More detailed outlines
For a short five-paragraph essay, the outlines we’ve covered so far are probably sufficient. However, if you need to write a longer, more complicated essay, your outline also has to increase in size. A more detailed outline might have major topics, which each take up a few paragraphs. It would also have subtopics under each of these major topic headings - each subtopic might take up a paragraph in the final essay.
A more detailed essay on T-Rex might have six major topics and many subtopics. The outline can be used to check several things.
Are each of the major topics balanced, or is half the essay spent discussing one topic while others are neglected?
Are all the subtopics located in the right place in the essay? For instance, the movement subtopic ties in very closely with the scavenger theories topic. It would be possible to shift most of the movement description into one or more other sections, depending on what you thought was most appropriate.
Flow between major topics and between subtopics under each major topic. For instance, when describing the environment, is it appropriate to first discuss the climate, then the landscape structure, and then the flora and fauna? In this case, I would say it is - you start with a description of the skies and climate, move down to the mountain ranges, valleys, and deserts, before finally getting down to the inhabitants of the landscape - the animals and plants.
The real Tyrannosaurus Rex
Introduction
What was Tyrannosaurus Rex?
Significance in modern culture
The world 65 million years ago
Climate
Landscape structure
Flora and fauna
Tyrannosaurus - physical description
Size
Bone and muscle structure
Movement
Life cycle of a T-Rex
Gestation
Dependent years
‘Teenager’ years
Adulthood
Hunter or scavenger?
Hunter theories
Scavenger theories - speed limitations
Hybrid theories
Conclusion
Summarise what T-Rex was
Significance in today’s world
Click here to move on to the next topic: Organising an outline chronologically