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How a Thesis Suggests an Outline | THE HOOK & THE OUTLINE | How To CHECK AN OUTLINE |
. . . Next, Cathy developed a thesis and
a topic outline-an outline that lists topic ideas in the form of phrases
or single words in the headings.
Thesis:
Because our family has a variety of hobbies and interests, we get a lot
of junk mail that we treat like junk.
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Since Cathy has been well trained in
the conventions of formal outlining, she knows that it is customary to
employ numerals and letters in this order, according to
the rank of ideas or to the levels, of subordination.
I. First level (main heading) | |
A. Second level | |
1. Third level | |
2. Third level | |
a. Fourth level | |
b. Fourth level | |
B. Second level | |
II. First level (main heading) | |
I. Definition | |
A. Bulk rate | |
B. junk mail is a good way for advertisers to sell their merchandise. | |
II. The hobbies and interests of our family reflect the kind of junk mail we receive. | |
A. Father woodworker | |
ABOUT OUTLINES
I . What type of outline should I use?
The answer to this depends on many factors-the length of your paper and the complexity of your material, to name only two. When preparing to write a long paper which presents a lot of material and complex issues, you might like to make a complete sentence outline that maps out every detail of your argument and its evidence. If you are going to do a short, relatively uncomplicated paper, perhaps a brief topic outline would be sufficient.
Not the least important factor in your choice of outline is your own preference. What type of outline do you feel most comfortable with? For most assignments, which type seems to work best for you?
2. How specific should an outline be?
Specific enough
to do the job. It should suggest what your paper is going to do-what its
thesis is and
what its main supporting
points are. It should also supply some
examples of evidence or detail that you will use in developing your ideas.
But the outline is, as we said earlier,
just a skeleton; and it can suggest only the bare bones of your completed
paper. If you have any doubts about
a particular outline, show it to your instructor.
3. What can I do if I start an
outline, get a point or two down, and then can't continue?
When this happens, you
may be trying to build a house before acquiring concrete, bricks, lumber,
and shingles. Before you can build a paper,
you need materials for it. Here is where the shapes or support diagranu
can be useful. These forms may help to show you where you need more material.
Some writers find the card system useful: Get some 3 x 5 or 4 x 6 file cards, or small pieces of stiff paper cut to size. Next, write down your thesis on a sheet of paper and place it where you can see it. Start writing your ideas down on your cards, one idea to a card. Note that-one idea to a card; preferably, one complete sentence to a card. The point is to separate your ideas so that you can later classify and organize them.
4. I know I shouldn't do it, but
I always make an outline after I write the paper. How can I train myse4(
to make one before writing?
Writers often check their
organization after they have written a paper. It is usually a good practice,
however, to plan before you write. Consider
your outline as a figurative road map-refer to it before you start on your
trip so that you won't end up at the seashore when you wanted to go to
the mountains.
The phrasing of the thesis often suggests
a pattern in the outline. A typical thesis:
I
Since St. James Catholic Church has
recently been remodeled, it is a
II
III
more pleasant place to worship, and
thus may draw members from other churches in the area.
In creating your stance, you direct
your ideas to someone who is not directly familiar with the Catholic churches
in your area. After considering the phrasing of
the thesis, you can construct an outline
like this:
I. Description of the remodeling
II. Description of the effect of the remodeling
III. Why this may bring new members to the church
As you recall, we recommended the hook
as a useful device in finding ideas (see pp. 11-12). Like the thesis and
the outline, hooks are often valuable throughout
the writing process. They provide control,
a simple reminder of where you want to go and how effectively you are getting
there. Here's an example of their value
as related to the outline.
A student wrote a paper that, in its
first draft, did not satisfy her. Something was wrong with the fit between
the material and her organization. She thought of
throwing the paper away, but then decided
to make one last attempt to salvage the large amount of work she had put
into it. So she wrote her title, hooks, and
paragraph topic sentences on an "outline
page":
2. Both the husband and wife should
share major financial decisions.
3. Both parents are responsible
for the discipline of the children, and they should
share this responsibility equally.
4. Both should share in the maintenance
of the house.
5. The children also have a responsibility
to the family unit.
Conclusion: 6. Cooperation is
important between parents if a family is to
be successfully maintained.
After inspecting this "outline page,"
the student saw her own problem immediately. Paragraph 5 was hooked to
an idea outside her topic, so she cut it.
If you choose to write from an outline, the following suggestions may be helpful to you.
1. See that all the parts of the outline are there-- thesis, main headings, and subordinate headings.
2. Use the proper outline form (see pp. 59-60). Make particularly sure that your headings are reasonably parallel. There are minor exceptions to this rule. Sometimes you can't quite get your headings parallel; the idiom of the language won't allow it. But you should get as close to complete parallelism as you can.
3. Make your outline reasonably specific, particularly in your thesis and the main headings (I, II, III, etc.).
4. Check the outline for logic. Do all
the parts fit together? Does every supporting point firmly fit your thesis?
If necessary, try the subject-predicate test. To make the test, write the
major parts of your outline in full-sentence form, using subject-predicate
patterns:
II. But THE MANAGER
did not appreciate the mechanic's work.
A. THE MANAGER said that the mechanic spent too much time onroutine jobs.
B. HE ref used to gave the mechanic overtime to complete important repairs.
5. Check the outline for the proper order-that is, for a sensible sequence or organization of ideas. Check each level separately--first I, II, III, etc.; and then A, B, C, etc.; and so on. Except for the general rule that important ideas are often placed last, there is no special rule about order. The arrangement of your points should make sense and should not be incongruous. The order of points below, for example, would not be very sensible:
II. The mechanic was very thorough.