× PREFACE
  CHAPTER 1
What is Academic English?
  CHAPTER 2
Academic Vocabulary
  CHAPTER 3
Useful Sentence Structures and Language for Academic Writing
  CHAPTER 4
Paraphrasing, Summarising and Quoting
  CHAPTER 5
Paragraph Structure
  CHAPTER 6
Common Academic Text Structures



Home > Chapter 6: Common Academic Text Structures

Chapter 6: Common Academic Text Structures

6c: Procedure/Sequence

iv) Time Order

In creative writing, such as short stories, writers can decide when to start their story without necessarily following a chronological order (e.g. flashback). However, clarity is crucial in academic texts. To avoid ambiguity or confusion, a chronological order is usually adopted in presenting events or developments over time in academic writing.




 Activity 7

Read the text about the development of public housing in Hong Kong and answer the questions.

Fill in the timeline about the development of public housing in Hong Kong with the words or phrases from the box below. Each word/phrase can be used ONCE only.

Development of public housing in Hong Kong
  • 1920s & 1930s
    There was a serious of housing due to the influx of immigrants.
  • 1939
    started.
  • After WWII
    A housing authority was set up to provide .
  • 1952
    Hong Kong’s first public housing estate, , was built.
  • 1953
    After a fire in , the first government public housing estate was built.
  • 1960s
    were launched with first new towns being Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan.
  • 1970s
    was launched.