How to Write the Best English Notes Ever

Before writing, find at least five different colors to use. They can be pens, like shown at the left, or colored pencils work fine too. Be sure to designate them a role as well. (For example, important dates may always be written in orange.)

The first thing you should do is give your notes a date. This will help you to go back and find them later. Second, give them a title. Make it a simple one, just stating exactly what the notes are about. Examples: The Civil Rights Movement, Pride and Prejudice - Chapter 1.

Next, think of a few categories that will help you to organize your notes. In the example shown in these pictures, I am researching Kurt Vonnegut, so some of my categories are Education, World War II, and Career. Make sure these titles are written larger, or are in some way more defined then the bullets beneath them. (Mine are written in pen and then highlighted.)


Making note of quotes that relate to plot, or reveal something about a character or theme, is very important to having effective English notes. Write them in the middle of the page, or in a different color. Always make sure that you have written down who said the quote as well. In the picture at the left, the quote, "We could have saved the world, but we were just too damned lazy." from "A Man Without a Country", is written clearly, and is centered on the page.

When taking notes on a novel, be sure to always refer to page numbers. This will be helpful later when you need to refer back to a specific quote, important event, or character description.

I find that categorized bullet-points arethe most effective way to take notes. This form of note-taking will be helpful when reading, researching, or listening to lectures. Always be sure to write down just the most important information, or things you are mostly likely to forget. It is so unessasary to have ten pages of notes that describe each and every outfit the character wore in the story, or that list every, single, poem ever written by Robert Frost.

Remember, that there are many styles of note-taking, and that you should pick the one that works best for you!


In case you were interested in Kurt Vonnegut, the author of Slaughterhouse-Five and Harrison Bergeron, this was the website I used to take the notes featured in this post.