English for academic and professional purposes

outlining
An outline is a list arranged to show hierarchical relationships among main ideas, major details, and
supporting details of a given text. Outlining is an organizational skill that will develop your ability to think in a
clear and logical manner. An outline can help you synthesize the most important information in a paragraph
or essay. The information in the outline is a quick check on whether the paragraph or essay is unified, well
supported, and well organized.

I. Outlines have two basic characteristics.

A. They are accurate summaries of information.
B. They are organized to show how ideas are related.
II. Outlines follow a special alphanumeric format.
A. They begin with a title which states the topic. For most essays, a thesis statement or
topic sentence is provided.
B. All statements must be labeled.
1. Roman numerals are used to label main ideas.
2. Capital letters are used to label major supporting sentences.
3. Arabic numerals are used to label minor supports.
C. All labels must be used in pairs and must be followed by a period.
1. If a l is used, a ll must be used.
2. If an A is used, a B must be used.
3. If a 1 is used, a 2 must be used.
III. Making an outline has two advantages.
A. The outline synthesizes the most important information of a paragraph or essay for
the reader or listener.
1. The outline can be helpful when taking notes from a textbook.
2. The outline format can make taking lecture notes simple.
B. The outline provides the important information the writer wants to include in a
paragraph or essay.
1. The outline can be helpful when beginning to write because it lists the main
points to be developed.
2. Developing an outline point by point helps the writer to adequately support
each point.

Parts of an Outline
In an essay, the introduction serves as the attention
grabber that makes it sound interesting. The body includes all
the evidence and support of the text in addition to the author’s
ideas. Lastly, the conclusion ends the essay and
encapsulates all the arguments and points of the author.
However, the terms “Introduction,” “Body,” and “Conclusion”
do not have to be included in the outline.

Kinds of Outline according to Structure

1. A Topic Outline makes use of key words and phrases.
It is divided into three levels— the headings, the
subheadings, and the sub-subheadings.
2. A Sentence Outline uses complete sentences as its
entries. It is also known as expanded outline.
 siX steps to Build outlining proficiencY
Step One: Understand the difference between the topic and major thoughts.
All information must be organized around a general topic.

Exercise A
1. Read the list of items.
2. Determine what should be the main topic for each list.
3. Write the topic on the line provided.
1. 3.
Headache Arm
Runny nose Wrist
Fever Ankle
Chill Toe

2. 4.
Wood Duterte
Oil Aquino
Gas Arroyo
Kerosene Marcos

Step Two: Understand the Main Idea.

The main idea is the central idea which ties a paragraph or list of items together. The
topic usually becomes the title of the outline. Once the topic is identified, the main ideas
must be labeled with Roman numerals. In a paragraph, only one main idea will be present.
When outlining a paragraph, a single Roman numeral I may be used. This is an exception
to the rule that all labels must be used in pairs.
Major details give the necessary support or proof that will help the readers understand
the main idea mentioned in the topic sentence. The major details are labeled with capital
letters. Finally, minor details which clarify or give examples of the major details are labeled
with numbers.

Exercise B

In each of these exercises,

1. Basing on the list of terms, determine the topic and write it as the title.
2. Among the terms in the list, decide what are the main ideas, and label
them in the first column with Roman numerals.
3. Decide what are the major details, and label them in the second column with
capital letters.

Exercise B.1.
Title: R. N. C. L.
Individual
Soccer
Badminton
Swimming
Basketball
Walking
Two-person
Tennis
Team
Baseball
Hiking
 Exercise B.2

Title: R. N. C. L.
Manager
Office
Secretary
Doctor
Factory
Midwife
Clerk
Supervisor
Laborers
Nurse
Hospital

Step Three: Understand minor details. Remember that minor details clarify or provide examples
of the major details. They must have something in common with the major detail listed above.

Exercise C
In each of these exercises,

1. Decide what are the main ideas, and label them in the first columnwith Roman numerals.
2. Decide what are the major details, and label them in the second column with capital letters.
3. Decide what are the minor details, and label them in the third column with an Arabic number.

________
 Step Four: Understand the difference between main ideas stated in the topic sentence and
major and minor details.

Remember that major and minor details are used to support or prove the main ideas.
Major details often follow key words known as transitions. A few such words are first, next,
last, another. There are many transitions.

When outlining a paragraph,

1. List the topic.

2. Next to the Roman numeral l list the topic sentence which states the main idea.
3. Below the topic sentence, indent two spaces and list each major detail with a capital letter.
4. Below the major detail, indent two spaces and list each minor detail with an Arabic
numeral.

Exercise D

1. The topic and topic sentence have been given.

2. In the outline format, list the jumbled statements of the paragraph below in logicalorder.
3. First, find all the different major details and list them by the capital letters.
4. Next, list all the fact and examples that explain the major details. These are minor
details, and they are each given an Arabic numeral.

l. Topic sentence: The ancient Romans were unlike the Greeks in many ways.
The Greeks granted citizenship to many conquered people. The Greeks
made great contributions to literature and philosophy. First, they differed in the
views of citizenship. The Romans developed practical methods for government
and the legal system. The Romans stressed citizenship as part of national
heritage. Second, each were leaders in their own special field.

l. Topic sentence: The ancient Romans were unlike the Greeks in many ways.
A.
1.

2.
B.
1.

2.

Step Five: Understand how to outline a paragraph.

To outline a paragraph,

1. Read the entire paragraph.

2. Decide what the topic is and make it the title.
3. Find the topic sentence that states the main idea. To synthesize the statement,
write it in your own words. However, make sure it is a complete sentence. List
it next to Roman numeral l.
4. List in your own words all the major details which support the main idea.
5. List in your own words the minor details which clarify the major details.
 Exercise E

Read the following paragraph and outline it according to the directions above.

Teenagers take drugs for several reasons. Young people can get drugs easily.
They are available everywhere: football games, shopping centers, even the school
cafeteria. Most teens can afford these drugs by using their allowances and earning
from part-time jobs. Another reason for teens to take drugs is that many have
psychological problems. They feel taking drugs is a way to escape from making
decisions. At this age, they also have the problem of establishing their independence
from their parents. Finally, they may use drugs because of peer pressure. Hoping to
be part of the “gang,” the teens turn to drugs to be accepted. Even the most mature
teen might be tempted to use drugs rather than risk being left out. For all of these
reasons, drugs are a major problem facing teens.

Topic:
I. (Main Idea)
A. (Major Detail) _____________________
1. (Minor Detail) ____
2. (Minor Detail) ____

B. (Major Detail) ____

1. (Minor Detail) ____
2. (Minor Detail) ____

C. (Major Detail) ____

1. (Minor Detail) ____
2. (Minor Detail) ____

Step Six: Understand how to outline an essay.

To outline an essay,

1. Read through the entire essay and find the topic. List it as the title.
2. Locate the main idea of each essay. This is referred to as the thesis
statement. It is the controlling idea. It tells the reader what the writer will be
discussing in the essay. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph.
3. Read the thesis statement and write it in your own words next to the label
thesis.
4. Read through each of the remaining paragraphs.
5. List the main ideas, and label them with the Roman numerals.
6. List the major details, and label them with capital letters.
7. List the minor details, and label them with Arabic numerals.

Study the following example of outlining the essay entitled “Peer Pressure.”
 EXERCISE F.
Peer Pressure

We often hear about the dangers of peer pressure to teenagers. Teenagers take drugs,
skip school, get drunk, or have sex because their friends do these things. However, there is
another— perhaps equally bad— effect of peer pressure. Desperate to conform to their friends’
values, teens may give up their interests in school, hobbies, and even on certain people.
Teenagers may, first of all, lose or hide their interest in school in order to be like their
friends. They adopt a negative attitude in which school is seen as a battlefield, with teachers
and other officials regarded as the enemy. In addition, teenagers may stop participating in class.
It is no longer cool to raise a hand or seem anxious to learn. It is cool to show up without the
assigned homework. Conforming also means not joining many after-school activities. A
teenager might be curious about the band, the debate club, the student council, or the YES- O
club. However, he/she does not dare join if the gang feels such activities are for squares.
Teenagers also give up private pleasures and hobbies to be one of the crowds. Certain
things, such as writing poems, practicing piano, reading books, or fooling around with a
chemistry set may be off limits because the crowd laughs at them. So, teens often drop these
interests. He or she may exchange then for riding around in cars and hanging out at the mall.
Even worse, teens have to give up their own values and mock the people who stay interest in
such hobbies. Against their better instincts, they label as “creep” the girl who is always reading
books. They may even tease the boy who spends after-school time in the biology lab be calling
him a “nerd”. Most important, giving up private pleasure during these years can mean that the
teenager loses these interests forever. It may only be as an adult that the person wishers he or
she had kept up with piano, ballet, or astronomy. He or she may then feel it is now too late to
start again.
Finally, teenagers sometimes give up on the people they love in order to be accepted. If
necessary, they sacrifice the old friend who no longer dresses well enough, listens to the right
kind of music, or refuses to drink or take drugs. Potential boyfriends and girlfriends may be
rejected, too, if the crowd does not like their values. Sadly, teenagers can even cut their
families out of their lives. They may be ashamed of the parents who are too poor, too
conventional, too different from friends: parents. Even if the teens are not completely ashamed of
their parents, they may still refuse to participate in family get-togethers or spend time with
younger brothers or sisters.
It is true many teenagers face the pressures of being forced to take drugs, to perform
dangerous stunts, to do risky things. But a more common and perhaps more painful pressure is
to conform to the crowd by giving up part of oneself. Attachments to learning, to special
interests, and to special people are often thrown away just to “to be one of the guys.”

Title:
Thesis Statement:

I. (Main idea stated in the topic sentence) _________________________________________

A. (Major detail)
B.
1. (Minor detail)
2.
C.
1.
2.
ll.
A.
1.
2.
B. _____________________________________________________________
1.
2.
C. ____________________________________________________________
1. ___________________________________________________________
lII.
A.
B.
C. _____________________________________________________________
1.
2. ___________________________________________________________
answer (Exercise F)

Topic: Peer Pressure

Thesis Statement: Desperate to conform to the values of their friends, teens may give up
interest in school, hobbies, and even on certain people.

l. Teens lose or hide their interest in school.

A. They adopt a negative attitude.
B. They stop participating in class.
1. They do not raise their hand or seem anxious to learn.
2. They come to class without their assignments.
C. They do not join in after-school activities.
1. A teen may be curious about an activity.
2. However, he/she does not dare to join.

ll. He/she gives up private hobbies or pleasures to be part of the crowd.

A. Certain hobbies may be put off, so the teen will be accepted not laughed at.
1. He/she may drop these interests.
2. He/she may exchange them for riding in cars or ganging out in the mall.
B. Teens may give up their own values and mock others.
1. They may call a girl who reads a “creep.”
2. They may call a boy who studies a “nerd.”
C. They may lose interest in their private pleasures forever.
1. It may not be until they become an adult that they wish they had continued the
piano, ballet, or astronomy.

lll. Finally, they may give up on the people they love.

A. They sacrifice old friends.
B. Potential boyfriends and girlfriends may be rejected, too.
C. They cut themselves off from their families.
1. They may be ashamed that their parents are too poor, too conventional, too
different.
2. They refuse to participate in family get together or spend time with younger
brother or sisters.