Analytical Sentence Outline
Use the following steps when preparing to write an essay on a chosen topic from a novel or on a passage from an AP test.
1. Read through and annotate the text or passage. You can annotate with purpose (given a prompt) or annotate what stands out (while searching for a topic). Choose literary topics, focusing on themes and tones and not just on identifying elements and techniques. Techniques or elements are used often for support of a bigger idea or issue, and not because they will “help the reader” understand or relate to or even enjoy the text.
- When annotating a prompt, try a labeling system. For example, if the question asks you to consider literary techniques such as “diction, tone, and selection of detail”, note these in your passage in different ways so you can easily scan through annotations to see patterns
- When annotating long texts, try to identify elements of style that are repeated. Focus on main literary elements, such as characterization and setting, as well as conflict, theme, and tone.
2. Going back through the annotations, create categories that will cover most of the details you have selected. Choose a minimum of three categories for a thorough analysis when writing about a prompt.
3. Once you have a list of categories, these become your paragraph topics. Arrange the details you noted in annotations into their respective categories. Perhaps create a chart or number them. Color highlights will also be easy to sort through.
4. Ignore any annotated items that you can’t fit into the categories.
5. Arrange your lists of topics and evidence in the order you’d like to write about them.
6. Develop a topic sentence for the details in your first category. Do so for the remaining categories.
- Topic sentences should contain the central idea of individual paragraph as the grammatical subject.
- Topic sentences should clearly and logically relate back to the central idea in the grammatical predicate.
7. Develop a thesis sentence that contains the central idea as the subject and delineates the topics of each paragraph in the predicate. So, in other words, the reverse order of the topic sentences.
To double check for focus, go back and forth between your topic sentences and thesis statement. Revision is ok, and often necessary.
Upon completion of your preparation to write, you should have a solid foundation to guide you in your essay. The more work you can afford to put in before writing, the easier the actual essay writing will feel. In a timed situation, you will not have an incredible amount of time to prepare an essay, but through practice you should know how to annotate with purpose, organize your details, and develop your thoughts into strong transitional sentences and thesis statements.