Every good presentation needs to follow an organized structure and pattern that can be expressed in an outline. An outline contains no complete sentences, but only main ideas and looks similar to notes you might take from a listening. Look at the outline structure which is for a basic four paragraph essay or presentation.

  • Introduction
    • General Statement
    • Thesis Statement
      • Point 1, and Point 2
  • Body 1 (Point 1)
    • Topic Sentence
      • Supporting Sentences
      • Linking Sentence
  • Body 2 (Point 2)
    • Topic Sentence
      • Supporting Sentences
  • Conclusion
    • Point 1, Point 2, Thesis Statement

Look at two examples of this structure. The introductions were used last week. Notice that one is descriptive and the other is preference, so they have slightly different thesis statements, but the overall structure is the same. Try giving these presentations to your group members.

Example 1

  • Introduction
    • General statement ideas: many different kinds of food - variety of tastes
    • Thesis statement ideas: popular food = pizza, why? >> cheap & easy to find
  • Body 1 (Point 1)
    • cheap
      • don’t have enough money to eat dinner at a nice place, can still afford to eat large amount of pizza
      • waste money on other food
  • Body 2 (Point 2)
    • quite easy to find
      • can waste a lot of time searching for a good place to eat, pizza shops usually every street corner in big cities
      • can find in most countries when travelling
  • Conclusion
    • Pizza = cheap and easy to find >> popular

Example 2

  • Introduction
    • General statement ideas: deciding where to live = major choice can affect many aspects of life
    • Thesis statement ideas: some people prefer country; however, city = much more entertainment & more opportunities for work
  • Body 1 (Point 1)
    • many options to consider to have fun in city
      • e.g. a big concert in city = can find several events to choose / country = fewer choices.
      • + sporting events
  • Body 2 (Point 2)
    • more chances to find good work in city
      • many large businesses & corporations in city = offer variety of employment opportunities > high-paid careers, not in rural areas
      • more chances for promotion in bigger companies
  • Conclusion
    • city = a great deal more entertainment and chances for employment vs. country >> city = better

Exercise

Please open the exercise to continue.

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