{"id":538,"date":"2016-04-04T23:54:21","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T23:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=538"},"modified":"2016-08-15T19:34:24","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T19:34:24","slug":"text-support-and-elaboration","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/chapter\/text-support-and-elaboration\/","title":{"raw":"Text: Support and Elaboration","rendered":"Text: Support and Elaboration"},"content":{"raw":"<span class=\"lead-in\">Support and elaboration consist of the specific details and information<\/span>\u00a0writers use to develop their topic. The key to developing support and elaboration is getting <em>specific<\/em>. Good writers use concrete, specific details, and relevant information to establish\u00a0mental images for their readers.\r\n\r\nTwo important concepts in support and elaboration are <dfn>sufficiency<\/dfn> and\u00a0<dfn>relatedness<\/dfn>.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"aligncenter wp-image-541 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/04\/04235643\/5544123180_545d2394c1_z-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a wicker plant support in a spiral shape\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>\r\n\r\n<strong>Sufficiency <\/strong>refers the amount of detail \u2014 is there enough detail to support the topic? Any parent who has asked his or her child what happened at school knows how hard it is to get a child to elaborate on a subject. Good writers supply their readers with sufficient details to comprehend what they have written. In narrative writing, this means providing enough descriptive details for the reader to construct a picture of the story in their mind. In expository writing, this means not only finding enough information to support your purpose, whether it is to inform or persuade your audience, but also finding information that is credible and accurate.\r\n\r\nSufficiency, however, is not enough. The power of your information is determined less by the quantity of details than by their <em>quality<\/em>.\r\n\r\n<strong>Relatedness <\/strong>refers to the quality of the details and their relevance to the topic. Good writers select only the details that will support their focus, deleting irrelevant information. In narrative writing, details should be included only if they are concrete, specific details that contribute to, rather than detract from, the picture provided by the narrative. In expository writing, information should be included only if it is relevant to the writer\u2019s goal and strengthens rather than weakens the writer\u2019s ability to meet that goal.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Guiding Questions for Support and Elaboration<\/h3>\r\n<h4>FOR NARRATIVE WRITING:<\/h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Is your story developed with specific details that are related to the main event?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Do all of the details move the story along?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does your story have enough elaboration so that your reader can see and feel what is happening? Can you show me an example where your reader can see or feel what is happening?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h4>FOR INFORMATIONAL WRITING:<\/h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Is your essay developed with specific information (facts, statistics, etc.) that is related to the main topic?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does all of the information support the main topic?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does your essay have enough information to fulfill your reader\u2019s needs?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h4>FOR ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING:<\/h4>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Is your essay developed with specific details that are related to the main topic?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does all of the information support the main argument?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Does your essay have enough supporting evidence to persuade your reader?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2><div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/14b3C8zr15PDC9sS3vUgRQFjOely714h46i0GW6uDi40\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a>","rendered":"<p><span class=\"lead-in\">Support and elaboration consist of the specific details and information<\/span>\u00a0writers use to develop their topic. The key to developing support and elaboration is getting <em>specific<\/em>. Good writers use concrete, specific details, and relevant information to establish\u00a0mental images for their readers.<\/p>\n<p>Two important concepts in support and elaboration are <dfn>sufficiency<\/dfn> and\u00a0<dfn>relatedness<\/dfn>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-541 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/04\/04235643\/5544123180_545d2394c1_z-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of a wicker plant support in a spiral shape\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sufficiency <\/strong>refers the amount of detail \u2014 is there enough detail to support the topic? Any parent who has asked his or her child what happened at school knows how hard it is to get a child to elaborate on a subject. Good writers supply their readers with sufficient details to comprehend what they have written. In narrative writing, this means providing enough descriptive details for the reader to construct a picture of the story in their mind. In expository writing, this means not only finding enough information to support your purpose, whether it is to inform or persuade your audience, but also finding information that is credible and accurate.<\/p>\n<p>Sufficiency, however, is not enough. The power of your information is determined less by the quantity of details than by their <em>quality<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Relatedness <\/strong>refers to the quality of the details and their relevance to the topic. Good writers select only the details that will support their focus, deleting irrelevant information. In narrative writing, details should be included only if they are concrete, specific details that contribute to, rather than detract from, the picture provided by the narrative. In expository writing, information should be included only if it is relevant to the writer\u2019s goal and strengthens rather than weakens the writer\u2019s ability to meet that goal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Guiding Questions for Support and Elaboration<\/h3>\n<h4>FOR NARRATIVE WRITING:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Is your story developed with specific details that are related to the main event?<\/li>\n<li>Do all of the details move the story along?<\/li>\n<li>Does your story have enough elaboration so that your reader can see and feel what is happening? Can you show me an example where your reader can see or feel what is happening?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>FOR INFORMATIONAL WRITING:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Is your essay developed with specific information (facts, statistics, etc.) that is related to the main topic?<\/li>\n<li>Does all of the information support the main topic?<\/li>\n<li>Does your essay have enough information to fulfill your reader\u2019s needs?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>FOR ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Is your essay developed with specific details that are related to the main topic?<\/li>\n<li>Does all of the information support the main argument?<\/li>\n<li>Does your essay have enough supporting evidence to persuade your reader?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/14b3C8zr15PDC9sS3vUgRQFjOely714h46i0GW6uDi40\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-538\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Revision and Adaptation. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Support and elaboration. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Kathleen Cali. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Learn NC. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/few\/685\">http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/few\/685<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of spiral. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Dave Gunn. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9rV5EG\">https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9rV5EG<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC: Attribution-NonCommercial<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":15,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Support and elaboration\",\"author\":\"Kathleen Cali\",\"organization\":\"Learn NC\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.learnnc.org\/lp\/editions\/few\/685\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Image of spiral\",\"author\":\"Dave Gunn\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/9rV5EG\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and Adaptation\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"15515724-88a3-454f-8bc0-d7815f000197, 2b7655a0-01d8-48df-bf58-13ca30ba950a","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-538","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":19,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2962,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/538\/revisions\/2962"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/19"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/538\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=538"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=538"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}