English Composition

English Composition Study Guide

3.2 Sentence Outlining Sentence outlines help writers define the organization of a document. When creating a sentence outline, the writer summarizes each paragraph in one sentence. An easy way to do this is to use the thesis sentence for each paragraph. The writer can than arrange and re-arrange the paragraphs until the order makes sense. A sentence outline can be used before writing or as part of the revision process. Sentence outlining can help determine what will be written before beginning. This is sometimes a good way to work through writer’s block or help a writer who is unsure of the format or structure of the writing response. As a revision tool, a sentence outline can help identify the reason a document doesn’t flow smoothly from introduction to conclusion. A sentence outline will look something like this: • Introductory paragraph: Sentence outlines are an invaluable tool for writers. • Body paragraph 1: Some writers use sentence outlines before writing. • Body paragraph 2: On the other hand, some writers use sentence outlines for revision. • Body paragraph 3: Additionally, writers use sentence outlines to determine what transitions to make while writing. • Conclusion: All writers should use sentence outlines. A writer looking over this outline might decide that body paragraph three does not fit with the thesis introduced in the introduction. The writer might change the thesis or find a way to revise the third paragraph. 3.3 Stylistic Sentences Stylistic sentences are used to have a specific impact on the reader. Not every sentence in a document needs to be stylistic. For maximum impact, stylistic sentences should be used only a few times in a document and only at four specific points: • The first and last sentences: The first sentence serves to attract the reader and the last sentence sums up the document. • The sentence containing the thesis: The writer should make the thesis statement stand out as communicating something important to the reader. • The first and last sentences of any paragraph: These sentences introduce and conclude the paragraph’s topic and provide a frame for the development of that topic. • The last sentence of the first paragraph and first sentence of the last paragraph: The first is important because it serves to keep the reader reading. The second is important because it begins to create the reader’s final take-away from the document. If a document needs to be improved, these areas are the first the writer should look at during the revision process. These are the significant sentences readers are likely to remember. Sentence Types The following chart shows the most important sentence forms:

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