DEVELOPMENT BY TIME.

 
     When you develop something by time, you are noting how it changes over time.  An example might be, “How a chicken changes over its life cycle.”    (Please note: When you do the brainstorming, write down everything that comes to mind; it can be sorted out later on, when you have no more ideas to write down.) 
 
Development by:    Time. 
Written by:    SVW.
Topic:    Chicken’s life cycle. 
Title:    “How a chicken changes over its life cycle.” 
Brainstorming:    Chicken–life cycle–adult–shell–feathers–break out–adult hen–egg white / egg yolk–chick–development in shell–pullet–hatch–28 days–grow larger. 
 
     Note: You should write this brainstorming in English, but if you do not know the English for some word, then write it down here in Chinese.  You can look it up in the dictionary later.  Do not stop the brainstorming process, just to look in the dictionary!!!  Just write it down at once in Chinese.  Using a dictionary while you are brainstorming will “kill” the creative process of brainstorming very quickly, so please do not do it.  Once you have this information, you need to choose the five main ideas that will become S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5.  Choose, then number them according to their importance, like this: 
 
     Chicken–life cycle–adult– #1 in shell–feathers–break out– #5 adult hen–egg white / egg yolk– #3 chick–development in shell– #4 pullet– #2 hatch–28 days–grow larger.
 
     It is easier, I think, to order them according to the sequence of 1st–5th–3rd–2nd–4th, rather than according to 1st–2nd–3rd–4th–5th. 
     Then, make a plan outline like this, for the “Body” of the paragraph only, like this: 
 
Plan outline:   
     [TS]   
     [S1]    In shell.
     [S2]    Hatch. 
     [S3]    Chick. 
     [S4]    Pullet. 
     [S5]    Adult hen. 
     [CS]                    
 
     Then, add in the information for the Topic Sentence, and the Concluding Sentence: 
 
Plan outline:   
     [TS]    Many stages–chicken. 
     [S1]    In shell.
     [S2]    Hatch. 
     [S3]    Chick. 
     [S4]    Pullet. 
     [S5]    Adult hen. 
     [CS]   Interesting–watch. 
 
     Please note the unity of this paragraph: all the “Body” sentences point to one common idea–the development of the chicken.  The [CS] can have two different forms: (a) it can
 
summarize what has gone before (in the “Body”), or (b) it can point forwards to the future (the next paragraph). 
 
     Also, please note how the language of the plan is very short and fragmentary.  Do not use sentences in the plan, because if you do that, it is harder to alter and change around what you have started; with fragments and words, you can develop a sentence any way you want.
     Now, take this plan, and develop each part into a sentence.  Remember, you can only have seven sentences!  You must work within the limits of this system–for now. 
     Remember: you must “originate” and produce your sentences in English!  Do not, under any circumstances, think in Chinese and then translate what you have imagined into English!  That is not “writing”–it is translating, which is another, different language skill. 
     The question arises: which “sentence type” should I use–Type One, Type Two, Type Three, Type Four, Type Five, or Type Six?  This is up to you, for as a writer, you can determine which “sentence type” is best for you.  However, please know that a different “sentence type” will give a different “feel” to the text you write.  I will give you the same paragraph, but written in different “sentence types”, for you to see what it looks like. 
      
According to Type One: 
 
Paragraph Text:  
     [TS]    There are many stages in the life of a chicken.                                
     [S1]    It develops inside the egg-shell. 
     [S2]    It hatches after about 28 days. 
     [S3]    It is now a yellow-feathered chick. 
     [S4]    It later becomes an adolescent “pullet”. 
     [S5]    It turns into an adult hen. 
     [CS]    Watching a chicken develop is very interesting. 
 
According to Type Two: 
Paragraph Text:  
     [TS]    The life of a chicken has many stages, and they are all interesting to watch. 
     [S1]    After the process of fertilization, the embryonic chick develops inside the safety of the egg-shell. 
     [S2]    After being cared for by the mother hen for about 28 days, the chick hatches from the egg. 
     [S3]    Once it is dried off and safe, the yellow-feathered chick runs about everywhere. 
     [S4]    When one month or so has gone by, the chick becomes an adolescent “pullet”. 
     [S5]    A few months later, it has become an adult hen. 
     [CS]    Watching a chick develop into a hen takes time, but it is an interesting process. 
 
According to Type Three: 
Paragraph Text:  
     [TS]    As with other animals in the world, the life of a chicken has many stages, which are interesting to watch. 
     [S1]    After the egg has been fertilized, the chick embryo develops inside the safety of the egg-shell, all the while kept warm by the mother hen. 
     [S2]    After about 28 days, being carefully tended by the mother hen, the chick hatches from the egg-shell. 
     [S3]    Once the yellow-feathered chick has been dried off and is safe, it runs about everywhere, as it is interested in everything around it.  
     [S4]    After a month or so of careful feeding by the farmer, the chick becomes an adolescent “pullet”, and starts to look more and more like a hen. 
 
     [S5]    A few months later, the “pullet” becomes an adult hen, and looks more like its mother. 
     [CS] Watching a chick develop into an adult hen takes time and patience, but for those who are willing to study it each day, it is an interesting process. 
 
According to Type Four: 
Paragraph Text:  
     [TS]    A chicken’s life has many stages; they are interesting to watch. 
     [S1]    The embryo chick develops inside the safety of the egg-shell; it is kept safe and warm by its mother. 
     [S2]    28 days pass by; the chick is ready to come out. 
     [S3]    The newly-hatched chick is dried off; it soon runs about everywhere. 
     [S4]    A month or so passes; the chick is now an adolescent “pullet”. 
     [S5]    The “pullet” gradually becomes an adult hen; it now looks more like its mother. 
     [CS]    It takes time and patience to watch a chick develop into an adult hen; this is an interesting process for many people. 
 
     You could do the same for Type Five and Type Six sentences, but with this topic, it is a little difficult, and perhaps unnecessary.  The purpose of writing out the above four examples is to show you that each “sentence type” gives you a different “flavor” of paragraph.  It is up to you to decide which one is best for you.  The best way to learn this is to read widely,
and see how other writers create their sentences.  This should, it is hoped, come to you after time, experimentation, and experience.