Dela Cruz, Manuela L.

-the order of
events
Signal
Words

first before
next after
last finally
Timeline orders
Cause Effect
Chronological order is very simple and
straight-forward. The audience gets
the facts in their original order
The Gainesville City Zoo just received its first
three animals. The first animal it received was a
deer. The second animal it received was a
monkey. The third animal it received was a lion.
Children in Gainesville are excited about the
opening of the zoo!
Arrange the pictures in chronological order.

3
1

2
Susan made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
First, she spread peanut butter on one slice of
bread. Next, she spread jelly on one slice of bread.
After spreading the jelly on, she put the two slices
of bread together.
Finally, she ate it.
It was delicious!
Arrange the following in
chronological order.

Next, she spread jelly on one slice of

2
bread.

4 Finally, she ate it.

After spreading the jelly on, she put the

3 two slices of bread together.

First, she spread peanut butter on one

slice of bread.
1
Let’s try one more!
Bill wants to tell a friend what he does in the
morning before going to school. First, I get out of
bed. Next, I get dressed. Then, I eat breakfast.
After breakfast, I brush my teeth and make my
lunch. Finally, I get on the bus and go to school..
 ----Finally, I get on the bus and go to
5 school.

----After breakfast, I brush my teeth and

4 make my lunch.

----Then, I eat breakfast.

3
----Next, I get dressed.
2
----First, I get out of bed.
1
Mary is playing with her blocks when Brenda stomps
through; destroying the work Mary has spent an hour
creating.
*****
Mary is about to ask out Billy when Brenda hits Mary
with a dead skunk. Billy laughs and Mary runs away.
*****
Mary is in an interview for her dream job when she
starts to feel sick; she realizes her sister switched lunches,
giving Mary a peanut butter sandwich, despite knowing that
Mary is allergic to peanuts.
Mary is about to audition for a tightrope-walking act that
will be on television when Brenda shows up and cuts in
front of her in line for the audition. A gust of wind pushes
Brenda off the highwire; Brenda manages to grab on to the
edge of the building, but is hanging by her fingers, calling
for help, when Mary stomps on her fingers.
Mary ends up getting arrested for attempted murder,
and Brenda gets a job hosting a television show about
jealous brothers and sisters.
story-within-a-story
Effect Cause
When the story jumps from the
present to the past in order to help
explain how the characters arrived at
their current situation.
Brenda is hanging from the side of a building while her
sister Mary stomps on her fingers. Brenda asks what
she's done to deserve this, making Mary even more
furious.
*****
Mary is playing with her blocks when Brenda stomps
through, destroying the work Mary has spent an hour
creating.
*****
Mary is about to ask out Billy when Brenda hits Mary
with a dead skunk. Billy laughs and Mary runs away.
 Mary is in an interview for her dream job when she starts to feel
sick; she realizes her sister switched lunches, giving Mary a peanut
butter sandwich, despite knowing that Mary is allergic to peanuts.
*****
Mary is about to audition for a tightrope-walking act that will be on
television when Brenda shows up and cuts in front of her in line for the
audition. A gust of wind pushes Brenda off the high wire; Brenda manages
to grab on to the edge of the building, but is hanging by her fingers, calling
for help, when Mary stomps on her fingers.

Mary ends up getting arrested for attempted murder, and Brenda gets a
job hosting a television show about jealous brothers and sisters.
. The colored boxes indicate scenes shown in color, representing
events happening in real time; the black-and-white checker boxes
indicate scenes shown in black and white, representing events
happened in the past and shown as flashbacks.