3+ General Essay Outline Templates – PDF
An essay is a written piece of literature that aims to give understanding and knowledge on a certain topic. It is usually written with the author’s argument and in prose style. Essays are about a person’s recollection of an event, a story with a slice of life, literary criticisms and the reflection of the author. It covers a wide range of topics such as daily life, politics, personal experiences, and entertainment. It varies in length, depending on the writer himself. You may also see essay outline samples.
Writing an essay is a challenging task. You need to have a steady stream of ideas and a good amount of research to write a good one. You also need to have a prepared mind when writing. You may also see essay outlines.
But before writing an essay, you have to outline your ideas first. As in all forms of writing, an outline is a clear plan of the overall structure of the essay. It also serves as a step by step process in writing. Outlines provide a much clearer path when you start writing the essay. It gives you an idea where to go and what part to work on most along the way. You may also see blank outline templates.
For starters, here are some easy steps in writing your essay.
1. Start off with a Topic
Essays would not be written without a topic. You have to decide what to write about and imagine how the flow of thought will go. If it is a political matter, you need to do some research to add more context. If it is a story filled with life lessons, write it like a short story. Whatever topic you write about, make sure it is relevant and engaging. You may also see autobiography outline templates.
2. Prepare the Outline
After deciding on the topic, prepare the outline of everything you want to write. One of the methods in making an outline is writing a horizontal line in the middle of the paper and from there, let all the ideas come out and connect with one another. Put the main points and the sub-points below it. Do not forget to include the facts and information that support the main idea. That way, it will give you a clear sense of the things that you should write. Review your outline afterward. You may also see college essay templates.
3. Write the Introduction
This is the first phase of the writing process. The introduction should hook your readers into reading the rest of your essay. Find the right words to start writing. Craft them in a way that will spark the interest of any reader. You may also see personal essay templates.
While writing the introduction, you have to:
- Begin with an attention-grabbing sentence. It can be in a form of sentence, dialogue, a famous quote, a shocking information or an anecdote.
- Provide relevant information without giving away the argument of your essay. Write it in a way that will lead them to the thesis statement of the essay.
- Give a sample thesis statement. This part tells what the essay is about and what you are going to write in the succeeding paragraphs.
- Convince the readers that your essay is worth the read and share.
The introduction does not have to be that long. You just need a few paragraphs for it and you can move on to the body.
4. Write the Body
The body is the “meat” of the essay. It is the essential part of the whole essay as this supports the introduction and lays out all the arguments on the topic. The body provides information that supports the argument. You may also see personal essay templates.
While writing the body, remember these steps:
- Write the main points first. Start the body of the essay with this. Explain the main point or the general idea in an extensive manner.
- Write the sub-points. These will support the main idea and give more clarity on the topic.
- Expand the sub-points. By doing this, you will be stitching the information on the main and sub-point and adding more context to the topic. You may also see research outline templates.
The body should be written with as much accuracy as you can. Do not lead your readers in the introduction to a body that does not make sense. Transitional words such as in the first place, in addition, as a matter of fact, and in the light of can be used to flexibly connect ideas in the body.
5. Write the Conclusion
The conclusion is the last chance of convincing readers to understand your point of view on the topic. This is written with as much care and importance along with the introduction and the body. The conclusion does not just wrap up everything you have written so far, but also leave an impression on your readers after reading the essay. At this rate, they will have a clear judgment on what they have read and who you are as a writer. You may also see proposal outline templates.
Relevance is an important factor in writing the conclusion. In writing this, you have to wrap up the intro and body in a few sentences. You can start with a quote or something that was first introduced at the beginning of the essay. You may also see sample personal essay.
The conclusion gives the essay a sense of closure. To do this, you can end the topic by putting it in a larger context. This will make the readers connect the idea with one another.
The conclusion is not just simply summarizing the whole essay. A short essay does not need a summary of the main ideas. Just put a feeling of completeness using a few words when writing it. You may also see outline examples.
6. Proofread and Add Some Finishing Touches
Let your essay be stored on your computer for a few days. Distract yourself by doing activities away from writing for a short while. Once you feel like you’re ready for editing, go back to your essay and edit it down. The editing process will make you see the loopholes you had while writing. Fix grammatical and spelling errors. Add up some last minute ideas that you feel are important. Remove sentences and paragraphs that do not make sense. You may also see formal outline templates.
Reread your essay and see what you can still improve. If there’s nothing you can add up, then it is ready for submission.
Here are some sample essay outlines that you can use:
General Essay Outline Template
web.uvic.ca
General Essay Outline Sample
lamission.edu
Essay Outline Template
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Essay Outline Sample
concordia.ca
Writing essays is something that is required from every student or authors do to stir the minds of the readers. While it may not be enjoyed by many, we hope this information will make you start writing your own essay for any purpose it may serve. You may also see sample research outline templates.
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