Understanding the Parts of Essay
§ The introduction-introduces your subject, attracts your readers’ interest and often states your thesis statement.
§ A thesis statement is the main idea of your essay, its central point.
§ You present your thesis statement in the introduction, develop and support ideas that explain and support the thesis statement in the main body paragraphs, and restate/reinforce your thesis statement and provide closure in conclusion. This is called the concept of “thesis and support.”
§ It is common that the thesis statement comes at the end of the first paragraph.
§ The thesis statement is usually one sentence in length.
“……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Despite the emphasis by journalists on objective reporting, there are three reasons why television new is anything but objective.”
Defining a thesis statement
A thesis statement is always more than a title, an announcement of your intent, or a statement of fact.
Here are some examples that ARE NOT thesis statements:
Ø Alaska became a state in 1959.
Ø Tuberculosis is highly contagious.
Ø The population of Greece is about ten million.
However, the following IS a correct thesis statement:
“The continuing threat of tuberculosis, particularly in the inner cities, suggests that it is necessary to administrator more frequent diagnostic tests among high-risk population.”
The above sentence contains both fact and opinion, which is an effective thesis.
(Adapted from Patterns for College Writing (1998) by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell)
Now, the following are examples of poor attempts at developing a thesis:
1. In this paper I am going to show how the ancient Egyptians were able to build so many huge temples and tombs.
Comment: Although this statement has a topic, there is no assertion. The writer is indicating an expectation that will be fulfilled, not an assertion to be proved.
Possible thesis: The Egyptians built their temples with the assistance of extraterrestrial beings.
2. What are the major characteristics attributed to adult children of alcoholics?
Comment: A question cannot fulfill requirements of a thesis statement because it means only that an answer will follow. Remember a thesis answers a question!
Possible thesis: Low self-esteem, compulsive behavior and emotional distance characterize adult children of alcoholics.
3. Many elementary schools are going to give a year-round schedule.
Comment: This is not a thesis but a statement of fact.
Possible thesis: Year-round schools can help reduce overcrowding in classrooms and will benefit students, parents and school staff in general.
4. People should not smoke because it is unhealthy.
Comment: Technically, this is a thesis because it does have a topic and an assertion, if somewhat vague. But the assertion is weak. Few would disagree that smoking is unhealthy; too many studies over the last thirty years have proved that smoking is detrimental to one’s health.
Possible thesis: There is a significant correlation between teen smoking and academic achievement.
Taken from: http://www.lib.csub.edu/Christy/badthesis.htm
§ The introduction-introduces your subject, attracts your readers’ interest and often states your thesis statement.
§ A thesis statement is the main idea of your essay, its central point.
§ You present your thesis statement in the introduction, develop and support ideas that explain and support the thesis statement in the main body paragraphs, and restate/reinforce your thesis statement and provide closure in conclusion. This is called the concept of “thesis and support.”
§ It is common that the thesis statement comes at the end of the first paragraph.
§ The thesis statement is usually one sentence in length.
“……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..Despite the emphasis by journalists on objective reporting, there are three reasons why television new is anything but objective.”
Defining a thesis statement
A thesis statement is always more than a title, an announcement of your intent, or a statement of fact.
Here are some examples that ARE NOT thesis statements:
Ø Alaska became a state in 1959.
Ø Tuberculosis is highly contagious.
Ø The population of Greece is about ten million.
However, the following IS a correct thesis statement:
“The continuing threat of tuberculosis, particularly in the inner cities, suggests that it is necessary to administrator more frequent diagnostic tests among high-risk population.”
The above sentence contains both fact and opinion, which is an effective thesis.
(Adapted from Patterns for College Writing (1998) by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell)
Now, the following are examples of poor attempts at developing a thesis:
1. In this paper I am going to show how the ancient Egyptians were able to build so many huge temples and tombs.
Comment: Although this statement has a topic, there is no assertion. The writer is indicating an expectation that will be fulfilled, not an assertion to be proved.
Possible thesis: The Egyptians built their temples with the assistance of extraterrestrial beings.
2. What are the major characteristics attributed to adult children of alcoholics?
Comment: A question cannot fulfill requirements of a thesis statement because it means only that an answer will follow. Remember a thesis answers a question!
Possible thesis: Low self-esteem, compulsive behavior and emotional distance characterize adult children of alcoholics.
3. Many elementary schools are going to give a year-round schedule.
Comment: This is not a thesis but a statement of fact.
Possible thesis: Year-round schools can help reduce overcrowding in classrooms and will benefit students, parents and school staff in general.
4. People should not smoke because it is unhealthy.
Comment: Technically, this is a thesis because it does have a topic and an assertion, if somewhat vague. But the assertion is weak. Few would disagree that smoking is unhealthy; too many studies over the last thirty years have proved that smoking is detrimental to one’s health.
Possible thesis: There is a significant correlation between teen smoking and academic achievement.
Taken from: http://www.lib.csub.edu/Christy/badthesis.htm
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