DEVELOPMENT BY SPACE.

      
     When you are developing a paragraph by space, you are describing how various objects are arranged in relationship to each other.  Examples of this are: the furniture in my bedroom, my class room, the shops in my village, the pens and other objects in my desk, and so on.  The final paragraph should accurately reflect what is in your “mind’s eye”; this is actually a difficult process.  Here, clarity and simplicity are very important; it is better (I
think) to write an almost childishly simple description, using Type One, Two, or Four sentences, and be clear, than to “show off” with Type Three, Five, and Six sentences, and
 
lose the reader’s understanding.  Therefore, you should first draw a sketch drawing of what it is that you will write about. 
     Next, you must decide in what order you will divide your subject matter: will you start at the left, and work to the right; will you start in the inside, and work to the outside; will you
begin at the “head”, and go to the “feet”; will you work in a spiral, like the shell of a snail?  Think about this carefully.  Various cities of the world have their own unique “shapes”, and can be described accordingly.  For example, Beijing is like a series of concentric circles; Paris is like the snail’s shell; London has the north half and the south half; Altai is long and thin, with a river running down the middle; Tianjin is like a plate of spaghetti dropped on the
floor.  So, for each paragraph that you “develop by space”, you must decide how you will divide up your subject matter.  Also, remember that you only have five sentences for the “body”!  The introduction must clearly introduce everything that follows; in a sense, it must
“say it all”.  The conclusion either summarizes all that has gone before, or else it “points the way” to some (as yet) unseen idea in the future. 
 
     For this example, let us discuss the classroom of English Class 0505, which is like any other classroom in China. 
 
Development by:    Space. 
 
Written by:    SVW. 
Topic:    The physical layout of English Class 0505's classroom. 
Title:    “0505's Classroom.” 
Brainstorming:    Windows–tables–doors–floor–ceiling–blackboard–chairs–tables–plastic flowers–teacher’s platform–teacher’s podium–overhead lights–rear blackboard–light switches–the students–the teacher–waste paper basket–snow shovels and brooms–papers on floor–notice board–student honor board–radiators. 
     When you do the “brainstorming”, you should write down everything that comes to mind, without any “screening” of ideas.  Again, if you do not know the English for some word, then write down that word at once in Chinese, and look it up in the dictionary later, only later, when your “brainstorming” process is exhausted. 
 
     Then, look for any sign of “patterns” in the list of words you have generated: are there any patterns?  You could come up with these five patterns: 
     Students’ equipment–blackboards / notice boards–doors / windows–teacher’s equipment. 
     Or, you could start at the back of the classroom, and work your way “forwards”: 
     Rear blackboard–desks–teacher’s platform / podium–front blackboard–doors / windows. 
     There are a number of ways you can go.  Choose the way you like best; only make sure that what you write is very clear and easy to understand. 
 
     For this example, I will use the second choice.  Again, fill in S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 first, before you fill in TS and CS: I think it is much easier to do it this way.  You decide. 
Plan outline:   
     [TS]    0505 classroom / simple. 
     [S1]    Rear blackboard / notice boards. 
     [S2]    Students’ desks. 
     [S3]    Teacher’s platform / podium. 
     [S4]    Front blackboards. 
     [S5]    Doors / windows. 
     [CS]   Our home / love it!                   
 
     When writing the sentences which come from this plan, you can choose which “sentence type” you like best.  If this is difficult for now, then you can choose the following options: (a) do Type One sentences, and then try again, with Type Two or Type Four later; (b) use whatever “sentence type” you feel like at the time you are writing.  My example here is not the “only” way; your way is the best way. 
Paragraph Text:  
 
     [TS]    I teach English to Class 0505 in a very simply laid-out classroom. 
     [S1]    At the back of the classroom, there is a large “student information” blackboard; next to it are some “class rules” notice boards, as well as an “honor student” board. 
     [S2]    The students’ desks take up most of the classroom; this class has about thirty desks and thirty chairs. 
     [S3]    The teacher’s platform is towards the front of the classroom, and has a wooden podium on it. 
     [S4]    There are four blackboards mounted on the front wall, covering at least six square meters; each blackboard can be moved up and down, since they are mounted on wires and pulleys. 
     [S5]   From the students’ perspective, the windows are on the left, and the doors are on the right walls of the classroom.  
     [CS]    This room is the home of 0505 Class; they love their classroom very much! 
     There are many ways you can write this kind of paragraph, so I suggest you experiment with the way you like best.  It is good to do this experimentation on the big blackboard.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to try doing this with some friends, so that you can talk about which “sentence type” is best for a given situation.  Remember, the more you work with the language–either alone, or with others–the more sensitive you will become to using it in various situations.  This applies to both “real life” language situations, as well as with the more “theoretical” and “experimental” language situations.  Have fun!