Preparatory Reading and Writing I

Standard Essay Outline Format

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Part of organization can be making an outline. In the reading section, you have been discussing finding supporting details and recognizing transitions that show how ideas are related to each other. You need to be sure you have enough supporting details and transitions in your essay for your readers. Making an outline helps you be sure that you do.

Outlines can be especially helpful for complex essays, in-class essays and research papers because an outline helps you stay focused and organized. Staying focused and organized helps your reader understand you ideas better. A confused reader is a bored reader and, as a writer, you don't want to confuse or bore your reader.

Formal outlines have a structure that you can adapt to your own style. Here is an example of a formal outline.

1. Introduction

a. Set the scene.

b. Statement of the main idea.

c. Statement of the specific points to be covered in this essay.

2. Body

a. Specific Point #1 (use a transition in this sentence)

i. examples (supporting details)

ii. explanations of how the details relate to the main idea

b. Specific Point #2 (use a transition in this sentence to show how this paragraph relates to the one that just came before it)

i. examples (supporting details)

ii. explanations of how the details relate to the main idea

c. Specific Point #3 (use a transition in this sentence to show how this paragraph relates to the one that just came before it)

i. examples (supporting details)

ii. explanations of how the details relate to the main idea

3. Conclusion (use a transition in this sentence to show that this is the conclusion)

a. Restatement of the main idea

b. Restatement of the main points and how they relate to each other

c. Significance of the topic and your discussion of it. (Should answer the question, "So what?")