Composition

and style I
Presented by Prof. Maria Laura Pumar
 Outlines
Outlines for essays serve as a crucial
tool in organizing thoughts and
structuring the content of an essay
effectively. They act as a roadmap for
the writer, ensuring a clear and logical
flow of ideas throughout the essay.
Also, it helps us to have more ideas
while we are writing.
 Why should we use it?

An outline is a clear map of an essay, showing the content of each paragraph,

the order of paragraphs, and how all points fit together.
- Components of an Essay Outline:
Introduction: Introduces the topics to be
covered and states the thesis clearly.
Body Sections: Supports the points made
in the introduction with at least one
body paragraph and can vary in number.
Conclusion: Restates the thesis and
summarizes the body paragraphs.
Development of an Outline Provide Examples and
Evidence!
Support headings with
statistics, anecdotes,
- Establish a Thesis Statement: Begin by
and examples.
establishing a working thesis statement and
gathering evidence for body paragraphs.
- Select Format and Input Basic Ideas:
In summary, essay outlines are
Choose a format (numbers, bullet points)
essential for structuring essays,
and input basic ideas for body paragraphs.
guiding the writer in organizing
- Organize Headings: Decide on the logical
their thoughts, and ensuring a
flow of the essay and arrange headings in an
coherent and logical presentation
organized manner.
of ideas throughout the essay.

This is considered the first step in the traditional writing process
Listing
Write down every idea you have
about the topic you want to talk
about. Don’t hold back
anything!
There’s no need to worry about
grammar since you can fix that
later.
#Resources #ShortSentences #InfoDumping
Pre-writing
Freewriting
Some people prefer to start
writing in order to find a
focus on what they want to
talk about.
Write down whatever comes
to your mind not minding at
all any mistake. Then, do
proofreading.
#Creativity #Organize #Check
Clustering
Place your subject in a
circle in the middle of the
sheet of paper, then begin to
draw other lines that come
out from the original circle.
The main purpose is to link
or “cluster” the ideas that
have to go together.
#VisualLearners #Summarize #Connect
 Please, avoid:
Lack of a clear thesis Lack of transitions
statement #Connectors

Overelaborate and confusing Lack of supporting points and

outlines evidence

Inconsistent headings and

General labels
subheadings

Lack of a clear purpose

 Toulmin
Examples
Classical Argumentative
Descriptive / Rogerian

It convinces the reader

It explains something
It persuades the readers, avoiding fallacies
 Once you choose a style… It’s time to write the outline of our essay!

TYPE A TYPE B TYPE C

P1: Introduction P1: Introduction P1: Introduction

P2: P2: P2:

P3: P3: P3:

P4: P4: P4:

P5: Conclusion P5: Conclusion P5: Conclusion