Exercise 1:

One key to effective outlining is the ability to distinguish between major ideas and details that fit under those ideas. In each of the four lists below, major and supporting items are mixed together. Put the items into logical order by filling in the outline that follows each list. In items 3 and 4, one of the three major ideas is missing and must be added.

1. Thesis: My high school had three problem areas. Involved with drugs Leaky ceilings Students

Unwilling to help after class Formed cliques Teachers Buildings

Ill-equipped gym Much too strict

a._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ b._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ c._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________

2. Thesis: Working as a dishwasher in a restaurant was my worst job. Ten-hour shifts Heat in kitchen Working conditions Minimum wage

Hours changed every week No bonus for overtime Hours Pay

Noisy work area

a._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ b._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ c._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ 3. Thesis: Joining an aerobics class has many benefits. Make new friends Reduces mental stress Social benefits Strengthens heart Improves self-image Mental benefits Tones muscles

Meet interesting instructors

21

a._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ b._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ c._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________

4. Thesis: My favorite times in school were the days before holiday vacations. Lighter workload Teachers more relaxed Pep rallies

Less work in class Friendlier atmosphere Less homework Holiday concerts

Students happy about vacation a._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ b._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________ c._____________________

(1) ___________________________________ (2) ___________________________________

Exercise 2:

Read the following essay and outline it in the spaces provided. Write out the central point and topic sentences, and summarize in a few words the supporting material that fits under each topic sentence. One item is summarized for you as an example. Losing Touch

Steve, a typical American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into a computer terminal in order to hook up with the office, and he sends and receives work during the day by electronic mail and a fax-modem. Evenings, he puts on his stereo headphones, watches a movie on his VCR, or logs back onto the computer to visit the Internet. On many days, Steve doesn't talk to any other human beings, and he doesn't see any people except those on television. Steve is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very common. More and more, the inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.

Thesis: _____________________________________________________________

The world of business is one area in which technology is isolating us. Many people now work alone at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as secretaries, insurance agents, and accountants do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes. They no longer actually have to see the people they're dealing with. In addition, employees are often paid in an impersonal way. Workers' salaries are automatically credited to their bank accounts, eliminating the need for paychecks. Fewer people stand in line with

22

their coworkers to receive their pay or cash their checks. Finally, personal banking is becoming a detached process. Customers interact with machines rather than people to deposit or withdraw money from their accounts. Even some bank loans are approved or rejected, not in an interview with a loan officer, but through a display on a computer screen.

First topic sentence: Support: 1. Many people now work alone at home.

2. 3.

Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music in concert halls or at small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is a solitary experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, some people are not going out to see a movie. Some are choosing to wait for a film to appear on cable television. Instead of being involved with the laughter, applause, or hisses of the audience, viewers watch movies in the isolation of their own living rooms. Second topic sentence: ______________________________________________ Support: 1. 2.

Education is a third important area in which technology is separating us from others. From elementary schools to colleges, students spend more and more time sitting by themselves in front of computers. The computers give them feedback, while teachers spend more time tending the computers and less time interacting with their classes. A similar problem occurs in homes. As more families buy computers, increasing numbers of students practice their math and reading skills with software programs instead of with their friends, brothers and sisters, and parents. Last, alienation is occurring as a result of another high-tech invention, DVDs. People are buying DVDs on subjects such as cooking, real estate investment, speaking, and speed-reading. They then practice their skills at home rather than by taking group classes in which a rich human interaction can occur.

Third topic sentence: Support: 1. 2. 3.

Technology, then, seems to be driving human beings apart. Soon, we may no longer need to communicate with other human beings in order to do our work, entertain ourselves, or pursue an education. Machines will be the coworkers and companions of the future.

3. Revising

23

Exercise:

Following is the second supporting paragraph from an essay called \School and Work.\draft, (2) revised second draft, (3) edited next-to-final draft, (4) final draft. The four stages appear in scrambled order. Write the number 1 in the answer blank for the first full draft, and number the remaining stages in sequence.

________ I have also given up some personal pleasures in my life. On Sundays for

example I used to play softball or football, now I use the entire day to study. Good old-fashioned sleep is another lost pleasure for me now. I never get as much as I like because their just isn't time. Finally I miss having the chance to just sit in front of the TV, on weeknights. In order to watch the whole lineup of movies and sports that I used to watch regularly. These sound like small pleasures, but you realize how important they are when you have to give them up.

________ I've had to give up pleasures in my life. I use to spend Sundays playing

games, now I have to study. Im the sort of person who needs a lot of sleep, but I dont have the time for that either. Sleeping nine or ten hours a night woul'dnt be unusual for me. Psycologists say that each individual need a different amount of sleep, some people need as little as five hours, some need as much as nine or ten. So I'm not unusual in that. But Ive given up that pleasure too. And I can't watch the TV shows I use to enjoy. This is another personal pleasure Ive lost because of doing work and school. These may seem like small things, but you realize how good they are when you give them up.

________ Besides missing the social side of college life, I've also had to give up

some of my special personal pleasures. I used to spend Sunday afternoons, for example, playing lob-pitch softball or touch football depending on the season. Now I use Sunday as a catch-up day for my studies. Another pleasure I've lost is sleeping late on days off and weekends. I once loved mornings when I could check the clock, bury my head in the pillow, and drift off for another hour. These days I'm forced to crawl out of bed the minute the alarm lets out its piercing ring. Finally, I no longer have the chance to just sit watching the movies and sports programs that I enjoy. A leisurely night of Monday Night Football or a network premiere of a Tom Cruise movie is a pleasure of the past for me now.

________ Besides missing the social side of college life, I've also had to give up

some of my special personal pleasures. I used to spend Sunday afternoons, for example playing lob-pitch softball or touch football depending on the season. Now I use the day as a catch-up day for my studies. Another pleasure I've lost is sleeping late on days off and weekends. I once loved mornings when I could check the clock, then burying my head in the pillow, and you drift off to sleep for another hour. These days I'm forced to get out of bed the minute the alarm lets out it's ring. Finally I no longer have the chance to just sit watching the movies and also programs with sports that I enjoy. A leisurely night of Monday Night Football or a network premiere of a Tom Cruise movie is a pleasure of the past for me now.

24