Inverted pyramid
Good for opening expository essay

The inverted pyramid is a commonly used scheme for organizing nonfiction. The arrangement is really a type of information string with the beads of information arranged by the size or importance of the ideas:

• The "must know" information is at the top.

• Useful supporting detail comes lower down.

• Trivia is at the tail end.

The reason the structure rates a category by itself is that, unlike other strings, it can be used to structure entire documents other than essays.

News story organization

For years, writing with the main point in the first sentence and less important material lower down was called news style. If a story was too long, a newspaper editor whacked off its end. Since the big news was at the top of the story, there was little risk of losing vital information.

Then newspapers adopted a human-interest approach to journalism — using the persuasive essay pattern — and news style almost disappeared.

Electronic writing

Recently, the top-down style has been revived as the pattern for news stories online. It is also the standard for web pages, web site organization, and e-mail communication. In each of these formats, writers expect to see the most important information right away. Material lower down may not get a glance.

A tough pattern to teach

Though it's easy to talk about, news style is not easy to teach. For example, the pattern

• Provides no guidance about what is an appropriate top-level fact.

• Does not reveal if there is essential information missing.

• Does not indicate what a discussion of a topic should include.

• Does not give writers any way of know when they have written enough.

• Does not lend itself readily to procedural checklists writers can use in monitoring their work.

Use in introductions

Despite its limitations, writers must have the inverted pyramid for one print function: writing introductory paragraphs in essays and reports.

An introduction built as an upside down pyramid is never out of place in expository prose, but it is particularly suited to third-person exposition. What’s more, the pattern does not require any great creativity, so it is easy to learn.