Hormone Replacement Therapy

The final step in the outlining process is to erase each one of the questions we began with and express the main idea of the point as a statement. The statement should be one complete sentence that tells your audience what the main idea of that point is. How do we determine what this sentence is going to be? Look at the sub-points we’ve created. Each sub-point (A, B, C) came directly from the question that we asked. Therefore, there is a direct relationship between the sub-points and the main idea. Each sub-point should somehow be represented in the statement of the main idea. The sources and support for our sub-ideas have been omitted from these examples to demonstrate step #4 (make sure you include your sources and support in your final outline). Thus, our final main idea statements (and sub-ideas) for our speech on HRT would look like this:

I. There are five main methods of hormone replacement delivery.

A. The most popular form of HRT is the hormone pill.

B. HRT has been available in injections for about ten years.

C. Another form of HRT is an estrogen-filled patch.

D. Implants are an extreme method of HRT.

E. There are two types of creams that are available for treatment of HRT.

II. There are several advantages to undergoing HRT.

A. HRT has been shown to inhibit the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

B. HRT patients have shown significantly less chance of getting osteoporosis.

C. HRT also has had an impact on the appearance and elasticity of the skin.

III. There may be risks associated with undergoing HRT

A. There is increased risk of breast cancer to women undergoing HRT.

B. There is also increased risk of heart disease to patients undergoing HRT.

C. The most alarming risk to patients undergoing HRT was the increased risk for strokes.

And here are the main ideas and sub-ideas for our guitar speech:

I. The guitar is an ancient invention that has remained popular to this day.

A. The earliest ancestor to the modern guitar appeared in Persia nearly four thousand years ago.

B. The modern guitar traces its roots back to Spain.

C. The third and most influential change in guitar was created by a man named Orville Gibson in the 19^th century.

II. There are three main parts to the modern guitar.

A. The body of the guitar produces the sound and is shaped like a figure-eight.

B. The neck of the guitar flows upward from the body to the head.

C. The head of the guitar connects to the neck.

III. Two styles of guitar playing predominate today.

A. The Latin style of guitar playing has developed over hundreds of years.

B. The blues style of guitar playing developed in the United States much more recently.