THE AMERICAN ENGLISH EXPRESS Chapter 7 page 5

Standard Outline Format

Essentially, there are three parts to a college essay:

The Introduction

The Body

The Conclusion

I tell my students that the following outline can be the basic outline for every essay they will write:

I. Introduction: what you are going to say

A. Focus the reader

B. Define your terms

II. Paragraph 1 (topic sentence)

A. Statements

B. Examples

III. Paragraph 2 (topic sentence)

A. Statements

B. Examples

IV. Paragraph 3 (topic sentence)

A. Statements

B. Examples

V. Conclusion: what you said/summary

Please note that each statement or example could be more than one sentence.

Let us look at each of these components (parts, aspects) of the outline in some detail:

The Introduction:

I tell my students to write the introduction last. This is because, until you actually write your essay, you don’t know what it is going to say. It is true that you have a good idea, but until you actually write it you won’t know how it has come out. This doesn’t always work for everyone, but if you are having trouble ‘starting’, try ‘starting’ in the middle.

Some students are taken aback at the idea of writing the introduction last, and probably many don’t actually do this. But think about it, especially if you have trouble staring at a blank page. Starting in the middle can often overcome this ‘writer’s block’. Many writers do this as well.

The introduction should accomplish two tasks:

· it should explain the purpose of the essay to the reader

· and it should define your terms.

The reader should know what you are writing about and should understand the terms you are using. You must decide which words are important and require definition.

For example, in an essay about love, one must be sure to state what kind of love one is writing about, that is, brotherly love, romantic love, or family love. Otherwise, one’s general statements about love will not necessarily be understood properly. In the introduction, one can clarify and define, setting the reader up to understand what you are communicating.

The body:

The body of your essay should be three or four paragraphs. This is called the ‘content’ of your essay.

· You will make statements and provide examples.

· You will communicate facts or opinions and refer to (cite) authorities for proof.

· You will pose (ask) questions and perhaps answer them.

· If you are contrasting two things, you will define and explain the characteristics of each idea you are comparing.

The Conclusion:

I tell my students not to write the conclusion until the body is finished, for the same reason that the introduction is written last. Until you have written the essay, you cannot be sure exactly what you will write.

Your conclusion can either be a restatement of the essential points of the essay (sometimes called the ‘argument’), a summary of what was said or a conclusion that you make.

A summary is a brief, short, compact, succinct, compact, comprehensive (look these words up!) statement of what your essay is about.

Never introduce new ideas in your conclusion.

Never use examples in your conclusion.

Your conclusion is a general re-restatement of your major points, questions, statements, etc.

At the college level, it is never your opinion

UNLESS YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY ASKED TO STATE YOUR OPINION!

In fact, not until much later in your college career will ‘what you think’ be of interest to others.

Students always ask, “But isn’t everything I say my opinion, so why can’t I use the first person?”

The trick is to state your opinion in general terms.

First person: grammatically correct, but informal

“I think the conditions in the school cafeteria should be improved because students are complaining.”

Third person: grammatically correct and formal

“The conditions in the school cafeteria should be improved because the students are complaining.”