Chapter 19: Outlining
Key Concepts
19-1 Use a formal outline as an organizational tool.
Suggested Activities and Exercises
Scrambled Outline
This classic exercise has students as individuals, or in groups, try to unscramble an outline and
Topic Outline versus Full Sentence Outline
Have the students take the recipe given to them from the previous chapter and put the recipe in a
Writing for the Ear
According to the Quick Tip (19c), in the final phase of refining the outline, you move from
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Scrambled Outline
Dioxin is more toxic than many well-known substances.
Dioxin has been spread throughout our environment in many ways.
10,000 times more toxic than cyanide
Dioxin.
It is used in many common substances.
The hazards of Dioxin must be dealt with by both sort-term and long-term solutions.
100 million times more toxic than DDT
Herbicides
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Unscrambled Outline
I. Dioxin is one of the most toxic substances known.
A. Dioxin is more toxic than many well-known substances.
B. Animal studies show Dioxin produces many adverse reactions even in very small
C. A correlation has been shown between Dioxin and human health problems.
II. Dioxin has been spread throughout our environment in many ways.
A. It is used in many common substances.
B. Industrial accidents have released Dioxin into the environment.
1. Holland, 1963
III. The hazards of Dioxin must be dealt with by both short-term and long-term
solutions.
A. Setting clear cleanup standards would allow the E.P.A. to remove dangers in a more
timely and consistent manner.
Adapted from a speech by Jeffrey M. Blank.
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Tests
Correct answers are marked with an asterisk. The places in the Compact Handbook where the
information was presented are shown in brackets.
True/False Questions
Multiple Choice Questions
4. Which of the following is not recommended in preparing an outline?
5. A full-sentence outline is useful primarily because _____.
6. Which would be the most effective phrasing of main points in an outline?
7. Which of the following speech elements should be stated as declarative sentences?
8. Which of the following is not a benefit of outlining?
Essay and Short Answer Questions
9. Write a brief paragraph explaining what is wrong with the following outline of one point of
a speech. Include at least three separate reasons.
I. Things citizens are concerned about in our city