PRINCIPLES OF

OUTLINING
PREPARED BY: JHANSEN REY M. OBISPO, MAED -ENGLISH
OUTLINING
An organizational skill that will develop your
ability to think in a clear and logical manner
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.
PURPOSES OF OUTLINES
Help you:
•focus on your thoughts (draft)
•organize your composition
Can be used during the writing process
Serve as guides in writing
WHY USE OUTLINES?
To organize ideas and research prior to
beginning a paper
To determine if more research is needed
To check the organization of a paper
To reorganize a paper with too many ideas
FOUR MAIN COMPONENTS FOR
EFFECTIVE OUTLINES
PARALLELISM- headings/subheadings should have a
similar form
DIVISION- each heading should be divided into two or
more parts
COORDINATION- information contained in the headings
should be of the same level of significance (subheadings-
less significant than the headings)
SUBORDINATION- headings should be more general,
info in the subheadings should be more specific
TYPES OF OUTLINE
Scratch
Topic
Sentence
Paragraph
SIX STEPS TO BUILD
OUTLINING PROFICIENCY
STEP 1: Understand the difference
between the topic and major thoughts.
SYMPTOMS _________ _________ _________
OF FLU _________ _________ _________
Headache Arm Wood Estrada
Runny Nose Wrist Oil Arroyo
Fever Ankle Gas Aquino
Chills Toe Kerosene Duterte
STEP 2: Understand the main idea.
TOPIC: ________________________________ TOPIC: ________________________________
I. Individual Office
A. Hiking Manager
B. Swimming Secretary
C. Walking Clerk
Two-person School
Chess Principal
Games of the Generals Head Teachers
Scrabble Teachers
Team Students
Basketball Hospital
Baseball Doctor
Volleyball Nurse
STEP 3: Understand minor details.
BREAKFAST FOODS
I. Hot Cold
A. Cereal Cereal
1. Oatmeal Wheaties
2. Wheat cream Cheerios
Eggs Beverages
Scrambled Juice
Soft boiled Milk
Meat
Bacon
Sausage
Ham
STEP 3: Understand minor details. (Cont.)
DRINKS
Non-alcoholic Alcoholic
Juice Beer
Grape Brandy
Orange Wine
Apple Red wine
Soft drinks White wine
Coke Liquor
Pepsi Gin
Rum
STEP 4: Understand the difference between main ideas
stated in the topic sentence and major and minor details.
STEP 5: Understand how to outline a
paragraph.
TEENAGERS AND DRUGS Topic: ________________________________
Teenagers take drugs for several reasons.
Young people can get drugs easily. They are I. (Main Idea) __________________________
available everywhere: football games, shopping A. (Major Detail) _______________________
centers, even the school cafeteria. Most teens can
afford these drugs by using their allowances and 1. (Minor Detail) _____________________
earning from part-time jobs. Another reason for
teens to take drugs is that many have 2. (Minor Detail) _____________________
psychological problems. They feel taking drugs is a B. (Major Detail) _______________________
way to escape from making decisions. At this age,
they also have the problem of establishing their 1. (Minor Detail) _____________________
independence from their parents. Finally, they
may use drugs because of peer pressure. Hoping 2. (Minor Detail) _____________________
to be part of the “gang,” the teen turn to drugs to C. (Major Detail) _______________________
be accepted. Even the most mature teen might be
tempted to use drugs rather than risk being left 1. (Minor Detail) _____________________
out. For all of these reasons, drugs are a major
problem facing teens. 2. (Minor Detail) _____________________
 STEP 6: 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.
DO THE 6TH STEP!
READ THE PARAGRAPH “PEER PRESSURE”.
MAKE A SENTENCE OUTLINE.
FOLLOW THE MATRIX PROVIDED IN THE LAST SLIDE.
FOLLOW THE MATRIX
SHOWN IN THE
FOLLOWING SLIDE…
TOPIC:
B. (Major Detail)
THESIS STATEMENT:
1. (Minor Detail)
I. (Main idea stated in the topic sentence) 2. (Minor Detail)
A. (Major Detail)
C. (Major Detail)
B. (Major Detail)
1. (Minor Detail) 1. (Minor Detail)
2. (Minor Detail) III. (Main idea stated in the topic
C. (Major Detail) sentence)
1. (Minor Detail) A. (Major Detail)
2. (Minor Detail) B. (Major Detail)
II. (Main idea stated in the topic sentence) C. (Major Detail)
A. (Major Detail)
1. (Minor Detail)
1. (Minor Detail)
2. (Minor Detail) 2. (Minor Detail)
SUMMARIZING
IN SUMMARIZING, YOU NEED YOUR SKILLS IN OUTLINING,
PARAPHRASING, CITING AND QUOTING.
SUMMARY
Condensed version of a larger reading
Key points to consider:
Reader should develop an
understanding of the original work
Summarize the text, not criticize it
DO’S & DONT’S
1. Make an outline.
2. Cite the author’s words if
you need them,
otherwise, you are
plagiarizing.
3. Write in present tense.
4. Reread. Revise. Rewrite.
1. Do not include your own
examples or interpretations.
Repeat information given in the
text in your own words.
2. Don not insert any of your
evaluations or judgments about
the text.
3. Do not grasp all ideas. Focus only
on the most important points.
4. Do not write unnecessary details.
 STEPS IN WRITING A SUMMARY
1. Create an outline.
2. State the thesis (main idea) of the essay in your own words. (Use keywords
from the text)
3. Briefly discuss ALL the major supporting details.
a) One sentence for each major detail;
b) Another sentence or two to describe or illustrate it;
c) Use transition words if necessary
4. Write a concluding sentence that restates the thesis but in different words.
Remember! Do not copy whole phrases or sentences. Instead, use your own words.
 THE FUNCTIONS OF EMOTIONS
Imagine what it would be like if we didn’t experience emotion— no depths of despair, no depression, no remorse, but at
the same time no happiness, joy, or love. Obviously, life would be considerably less satisfying, and even dull, if we lacked the
capacity to sense and express emotion.
But do emotions serve any purpose beyond making life interesting? Indeed, they do. Psychologists have identified several
important functions that emotions play in our daily lives.
Emotions prepare us for action. Emotions act as a link between events in our environment and our responses. For
example, if we saw an angry dog charging toward us, the emotional reaction (fear) would be associated with the activation of the
“fight-or-flight” response. This prepares us for emergency action, which presumably would get us out of the dog’s way—quickly.
Emotions shape our future behavior. Emotions promote learning that will help us make appropriate responses in the
future. For example, the emotional response that occurs when we experience something unpleasant—such as a threatening dog—
teaches us to avoid similar circumstances in the future. In the same way, pleasant emotions act as positive reinforcement for prior
behavior and therefore may lead an individual to seek similar situations in the future.
Emotions help us interact more effectively with others. We often communicate the emotions we experience through our
verbal and nonverbal behaviors, making our emotions obvious to observers. These behaviors can act as a signal to observers,
allowing them to understand better what we are experiencing and predict our future behavior. In turn, this promotes more
effective and appropriate social interaction.
Source: Adapted from Robert Feldman, Essentials of Understanding Psychology, 6th ed. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2005, p. 324.