How to write a sentence outline

What Is A Good Sentence Outline?

Thesis: In order to help both the writer and the reader easily understand the structure of

a paper, a good sentence outline must clearly indicate the structure of the paper and

relate the major ideas of the structure to the thesis.

I. A good outline of any kind clearly indicates the structure of the paper.

A. Any outline shows, by systematic arrangement, the order of ideas presented in the paper.

1. Placing one topic under a more general one shows that it is subordinate.

a. The subordinate item should be less important.

b. The subordinate item should be a logical part of the general topic under which it is listed.

2. Assigning two or more items the same kind of heading shows that they are equal in importance.

3. Placing one item after another shows that the second reasonably follows from the first.

a. The order of the items may be dictated by the logic of the subject matter itself.

b. The order may simply help the reader understand the development.

B. A sentence outline shows most precisely the ideas and their relationships.

1. Every single item must be a complete sentence.

2. Each sentence should state a single idea.

3. Each sentence should make a concrete assertion about the subject

matter of the paper.

a. The sentences should not be empty abstractions.

b. The sentences should not merely state the author's plan.

c. The sentences should not be questions.

II. Outlines help both the writer and the reader grasp the subject as a whole.

A. The outline requires the writer to organize his material effectively.

B. The outline provides the reader with a handy table of contents.

C. The outline shows at a glance the unity and organization of the paper.

III. An outline's parts should be organically related.

A. The title should clearly indicate the subject and scope of the paper.

B. The thesis should summarize the conclusions of the whole paper.

1. It should be terse but meaningful.

2. It should focus on the subject, not the writer.

3. It should account for every major part of the paper.

C. The body of the outline should develop the thesis completely.

1. Any idea suggested in the thesis should be represented in the outline.

2. Any idea in the outline should be appropriate to the thesis.

IV. An outline should strike a balance between general conclusions and specific

details.

A. An outline should be informative but readily grasped.

1. It should be elaborate enough to show the major parts of the paper and

their relationship.

2. It should be brief enough to be taken in at a glance.

B. A junior theme outline should be brief but informative. (Note: Your teacher

may have different guidelines for this section.)

1. It should contain at least one sentence for each major paragraph of the

paper. (If the paper is ten pages long, and if you get one-and-a-half

paragraphs to the page, the outline should contain at least fifteen

sentences.)

2. It should contain sentences that are suited to be topic sentences of the

paragraphs of the paper. (This does not necessarily mean that all items

must be topic sentences.)

3. It should be one or two pages long -- rarely more or less.

V. The outline should be made clear by adhering to the conventional forms.

A. The divisions should be few but useful.

1. One topic can never be divided into fewer than two sub-topics. If you

have an A, you must have a B; if a 1, also a 2; etc.

2. Major topics (Roman numerals) should not be fewer than three or more

than six.

B. All entries should be terse, self-contained, and informative.

1. Each entry should be a grammatically complete sentence -- do not use

"Introduction," "Body," and "Conclusion."

2. Sentences should be grammatically simple or complex, but not

compound.

3. Sentences should not require reference to the title, thesis, or other

sentences distant from

them in the outline; they should be clear in themselves.

4. Sentences stating parallel ideas should be grammatically parallel.

C. Mechanics should be uniform and correct.

1. Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals, and lower case

letters should be used.

2. Each number or letter should be followed by a period and a space.

3. Each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a period.

4. Each sentence should be separated from the others by double spacing.

VI. The writer should strive for clear thought and precise statement.

A. He should seek the natural organization of his material.

B. He should formulate his thesis carefully before outlining.

C. He should subdivide logically and thoughtfully.

D. He should continually strive for exact, precise statements of his ideas.

E. He should realize that a well-done outline represents as much as threequarters

of the work of composition.

(Sample) Sentence Outline

Thesis: Research shows that single-sex classes are better

for girls and, therefore, should be encouraged.

I. During the first 200 years in America, women were not allowed in schools.

A. Initially, education was only for men.

B. Throughout the nineteenth century, the number of coed schools increased.

C. In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, a law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational institutions.

II. One significant advantage of single-sex classes is the elimination of gender bias that often occurs in coed classes.

A. Teachers pay more attention to boys.

1. Girls are not called on as often as boys in coed classes.

2. Many times teachers tolerate disruptive behavior in boys but discourage the same behavior in girls.

B. Favoritism is also an issue in coed classes.

1. Teachers “get a thrill from involving a boy who’s going to be disruptive.”

2. Teachers have higher expectations for boys than for girls.

III. Girls benefit from being free from the gender bias of coed classes.

A. They perform better academically.

1. Textbooks “show an inherent and often inadvertent bias against females in textbooks.”

2. This bias also shows itself in teaching techniques.

B. Techniques that are disadvantageous to girls are more apparent in certain subject areas.

1. Girls show more interest in math when taught in single-sex classes.

2. This is also the case in science couses.

IV. Not only do single-sex classes offer academic advantages, but also personal benefits.

A. Distractions are eliminated when the sexes are separated.

B. All-girl schools offer a nurturing environment in which girls are not afraid to try.

1. The single-sex environment makes girls feel more comfortable in class.

2. In all-girl schools, one is respected for doing well in class, instead of being mocked by other students.

C. Girls have lower self-esteem than adolescent boys.

1. Single-sex education compensates for this disparity.

2. All positions of power are held by girls.

(both example and instructions from http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/english/research_guide/outline_sentence.php)

This OWL site, from Purdue, is very helpful in many ways. This link is to basic outline instructions/template.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/argutemplate.html

This template, also from the OWL site, shows how to organize a research/analysis paper for an outline.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/ResearchW/anatemplate.html

Remember that you must use complete sentences.

Finally, this page from Virgil University will help you move to the next step in drafting your paper.

Transitions Between Paragraphs

The best way to test the effectiveness of transitions between paragraphs is to create a topic sentence outline.
Boil down each of your paragraphs into one sentence--the topic sentence. Since you're now in the revision stage, you may need to alter your topic sentences to reflect the changes you've made within your paragraphs. Write out your topic sentences in outline form and--presto!--you've got a topic sentence outline.
On a side note, your topic sentence is the first sentence of your paragraph, and it functions like a thesis in that it lays out the theme of your paragraph. You should be able to read the topic sentence alone and get the main gist of the paragraph.
Now that you've got your topic sentence outline done, review it for coherency. Do the topic sentences flow easily from one to another, or is your outline rocky?
If your topic sentences do not transition smoothly from one to another, you should reread each of your paragraphs and write a new topic sentence for each one. Write these new topic sentences on a fresh sheet of paper. Then compare the new topic sentences with the old. Which ones are the same? Which ones are different? When you find that your topic sentence has changed in a paragraph, make sure that you reevaluate the transitions between the surrounding paragraphs.