Development:Examples, Illustrations, Incidents, Compare & Contrast

Weikang Sun

AP Lang – 9

4/5/2008

Development

Clarify and expand on the claims and proof in a speech

Otherwise, audiences won’t pay attention Types of development:

Example Illustration Incident Compare & Contrast Analogy

Example

Basic, important form of development

typical, specific instance of something

Shows speaker’s understanding of the topic

Example: Claim that drunk driving

kills Cite example of a case

in 2001 where drunk sheriff’s deputy struck and killed two bicyclists in San Francisco

Example Guidelines

Find understandable and interesting examples which clearly address the topic

Introduce examples with “for example,” “for instance,” or “[example] is a good example of…”

Use more than one example Don’t list examples, also discuss them Tell audience if example is made up

(hypothetical example)

Illustration

An expansion of an example

Longer, more elaborate, detailed

“draws a picture” for the listeners

Develops the topic Example:

Deforestation describe with detail the

scenery before and after trees were cut down

Creates effective contrasting pictures

Illustration Guidelines

Use colorful, interesting, descriptive language

Give the audience something to picture in their minds

Place tag, a statement that ties back to the point being made, at the end

Incident

Also known as narrative or anecdote

A story used to prove or further illustrate a point

Example: Airplanes are unsafe Tell a personal story

of knowing someone who died in a plane crash

Gives the sense of authenticity

Incident Guidelines

Be cautious on the use of incidents because they tend to be very long

Tell the incident with enthusiasm and interest

Find incidents that are very closely related to the topic

Don’t overuse incidents Don’t exceed time limits

Compare & Contrast

Compare: similarities between two things

Contrast: differences between two thing

Use Compare & Contrast to build/develop the point

Often the whole speech can be based on Compare & Contrast

Example: Compare & Contrast

PC’s and Macs Physical differences,

speed, security, compatibility, etc.

Compare & Contrast Guidelines

Explain what is being compared or contrasted

Supplement compare and contrast with examples

Maintain clear organization Use transitions (“on the other hand”)

to signal clear explanation of the two sides of compare and contrast

Analogy

Extended comparison of two things

Helps audience understand difficult, confusing, or new concepts

Usually compares how the two things are similar

Example: Comparing the atom

to the model of the solar system

Types of Analogies

Literal analogy Comparing two things that

are actually alike Ex. An electronic circuit

and a water pump circuit. Both have a source of power which creates a current in a circuit.

Figurative Analogy Comparing two things that

are not literally alike, abstract

Ex. Atom is not really like planets orbiting the Sun, much more complex (quantum theory)

Quiz

1. True or False? You should only use one example in a speech.

False

2. An incident can also be called a(n)…? Anecdote or narrative

3. What are the two kinds of analogies? What is the difference?

Literal and figurative analogies. Literal analogies describe two things that are literally alike, figurative analogies describe two things that are not literally alike