How to Create Outlines for Expository Paragraphs

Outlining for expository paragraphs is usually utilized as a useful pre-writing technique, that is, you write an outline before writing the paragraph. The most important features of outlining are the ways it helps you visually conceptualize and organize the paragraph. It can also save time because it is easier and quicker to edit an outline than it is to rewrite entire sections of a paragraph. Since the outline is not part of the final product, the style of writing can be personalized. You may write informal, incomplete sentences or you may take the time to craft sentences that can be lifted from the outline and inserted directly into the paragraph. Many writers find their outline style develops over a period of time as they discover what methods work best.

Instructions

1. • 1

     Write the first general subject on the first line.

   • 2

     Indent and write at least three supporting pieces of information about the broader general subject. This supporting information is more specific than the general subject.

   • 3

     Survey the outline to confirm that the logical sequence and information provided is appropriate and sufficient.

   • 4

     Make any changes to the outline.

   • 5

     Write the paragraph, following the topic-by-topic outline.