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Copy of Creating an Outline
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Creating an Outline
The Thesis.
The Thesis is found in the opening paragraph and concluding paragraph and is a statement used to introduce your argument to the reader.
ENGL 0491 College of DuPage
By Andrew Ruzkowski
Starting With a Table of Contents.
In order to organize your argument/paper, an outline is recommended. The outline will allow for:
- A way to sort the arguments and details that will eventually make up your body paragraphs
- Will give you a sense of the essay's dimensions-what the essay will cover
Make sure to add any ideas that come to mind as they could be useful.
After this, its time to sort through your ideas!
Elements of
Your Outline.
The Directional Statement.
The directional statement is used in the opening paragraph to state the main points that make up your body paragraphs. It is repeated in the concluding paragraph as well.
The basic sections of an outline are the important statements in your essay and the main ideas in each paragraph.
Classify your material.
- i) Decide how many steps your argument contains and classify your notes accordingly.
Tailor the Outline.
Now to observe what you have of your outline so far and make sure this is the material you will need for your essay.
- Some ideas can seem important when you first started writing the essay, but later seem irrelevant - DON’T BE AFRAID TO TOSS THEM OUT!
- Make sure all of your ideas are relevant to your topic and that they are big enough to expand upon.
- Do your points and ideas fit into your goal? Do they portray what you want the reader to learn from your essay?
- Add any quotes or statistics now, and be sure to record where you required them.
The Opening Sentence.
This is the beginning of your introduction paragraph meant to hook the readers attention and persuade them to continue reading.
Body Paragraphs.
Your essay will contain a minimum of three body paragraphs arguing the points given in your directional statement with the point, an explanation and an example.
The Concluding Paragraph.
This is the closing paragraph of the essay. The Thesis and Directional statement will be altered and repeated and the paragraph will contain a concluding sentence to summarize the argument of your essay.
Establish your pivotal points: The Thesis and Purpose.
- i) Emanate your ideas, arguments, facts and figures from your thesis and purpose. Be sure that your thesis is short and clear.
Gather Your Notes.
- i) Separate ideas on index cards – this way you can shuffle or discard material easily.
Order your material in a logical way.
- i) The strongest point should be placed either in the beginning or end of the essay with the weaker ones in the middle.
Rank your points according to importance.
- i) Decide whether your points have a major or minor role to play.
- ii) Assign certain letters or numbers to major, supporting and minor sections.
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