose to emphasize different things in an essay by choosing where to place the essay's main ideas (the thesis and topic sentence ideas).

You emphasize main ideas when you place them at the start of the essay or the unit of support. If you place the thesis toward the start of the essay and the topic sentences toward the start of each unit of support, you gear all of the support toward proving those main ideas. Emphasizing main ideas by placing them first is called deduction, which creates a general-to-specific structure in the essay by placing the major information first. Deduction helps you focus on an argument and create a case, as it requires you to develop support around a main point.

For example:

The Impatient Silent Twitchers form an interesting group of line-standers because of their variety. The Wristwatch Checkers are the mildest sub-group of this larger group. Their bodies remain quiet except for the one arm where that powerful necessity, the wristwatch, sits. Maybe that the electric battery in the watch emits tiny electrical impulses to the nerves, but whatever it is, something creates a knee-jerk reaction in the arm to make the Wristwatch Checker's elbow defy gravity every minute and a half. Wristwatch Checkers are dangerous only in busy lines that wind back on themselves. As long as you're far enough away from them, though, they can make good line companions on warm, windless days.

You emphasize the method of reasoning and the particulars of the support as opposed to the main idea when you place the main ideas at the end of the essay or the unit of support. Main ideas still remain important when you place them at the end, but you offer them more as logical outcomes than as initial arguments (so the emphasis has changed). Putting the main idea at the end is called induction, which moves from specific information to general conclusions. Induction may help you present a controversial thesis to your reading audience. For example, if you were in favor of banning smoking in the doorways outside of buildings, you'd probably alienate many in your audience by placing that main idea first. But if you presented your support and lead into the main idea, your reading audience (smokers included!) might see the logic of your case (even if they didn't agree).

Some people stand in line quietly except for one arm which they constantly move up and down. These people check their wristwatches persistently, usually in regular short intervals which seem to become shorter as the line wait gets longer. Their arms jerk upward compulsively, elbows thrust out to the side, while their heads go down simultaneously. As the spasms subside, they usually accompany the arm's return to position by tapping their feet, exhaling loud breaths, or fidgeting in some other way. The Wristwatch Checkers are the subtlest and mildest members of the Impatient Silent Twitchers group of line-standers; they lend variety to a group whose movements usually are more pronounced.

You emphasize major ideas and method equally when you place main ideas in the middle of the essay or unit of support. In this case, the main idea exists neither as a generating point for the essay nor as a logical conclusion. Instead, it's a fulcrum which both grows out of and generates more particular support.

Imagine a sultry day. Imagine having to stand in a slow line to cash your paycheck after hours at an ATM. Imagine, all of a sudden, feeling a slight but steady breeze. The trees are not affected; where is the breeze coming from? After a while you realize that you're getting fanned by the arm motions of the Wristwatch Checkers, the mildest group of the Impatient Silent Twitchers, an interesting group of line-standers. Their bodies remain quiet except for one arm where that powerful necessity, the wristwatch, sits. It may be the battery's impulses to the nerves that causes the twitch, but whatever it is, something creates that urge to make the arm defy gravity every minute and a half. On a hot day, though, you'll be grateful for whatever causes their compulsion to make the line move by checking the time as that slight breeze wafts your way.

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Examples of Spatial Order – With Outline

Published by Boni on November 7, 2022 November 7, 2022

A spatial order is an organizational style that helps in the presentation of ideas or things as is in their locations. Most students struggle to understand the meaning of spatial order in writing and have a hard time putting ideas in the best manner possible to produce an excellent essay. Gudwriter has the  best fast essay writing service with a pool of qualified experts ready to make your school life smooth by crafting quality papers that guarantee good grades.

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Example 1: A Description of My Study Desk

A description of my study desk outline.

Right 

• three-layer cabinet
• pale orange dollhouse,  
• fading teddy bear
• white electric fan
• grey laptop
• green fine-toothed brush
• nonfunctional laptop
• row of books
• steel dagger

Adjacent to

On top of 

A description of my study desk

There is a three-layer cabinet with a fading teddy bear on it in the extreme right corner of my study desk. My niece’s pale orange dollhouse is positioned on its right. Near the dollhouse is a white electric fan. I have my working grey laptop right next to the electric fan, in an attempt to keep the device’s temperature low. A green fine-toothed brush and my phone, which is protected by a black cover, are nearby. My black nonfunctional laptop is leaning against a stack of textbooks.

There is a row of books behind the aforementioned objects, including novels, comics, fantasy, and non-fiction. My study desk is adorned with vitality by the books’ colorful edges. I have my steel dagger in plastic wrap atop the row of books. The steel dagger is adjacent to my violet and indigo-decorated pocket power bank. Next to the power bank is a blue hairbrush, then a stack of old newspapers. The newspapers are on top of a book about the world’s hidden communities.

Example 2: A Description of My Bedroom

My large wooden study desk sits in front of me, and it extends from my window to the door, about one meter away. On my study desk are an orange dollhouse and a fading Mickey Mouse drawer. The desk is adorned with books that I have collected over a couple of years. It also has a wooden platform above it. A stack of books is placed along the platform. My clock is mounted perfectly on the pink wall about two feet above the stack of books. Two plastic pony figures are displayed in front of the stack of books. The first pony is smaller. Its mane is a brilliant shade of yellow, pink, and indigo. The second is about two inches taller. The mane’s pink and blue hair is tidily braided. Beside the towering action figure is a row of six image frames. A sizeable blue bucket filled with used clothing is under the table. Pillows that are protected by a transparent cover are placed above the container’s cover.

A three-foot-tall, pitch-black cabinet to my left holds my sisters’ activity books. The top of the cabinet is ornamented with a variety of toys. Close to the cabinet is a glass bedside table. Next to the table is a huge green container that contains my cosplay outfits and accessories. Adjacent to the container is an aquarium with my bright-colored slider fish. There is a wooden cabinet to my right, between a dressing table and a four-layer plastic drawer. At the right corner of the table is a tiny plastic drawer with keys and other essentials. The left corner has a sky-blue chest with a purse and various treasures. Above the dressing table is a long triangular mirror mounted on the wall. It is positioned in the middle of two Styrofoam stars.

Example 3: A Description of My New Kitchen

The color of my new kitchen is a stunning rich crimson. A large sink with a dishwashing machine on the right side is located in the center of the wall. On the left, adjacent to the dishwashing machine, is the refrigerator. The three cabinets over the sink are the most gorgeous items in my kitchen. They have lamps inside of them, which I switch on in the morning and at night. The microwave and stove are located to the right of the sink. There is an open area with a sizable dining table close to the stove. At the dining table are six chairs. I keep my tableware, unused dishes, and the dining tablecloth in four drawers that are close to the table. Two little vertically open cabinets that are just above the drawers are filled with several cups for various drinks. There are a few cupboards to the left of the drawers where the frying pots, teapots, saucepans, and griddles are kept.

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Order of importance , time order and space order

Why can't I say "Importance order" while I can say "time order" or "space order".

• Can you say "space order" and "time order" ? –  mplungjan Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 11:05
• I know what "time order" generally means. What's "space order"? –  Andrew Leach ♦ Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 11:06
• It was in a book. –  user45373 Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 11:07
• Which book? Please quote and/or link the relevant part. –  TrevorD Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 12:58

2 Answers 2

I don't think you can say space order (if you did , I might not understand it anyway).

But people do sometimes speak of items listed in size order or weight order , and quite a few of these written instances of in importance order are for the current context.

It's much, much more common to say listed in [ascending/descending] order of importance .

I don't think there are really any grammatical principles involved here. You can modify order with any abstract noun denoting a scalar attribute (capable of being represented by a point on a scale) .

But because in practice we normally use the form order of xxxxx , it sounds slightly odd to use the abstract noun as an adjectival modifier. It's just a bit less odd if the noun is short and commonly used in such contexts.

So far as I'm concerned, nothing changes if you use sequence instead of order , or precede your noun by another modifier such as ascending/descending (which is often necessary for clarity).

In general, whatever specific "xxxx = adjectival abstract noun" we look at, order of xxxx is far more common than xxxx order . Except possibly time, which is unique in that it's the only "property" that actually has a built-in concept of scalar "direction" (c.f. time's arrow ).

• There are quite a few links available for 'space order' - for example web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/encomium/writingdemo/wb/wt/wt_08_b.htm Common to all these is using the term as adjective to the noun form of order. –  user49727 Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 12:59
• @user49727: Presumably in context , those who've written that assume the meaning is comprehensible. I haven't looked, but I guess they probably mean capacity , since I don't know how else to interpret "scalar" space . –  FumbleFingers Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 13:18
• no - they are using it as an alternative to 'spatial' –  user49727 Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 13:20
• 1 @user49727: Okay, I've just looked at your link. I think that particular usage is bordering on nonsense ( spatial, height, position or location , for example, would be at least "credible" there). –  FumbleFingers Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 14:29
• 1 No fair! You went on to the second page of results! –  terdon Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 18:13

I think this is because the first is always a noun, whereas the other two can be used as adjectives.

Unless you are describing two concrete objects it is unusual to have two consecutive nouns in a sentence.

In all these cases order is the noun and time , space are used in their adjective sense to qualify order . Importance cannot be used as it is always a noun and the adjective form would not carry the intended meaning.

• Time, space and importance are all nouns, used attributively to modify another noun. Space is not an adjective. –  Andrew Leach ♦ Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 13:15
• Noun used attributively is an adjective. And you cannot use 'importance' attributively. –  user49727 Commented Sep 2, 2013 at 13:18

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• Essay: KEEPING LAW & ORDER IN SPACE

Essay: KEEPING LAW & ORDER IN SPACE

IN all his long upward odyssey, man has never been confronted with anything quite like it. It is an ocean without shore, yet it bathes every nation’s border. It is a military “high ground” of measureless potential, yet no nation has so far dared to exploit it. It is a resource of such proportions that man has only begun to tap it. And in all this vast province of opportunity called space, no writ runs. All the experience of quest and conquest, of discovery and exploration of the earth provides scant precedent for dealing with the promise and problems of space.

The first precedent was set by Sputnik 1, which, in 96.2 minutes in 1957, sailed blithely across the skies, bridging the theoretical boundaries of nations without so much as an izvinite or by-your-leave. What could any of the violated nations do about it? Nothing. None of them even thought to protest. That spontaneous abdication of national prerogative in deference to Sputnik’s achievement still informs the approach to space nearly a decade—and thousands of trespasses—later. No established rules exist in space, and no method has yet been found to make rules effective there. No one has devised a way to station a traffic cop or patrol vessels to guard the boundaries of some theoretical mare nostrum of space. A canon of space law can thus be created only by mutual consent.

An Arch of Forbearance

So far, the approach to space has been remarkably amicable, even though that attitude requires the mutual tolerance of the U.S. and Russia, at present the only two space powers of any consequence. The reasons: neither nation is quite sure what the uses of space are; neither has determined whether it is possible to dominate outer space, or whether success would be worth the immense price. The result is a kind of detente, a protective arch of forbearance beneath which a small group of international lawyers have been scurrying about attempting to establish order. In particular, the legal subcommittee of the United Nations’ 28-member Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has been wrestling with the problems of bringing law and order to a new and uncharted world in the hope of having a draft treaty ready for General Assembly approval this fall.

The member nations involved in drawing up the space treaty have already agreed on nine of the roughly one dozen clauses planned for the treaty. Working in Geneva and New York, they have agreed to ban weapons of mass destruction from outer space, make the moon and all other celestial bodies ”the province of all mankind,” conduct all activities in outer space under “international law, including the U.N. charter,” and even to report to all other nations and to the U.N. “any phenomena they discover in outer space that could constitute a danger to the life and health of astronauts.”

Just when the conferees seemed to be making good progress, the Soviet Union suddenly brought matters to a halt. It demanded that any nation granting tracking facilities to one country must grant “equal conditions” to all others—which might mean that the services of the worldwide system of tracking stations laboriously negotiated and constructed by the U.S. would be available on demand to the Russians. Many of the nations involved promptly objected, having no wish to have Soviet technicians invade their observatories. Nonetheless, the Russians have insisted that this demand be the basis for all other agreements. As the new session of the U.N. Assembly opened last week, U.S. Ambassador Arthur Goldberg declared that a space treaty was “too important and too urgent to be delayed.” He made a dramatic offer, in the hope of ending the impasse, to allow the Russians tracking facilities on U.S. territory if a “mutually beneficial” pact can be negotiated. Whether the treaty moves forward or dies is now up to the Soviet Union.

While the U.N. is trying to put together the world’s first space treaty, space lawyers and scientists inside and outside the U.N. are grappling with a host of problems that are almost as vast and formless as space itself.

-THE BORDERS OF SPACE. One of the space lawyer’s first problems is staking out the territory. Where does space begin? The classic doctrine, derived from ancient Roman law, is cuius est solum eius est usque ad coelum—”who owns the land owns even to the skies.” This was incorporated into English common law as early as the 16th century, but the development of the balloon and the airplane brought modifications. The 1919 Paris Convention on aerial navigation and the International Civil Aviation Convention in Chicago in 1944 recognized that a nation has “complete and exclusive sovereignty over the air space above its territory.” But where does air space end? There is growing support for the proposal of the late Professor Theodore von Karman, who suggested that the limit was about 50 miles up, where molecular oxygen breaks down and airlift vanishes. Legally, the question is not yet settled but, like much of developing space law, the “Von Karman line” is today effective by default: what cannot be policed can scarcely be claimed.

-A QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY. Alongside the question of where space begins is the matter of who owns it. Russia and the U.S. agreed that no state shall claim sovereignty over the moon or any other celestial body in a spirit of mutual self-interest, also pledged that neither would attempt to establish any military base on the moon or elsewhere in outer space. The model for this formula is Antarctica, whose hostile environment, lack of population and high cost of exploration offer good analogies to the moon. In Antarctica the exploring nations set aside any territorial claims for the term of a 30-year treaty, agreed that no one should establish any military base or installation there and accepted the principle of mutual inspection. The agreement has worked in Antarctica, and the U.N. hopes that it will work in space too.

Like Antarctica, the moon was originally thought to be of huge strategic and economic importance, particularly as an invulnerable base for rockets. But, as with Antarctica, the strategists have had second thoughts. First off, the expense of ferrying missiles to the moon and installing them would be literally astronomical. Any rockets launched from the moon would be in transit to the earth for more than 30 hours, ample time for them to be detected, identified and destroyed by an anti-missile system. As for the moon’s economic potential, any metal or mineral found there would have to be priceless beyond anything on earth to make it worth exploiting. Some experts figure that the cost of shipping material back to the earth could run to roughly $500,000 an ounce.

-THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM. Though the military or commercial exploitation of space is some way off, a traffic problem is already developing. Some 1,111 man-made objects and fragments of objects are circling the earth—and that is just the beginning. The problem is not yet acute; space is so vast that the chances of a collision—and the attendant legal problems —are still greater than a million to one. But as more and more satellites are lofted, some form of traffic control will have to be worked out.

To keep track of the objects in space—and particularly to detect among them any “dark,” or radio-silent, object that might house a nuclear weapon or pose some other threat—the U.S. has developed a highly sophisticated system of surveillance. Each object now in outer space is given its own number and meticulously tracked by radar sensors (which can follow an object as small as a .30-cal. rifle bullet 200 miles into space), computers and special cameras with a range of 50,000 miles. The North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) can tell where every object is at any given moment. Of the orbiting objects, 251 are “useful payloads”—201 American, 43 Russian, three French, two British and two Canadian. The remaining 860 pieces are ”garbage,” including Mike Collins’ lost Hasselblad camera and Dick Gordon’s jettisoned space pack. (Ed White’s glove has dropped out of orbit and burned up.)

What if all or part of an orbiting object falls to earth and harms either property or persons? Nobody has yet been hit by a piece of falling space hardware, although four years ago a 20-lb. piece of Sputnik 4 plunked down on a street in Manitowoc, Wis. (It was duly returned to the Russians after being analyzed.) Because of the inherently high velocity of any object in orbit, most pieces of space junk are consumed in their fiery plunge through the earth’s atmosphere. But as man launches more and more satellites and probes—the Japanese are scheduled to loft their first satellite this week—the danger, however small, will obviously increase. The U.N. conferees have agreed that the launching nation should be liable for any damage inflicted by a satellite dropout, and both Russia and the U.S. have promised to accept liability without the customary court showing of negligence. In a related issue, they agreed that any downed astronauts should be treated as “envoys of mankind” and promptly returned to the nation that launched them.

-TALKING SATELLITES. Of all the objects now in space, those with the most dramatic potential for civilian use are communications satellites. How to handle them in the future is a problem so complex that the U.N. subcommittee has shied away from it. By 1969, the Communications Satellite Corp. will have five Early Birds in space, which will enable any single TV broadcast to blanket the globe, and within the next few years some 20 countries will have built stations to tune in on Comsat’s broadcasts. Such prophets as RCA’s David Sarnoff foresee the day when it will be possible to reach every home in every country by direct broadcast from a satellite. Not everyone, of course, can be expected to view this possibility with enthusiasm. The Russians would not like the idea of every dacha in the Ukraine receiving broadcasts from New York, nor would the U.S. wish to hear instant Communist propaganda broadcasts on Channel 14.

Some experts consider Sarnoff’s approach too visionary, believe that for a long time to come Comsat will serve strictly as a telephone and telegraph conveyance that would only occasionally be used for broadcasting international events of overriding importance. Even so, some form of agreement will have to be reached, if only to settle quarrels that are already looming—over what fees Comsat can collect, what programs it should broadcast, who should own the ground stations that will relay them, and whether Comsat should retain its monopoly status.

-SPIES IN THE SKY. A different kind of “communications” satellite has already been widely used by both the U.S. and Russia. A considerable number of the U.S.’s orbiting objects are surveillance satellites that guard the U.S. against surprise attacks and provide constant watch over both Russian and Red Chinese territory. Since the U-2 flights over Russia were halted in 1960, the U.S. has had to depend heavily on its Samos, Ferret, Midas and Vela systems for vital intelligence about the Soviet Union. With those satellites, the U.S. has mapped and photographed Russia’s missile sites and radar installations, followed the stages of nuclear progress in Red China, watched troop movements in both countries and eavesdropped on conversations at the Russian cosmodromes.

The Russians, who brusquely rejected President Eisenhower’s “open skies” offer in 1955, loudly complained about these spies-in-the-skies when they were first launched in 1960. But a potentially sticky conflict over aerial espionage was averted when, a couple of years later, the Russians launched their own equivalent, the Cosmos, and fell silent. Last year alone they launched dozens of Cosmos satellites that passed over the U.S.

-MILITARY POTENTIAL. While the advantages of orbiting spies are obvious, the potential for the military use of space itself is less clear. The U.S. and Russia pledged to the U.N. in 1963, and reaffirmed in the present treaty draft, that neither would put nuclear bombs in orbit. They were moved partly by the knowledge that such bombs would pass over any target only at widely spaced intervals, would be easier to track than ICBMs and could be delivered at best in hardly less time than the 30 minutes needed for an ICBM. Even so, this detente is subject to constant strain; each nation has made clear that, in the event of any breach of the agreement, it could “kill” any bomb put up by the other.

The great military fear is that one nation might make technological advances that would enable it to deny the use of space to others. For this reason the U.S. is apprehensive about the expected launching, probably next year, of a Russian-manned space laboratory called the Proton—a huge, stable reconnaissance and surveillance “island in the sky” manned by relays of crews. The Proton may be the prototype of a command ship that could control whole fleets of spaceships capable of denying to the U.S. the “near space” between the atmosphere and the 600-mile-high Van Allen Belt. Washington’s answer is its own Manned Orbiting Laboratory, a bus-sized vehicle scheduled to be launched in 1969 in which crews would live and work for a month at a time. In case Russia presses the challenge, the U.S. is experimenting with a laser weapon that has no recoil and therefore could be safely fired from a spacecraft.

Thus, whatever the Soviet Union does or plans to do, the U.S. must do or plan to do better. No one particularly welcomes this competitive prospect. One estimate of the ccst of countering a Russian effort at space denial and of assuring U.S. domination is a round $250 billion—and presumably it would cost the Russians just as much. While the U.S. and Russia may reach general agreement on many aspects of space exploration, the outlook for military uses of space is an expensive stalemate much like that now in effect on earth.

Probabilities of the Future

The problems of space law, while most ominous when they touch upon the military, nonetheless are so broad that space lawyers—a new but growing breed of specialists—have hardly begun to consider their ramifications. What happens, for example, if a civilian British scientist should kill an American or a Russian astronaut on the moon? Who would arrest whom, and what court of what country would have jurisdiction? Despite the fact that nations have forsworn territorial rights on celestial bodies, questions of property rights are bound to arise when exploration and interplanetary travel increase. The French have already raised one question: What happens if one nation establishes a mining camp en the moon and starts sending back valuable samples to the earth for analysis or exploitation? Is this an appropriation of international territory? Should some international organization be paid for mining rights? Who should license such projects, and how should the cost be deducted from any profits for tax purposes?

Insurance companies, whose business is to study the probabilities of the future, have so far declined to write policies for possible fires in possible homes of future moon dwellers on the grounds that there are no guiding statistics yet available. But one company did issue life insurance policies on the first seven astronauts, calculating their risk status as somewhat higher than a military jet pilot but less than a steeplejack. (The present astronauts, besides having group insurance through NASA, are also offered a travel accident insurance policy at the relatively low premium of $60 a year for $100,000.) The U.N. committee, intent on the bigger questions, is leaving such problems to be settled in the future.

Since every nation will invariably act to protect or advance its own interest when confronted with the problems of space, many space lawyers believe that the only effective way to control the exploration of space is to put it under some form of international control, much as the high seas are now covered by maritime law accepted by almost all nations. Space specialists are not Utopians; they recognize that man, not yet having succeeded in establishing the rule of law on his own planet, can be expected to carry many of his rivalries, prejudices and problems into outer space—along with his ideals. Their hope is that some human frailties, at least, will be modified in the face of the great challenge, vast expense and hostile environment that mark space exploration.

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Home — Essay Samples — War — Cold War — Essay On The Space Race

Essay on The Space Race

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

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50, 100, And 300 Words Essay on Space In English

Table of Contents

Introduction

Children are interested in space because it is a fascinating topic. It generates curiosity and interest among us when we hear about space missions or astronauts flying into space. In our minds, there are many questions. 

At takeoff, how intense is the acceleration for astronauts? When you are floating weightlessly in space, how does it feel? What is the sleeping environment like for astronauts? How do they eat? When viewed from space, how does Earth look? In this essay on space, you will find the answers to all of these questions. To gain a deeper understanding of space, students should read it.

50 Words Essay on Space

Space is the area outside the earth. Planets, meteors, stars, and other celestial objects can be found in space. Meteors are objects that fall from the sky. There is a lot of silence in space. If you scream loudly enough in space, no one will hear you.

Air does not exist in space! What a strange experience that would be! Yes, indeed! Basically, it’s just a vacuum. No sound waves can travel in this space and no sunlight can scatter in it. A black blanket can sometimes cover space.

There is some life in space. Stars and planets are separated by a vast distance. Gas and dust fill this gap. Celestial bodies also exist in other constellations. There are many of them, including our planet.

100 Words Essay on Space

The sound of your scream can’t be heard in space. The vacuum in space is caused by the lack of air. Vacuums do not permit the propagation of sound waves.

A 100 km radius around our planet marks the beginning of “outer space.”. Space appears as a black blanket dotted with stars due to the absence of air to scatter sunlight.

There is a common belief that space is empty. However, this is not true. Massive amounts of thinly spread gas and dust fill the vast gaps between stars and planets. A few hundred atoms or molecules per cubic meter can be found even in the most empty parts of space.

Radiation in space can also be dangerous to astronauts in many forms. Solar radiation is a major source of infrared and ultraviolet radiation. A high-energy X-ray, gamma ray, and cosmic ray particle can travel as fast as light if it comes from a distant star system.

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300 Words Essay on Space

Our countrymen have always been fascinated by things related to space. It was only through imagination and stories that man could dream of traveling in space when it was absolutely impossible to do so.

Space Travel is Now Possible

Until the twentieth century, the man had significant success in space research, giving this dream a simple form.

India has grown so much in science in the 21st century that many mysteries of space have been solved by the country. Additionally, visiting the moon has become very easy now, which was the dream of many long ago. As a side note, human spaceflight began in 1957.

First Life in Space

‘Layaka’ was sent into space for the first time via this vehicle to explore how space affects animals.

A spacecraft named Explorer was launched by the United States of America on January 31, 1958, giving another title to the world of space.

An enormous magnetic field above the Earth was to be discovered through this vehicle, along with its effects on Earth as a whole.

First Passenger

Our space research history is remembered for the event of July 20, 1969. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin became the first Americans to set foot on the moon on this day.

Sitting on a spacecraft named ‘Apollo-11’, he reached the surface of the moon. A third passenger in this spacecraft was Michael Collins.

He said, “Everything is beautiful” when he first landed on the moon. With this, he became the first person in the world to land on the moon.

Conclusion,

It would have been impossible to have imagined that the era of space tourism would also come in the future following the dawn of the space age. The first space tourist in the world was India’s Dennis Tito in 2002.

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