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Senior High School

English for Academic

and Professional Purposes
Quarter 1 - Module 5
Outlining Reading Texts

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OUTLINING
What is It

Gathering information from a source whether from a book or the like will help you
in writing your paper (essay, research paper, etc.). The more you sort the information, the
more you begin to see the connections between them. Not sorting or organizing the infor-
mation you had collected, will bombard the ideas you have at hand. You need to arrange
your ideas to be able to translate your raw insights into a form that will help you bring out
the best in your paper.

When you write, you need to organize your

Tip: Most writers discover that the
ideas, in an order that makes sense. Order refers
more they know about a topic, the
to your choice of what to present first, second, third, more they can write about it with
and so on, in your writing. For example, when intelligence and interest.
telling a story, it may be important to first describe
the background of the setting to help your readers visualize the setting and the scene.

On what ways can you organize your writing? Let’s take a look at the table below:

ORDER PURPOSE These three

are the methods of
Chronological • To explain the history of an event or a organizing an infor-
Order topic mation. You may
want to keep that in
• To tell the story or relate an experience
mind if you are
• To explain how to do or make planning to arrange
something all the information
you have gathered
• To explain the steps in a process
in an outline.

Spatial Order • To help readers visualize something as What is an

you want them to see it outline? We all
know that you are
• To create main impression using already familiar with
senses (sight, touch, taste, smell and the topic. But, let us
sound) recall what really it
Order of • To persuade or convince is all about.
Importance Turn on to the
• To rank items by their importance,
benefit, or significance next page.

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An outline is a written plan that serves as a

skeleton for the paragraphs you write. It is a
summary that gives the essential features of the
information that will be included in a paper, book,
speech or any other similar document. It shows how
the parts of a text are related to one another or parts
that are of equal importance, or sections that are
subordinate to the main idea. This will also create a
visual picture of what you have read.

What is the importance of making an outline?

First, it gives an overview of the topic and it enables us to see how various subtop-
ics relate to one another. Next, recording the information in our own words tests our un-
derstanding of what we read. And finally, it is an effective way to record needed infor-
mation from reference books you do not own.

There are two kinds of outline, the reading outline and writing outline. Let us dis-
cuss the two and see how to create one.

READING OUTLINE WRITING OUTLINE

- is used to get the main ideas of a text - is a skeletal overview of your draft, which
that is already written. contains your fundamental points and the
different ideas that support them.
Steps in Creating a Reading Outline
Steps in Creating Own Outline
1. Read the entire text first. Skim the text
afterward. 1. Determine what your purpose is for
2. Locate the main idea or thesis state- writing the thesis, who your reading
ment of the whole essay or text. audience is, and point of view and
3. Look for key phrases in each tone you would like to assume in
paragraph. delivering your message.
4. Locate the topic sentence of each 2. Begin your outline with a thesis
paragraph. statement.
5. Look at the topic sentences and group 3. Review your notes.
those with related ideas together. 4. Group together similar ideas and
6. The contents of the reading are thoughts.
arranged according to levels. 5. Examine all your main topics, sub-
7. Evaluate the supporting details topics, supporting points and particular
provided. details to see if it all developed your
8. Go back to the text to check whether thesis, and are logically sequenced.
you have followed its sequence closely Also, check if all levels in the outline
and that you have not missed any have parallel wordings and grammati-
important information. cal structure.

The main difference between the two is the source of ideas. When you outline
someone else’s work, you are trying to present their ideas and structure. When outlining
your own paper, you will need to focus on your own ideas and the best way to organize
them.

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STEPS IN WRITING AN OUTLINE

I. Introduction and Thesis Statement Place your introduction and thesis

statement at the beginning under
II. First main point
Roman numeral I.
A. Subtopics
B. Subtopics
Use Roman numerals II, III, IV, V,
C. Subtopics and etc., to identify the main points
1. Supporting points that develop the thesis statement.

2. Supporting points
3. Supporting points Use capital letters A, B, C, D, and
etc., to divide your main points into
a. Particular details parts.
b. Particular details
c. Particular details
Use Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
and etc., if you need to subdivide
any A’s, B’s, C’s, into smaller parts
such as illustrations and examples.

ONE STEP
Use lowercase letters a, b, c, d, e,
AT A TIME...
and etc., if you need to discuss a
particular details such as statistics,
quotes, and other secondary infor-
mation.
*This part is not necessary to be in-
cluded in your outline unless you still
need to elaborate the details.

End with the final Roman numeral

expressing your idea for your
conclusion.
*Do not incorporate another idea
when writing the conclusion, unless
you want to discuss another view
point and start another outline.

Note: This pattern is applicable both for reading and writing outline. And so
as, topic and sentence outline.

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TWO SYSTEMS OF OUTLINING

ALPHANUMERIC OUTLINE DECIMAL OUTLINE

This is the most common type A system of decimal notation

of outline and it is recognizable to that clearly shows how every level of
most people. the outline relates to the larger whole.

For an essay question on a test or a brief oral presentation in class, all you need
to prepare is a short, informal outline in which you jot down key ideas in the order you
present them. This kind of outline reminds you to stay focused in a stressful situation
and include all the good ideas that
help you explain or prove your point.

For a longer paper like a story

in a book or a research paper, a
formal outline is advisable. A formal
outline is a detailed guide that shows
how all your supporting ideas relate
to each other. It helps you distinguish
between ideas that are of equal
importance and ones that are of
lesser importance.

There are two types of formal

outline, the (1) topic outline and
(2) sentence outline.

Let us see how these two go,

please turn on the next page.

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A topic outline is Let us take some time to read a sample topic outline
the same as sentence from M Libraries written by Mariah for the essay she is
outline except you use
developing. Her purpose is to inform, and her audience is a
words or phrases instead
of complete sentences. It general audience of her fellow college students. Notice how
summarizes the main Mariah begins with her thesis statement. She then arranges
topics and subtopics in her main points and supporting details in outline form using
words and phrases to
keep the outline short and short phrases in parallel grammatical structure.
easier to comprehend. All I. Introduction
the headings, however,
Thesis statement: Everyone wants the newest and
must be written in parallel
structure, in other words, the best digital technology, but the choices are many,
be consistent. If you use and the specifications are often confusing.
phrase, stick with the
phrase until the end, do II. E-book readers and the way that people read
not use sentence in the A. Books easy to access and carry around
middle of the writing. Let 1. Electronic downloads
us take a look at the
2. Storage in memory for hundreds of
example below.
books
I. Life is good. B. An expanding market
(sentence) 1. E-book readers from booksellers
A. Basic
2. E-book readers from electronics and
needs (phrase)
computer companies
B. Low home
prices (phrase) C. Limitations of current e-book readers
1. Incompatible features from one brand to
II. Good life the next
(phrase)
2. Borrowing and sharing e-books
A. Happy
family (phrase) III. Film cameras replaced by digital cameras
B. Low home A. Three types of digital cameras
prices (phrase)
1. Compact digital cameras
*Note: 2. Single lens reflex cameras, or SLRs
• Main topic - main 3.Cameras that combine the best features of
both
idea/broadest idea
B. The confusing “megapixels wars”
• Subtopic - support- C. The zoom lens battle
ing point for a topic IV. The confusing choice among televisions
• Number of levels - A. 1080P vs. 768P
six B. Plasma screens vs. LCDs
C. Home media centers
• No periods at the
V. Conclusion
end of entries
How to be a wise consumer

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A sentence outline Now, let us see the sample sentence outline of the
same topic from the same source and author.
is the same as topic outline
except you use a complete I. Introduction
sentences instead of words Thesis statement: Everyone wants the newest and
the best digital technology, but the choices are
or phrases. Complete
many, and the specifications are often confusing.
sentences create clarity II. E-book readers are changing the way people read.
and can advance you one A. E-book readers make books easy to access and
to carry.
step closer to a draft in the
1. Books can be downloaded electronically.
writing process. This is 2. Device can store hundreds of books in
commonly used when the memory.
B. The market expands as a variety of companies
topic being discussed is enter it.
complicated and requires 1. Booksellers sell their own e-book readers.
details. 2. Electronics and computer companies also
sell e-book readers.
C. Current e-book readers have significant
*Note: limitations.
1. The devices are owned by different brands
• Number of levels - two and may not be compatible.
2. Few programs have been made to fit the
to four
other way Americans read: by borrowing
books from libraries.
• Periods mark the end of
III. Digital cameras have almost totally replaced film
entries cameras.
A. The first major choice is the type of digital
camera.
1. Compact digital cameras are light but have
In the previous fewer megapixels.
example, both the topic and 2. Single lens reflex cameras, or SLRs, may
be large and heavy but can be used for many
sentence outline follow the functions.
standard five-paragraph 3. Some cameras combined the best features
of compacts and SLRs.
essay arrangement, but B. Choosing the camera type involves the confusing
longer essays will require “megapixel wars”.
more paragraphs and thus C. The zoom lens battle also determined the
camera you will buy.
more Roman numerals. If IV. Nothing is more confusing to me than choosing
you think that a paragraph among televisions.
A. In the resolution wars, what are the benefits of
might become too long or 1080P and 768P?
stringy, add an additional B. In the screen-size wars, what do plasma screens
paragraph to your outline, and LCD screens offer?
C. Does every home really need a media center?
renumbering the main V. Conclusion
points appropriately. The solution for many people should be to avoid
buying on impulse. Consumers should think about what
they really need, not what is advertised.

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