College prep Unit 4 course

Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions

Learning Objective:

 Identify subtext in a reading by making inferences and drawing conclusions.

LESSON
Sometimes authors leave out information, which means the reader has to think to figure out
what he or she is trying to say. This is known as the subtext of a reading. Writers may leave
out information because they think the readers already know it, it may not seem important, or
because they want the readers to find the meaning on their own. A reader who thinks about
the subtext in a reading may make inferences about what is happening based on the facts and
details provided and may then draw conclusions about what will happen as a result. When
readers make inferences, they can often pull more information out from the story, making it
more meaningful to them.

You can try various strategies to make inferences and draw conclusions about what you read.
Here are three:

 Observe the details provided by the author.

 Draw from your experiences and connect them to the reading.
 Ask yourself what may happen as a result of what is taking place in the reading.

From there, you can use this formula to draw a conclusion:

Details from the reading + Your experiences = A conclusion about what is happening or
will happen

Outlining a Reading

Learning Objective:

 Outline a reading to identify the main idea and major details.

LESSON
An outline help a reader understand the topic of a reading by looking at the organization of
the details in the passage. Readers can use two types of outlines when breaking down the
information in a reading: formal outlines and informal outlines.

Formal outlines are more traditional and structured. They follow a set pattern and use a
combination of Roman numerals, letters, and numbers to show a hierarchy of information
based on the major details and minor details or ideas.

Formal outlines look like this:

I. Main Idea I. Gardens
A. Major Supporting Detail A. Vegetable
i. Minor Supporting Detail i. In-ground gardens
ii. Minor Supporting Detail ii. Potted gardens
B. Major Supporting Detail B. Flower
i. Minor Supporting Detail i. Raised beds
ii. Minor Supporting Detail ii. Natural
C. Major Supporting Detail C. Water
i. Minor Supporting Detail i. Fountains
ii. Minor Supporting Detail ii. Ponds

Informal outlines are less structured, but they still present an overview of the placement of
information in a reading.

Informal outlines look like this:

Main Idea Planning a home garden

- Supporting Idea - Vegetable garden

- Supporting Idea - Flower garden
- Supporting Idea - Water garden

Outlining an Essay

Learning Objective:

 Develop an outline for an essay.

LESSON
Using an outline is helpful when you are reading a textbook or an essay or taking notes in
class. It is also helpful when you are the writer. Outlining is an excellent tool for planning and
organizing your content. Different types of writing styles can use various outlining formats,
but all outlines contain the same basic elements: main idea, major supporting details, and
minor supporting details.

When writing an essay that uses examples from personal experience to support an opinion—
sometimes called an exemplification essay—the outline should list the opinion (main idea),
followed by the supporting details. Remember that if you are outlining a paragraph, the main
idea is the topic sentence; whereas, in a longer passage the main idea is the thesis statement.

I. Main Idea
 A. Major Supporting Detail
i. Minor Supporting Detail
ii. Minor Supporting Detail
B. Major Supporting Detail
i. Minor Supporting Detail
ii. Minor Supporting Detail
C. Major Supporting Detail
i. Minor Supporting Detail
ii. Minor Supporting Detail

For example, if a writer was describing how his father influenced his musical career, he would
use examples showing how that was true. One example might be that his father taught him
how to play the guitar when he was young. Another example might be that his father took him
to his first performance in front of a crowd. These examples would be supporting details and
depending on how in-depth the essay was to be, there might also be minor supporting details
for each of the examples.

Using Transitional Words and Phrases

Learning Objectives:

 Use transitional words and phrases within a multi-paragraph essay.

 Identify pattern transitions within a multi-paragraph essay.

LESSON
Writers use transitions to show connections between information. These connections help the
reader understand the content and the writer's purpose. Transitions help create cohesive
writing by linking sentences together, as well as linking paragraphs together, all with the goal
of connecting to the writer's thesis. Writers can use transitions in different ways, but two of
the most common are to use transitional words and transitional phrases and to repeat key
ideas, creating pattern transitions.

Transitional Words and Phrases

Writers use transitional words and phrases to show connections between information.

Common Transitional Words and Phrases

Additionally For example Otherwise
After Hence Similarly
Also However Therefore
Consequently In the end Thus
First/Second On the other hand Then

A writer can select from several other transitions when trying to achieve a certain effect in his
or her essay. This can include using transitions to show exemplification, comparison and
contrast, definitions, processes, or cause and effect. The tables below show examples of
transitions that work well with each style of writing.
Transitions Showing Exemplification
Another example For example Specifically
As an example For instance Such as
As evidenced by Including To illustrate
Especially In particular To show this

Transitions Showing Comparison & Contrast

Also However In the same way
As opposed to In addition Likewise
But In comparison On the other hand
Conversely In contrast Similarly

Transitions Showing Definition

Another definition As defined by As supported with
Another meaning As evidenced by As these examples show
As compared with As explained by Is complicated by
As contrasted with As illustrated by To define

Transitions Showing Process

Afterwards Concurrently Then
Another step Finally First
At this point Next Second
Before Subsequently Third

Transitions Showing Cause and Effect

Accordingly Consequently On account of
As a result Hence Since
Based on In the end Therefore
Because In view of Thus
Pattern Transitions
Another way to connect information is to use pattern transitions. In this technique, writers
repeat key ideas to keep paragraphs cohesive and keep the focus on a particular idea. Writers
will often refer back to the thesis statement or main idea throughout the essay. For example, if
the topic of the essay is how to apply for admission to college, then the writer will often refer
to that by writing such phrases as "Another step in the admission process…" or "Gaining
admission to your college of choice is…"

Writing a Multi-paragraph Essay

Learning Objective:

 Write a well-organized, multi-paragraph essay supporting a position.

LESSON
When writing a longer essay with three or more paragraphs, you should follow the writing
process, which helps you choose a topic and organize your ideas. This process involves a
series of steps from when you begin thinking about writing until you have proofread the final
draft. Here are the steps to the writing process that help you prepare to begin writing.

The Writing Process

Step 1: Brainstorm ideas.

First, begin by brainstorming ideas so you can identify a topic for your writing. To do this,
you might make a list, draw a diagram, or spend some time freewriting about what is on your
mind. Take time to research your topic, noting ideas and information that you think might
work in your essay.

Step 2: Develop a thesis.

Next, once you have brainstormed ideas and identified a topic for your writing, develop a
thesis, which is the controlling idea of your essay. Your thesis statement tells the reader what
you are writing about and why it is important to your audience. It should also reflect your
opinion or attitude toward the topic.

Step 3: Create an outline.

Third, outline your ideas for the essay. Creating an outline, even if it is rough and may change
as you write, helps you determine if you have enough information to support your thesis and
allows you to begin organizing that information in your essay.

Step 4: Write a rough draft.

Once you have worked through the preliminary parts of the writing process, you are ready to
begin writing a rough draft of your essay. Be sure to keep the structure of an essay in mind as
you write, making sure to include an introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a
conclusion paragraph. The introduction paragraph brings the audience into the essay by
getting them interested in the topic. It also includes the thesis statement. The body paragraphs
provide the information to support the thesis. Finally, the conclusion mirrors the introduction
by reminding readers of the thesis statement and helps finalize the essay by reinforcing the
main points.