Lesson Three

     LESSON THREE

In the last couple of lessons, you have learned that an outline is a simple, clear, and functional blueprint or guide that identifies the ideas, structure, and support points in a composition. 

In Lesson Three and Lesson Four, you will learn about two different types of outlines: the complete sentence outline and the phrase outline. A sentence outline has a sentence for each topic whereas a phrase outline consists of each element being stated as a phrase or even a single word.

COMPLETE SENTENCE OUTLINE

A complete sentence outline is just what it sounds like: an outline of your paragraph including all main points expressed in complete sentences. Remember that the correct format for a paragraph outline is as follows:

I. Topic sentence

II. First main point

III. Second main point

IV. Third main point

V. Concluding sentence

Let's refer back to the paragraph that you have been working with in the last lesson in order to learn more about a complete sentence outline. Here is the paragraph again:

Mission Bay Sports Center is the largest public water sports facility in San Diego, California, and has everything necessary to satisfy everybody's water sports desires. With thirty certified instructors who are trained in CPR, First Aid, and Water Resuscitation, this facility is equipped to give customers a refresher course to help them brush up on their skills; or they can get a private lesson to learn new skills. Mission Bay Sports Center also offers multi-sports, sailing, surfing, and windsurfing. Adults and children alike can attend camps and events that are planned just for them. Because it is the largest water sports facility in the area, Mission Bay Sports Center is equipped to make people's water sports dreams come true!

Let's use the paragraph above and put it into a complete sentence outline. Please remember that when writing an outline, the main parts of the outline need to be written in Roman numerals just as you see above in the paragraph outline. If you are typing the outline, be sure that the first word in each of the Roman numeral parts lines up vertically with the first words in the descending parts. Also, be sure to begin the first word in each part of the complete sentence (and the phrase outline) with a capital letter.

An outline is a summary of what you intend to cover in the paragraph. Both a complete sentence outline and a phrase outline list the main summary points. A complete sentence outline lists the main points in sentence form. A phrase outline lists the main points in short phrases or even single words. 

Now let's place the same paragraph into a phrase outline. Only the key words will be listed in the outline, and they will be listed in phrase form or in one word. 

PHRASE OUTLINE

Mission Bay Sports Center is the largest public water sports facility in San Diego, California, and has everything necessary to satisfy everybody's water sports desires. With thirty certified instructors who are trained in CPR, First Aid, and Water Resuscitation, this facility is equipped to give customers a refresher course to help them brush up on their skills; or they can get a private lesson to learn new skills. Mission Bay Sports Center also offers multi-sports, sailing, surfing, and windsurfing. Adults and children alike can attend camps and events that are planned just for them. Because it is the largest water sports facility in the area, Mission Bay Sports Center is equipped to make people's watersports dreams come true!