the thesis statement further focuses the subject because it must clearly state in sentence form, the writer’s central point: the main idea or opinion that the rest of the essay will support and discuss.
the thesis statement should be as specific as possible. by writing a specific thesis statement, you focus on your subject and give yourself and your reader a clearer idea of what will follow in the body of the essay.
writing the thesis statement
there are many ways to make vague thesis statement more specific. as a general rule, replace vague words with more exact words and replace vague ideas with more complete information. e.g.:
vague: my recent trip to beijing was really bad.
revised: my recent trip to beijing was disappointing because the whether upset my sightseeing plans.
planning and ordering the body
the thesis statement sets forth the main idea of the entire essay, but it is the body of the essay that must fully support and discuss that thesis statement.
planning the body
in composing the thesis statement, the writer has already given some thought to what the body will contain. now, he or she should make a plan that includes:two to four main ideas to support the thesis statement two to four topic sentences stating these ideas
a plan for each paragraph in the body
a logical order in which to present these paragraphs
planning the body
different writers create such plans in different ways. here are two approaches that many writers use. some writers brainstorm/jot down ideas and then final paragraph groups. others first write topic sentences and then plan paragraphs.
what kind of writer do you belong to?
jot down ideas and then final paragraphs
having written the thesis statement, some writers brainstorm—they jot down any ideas that develop the thesis statement, including main ideas, specific details, and examples, all jumbled together. only after creating a long list do they go back over it, drop any ideas that do not support the thesis statement, and than look for “paragraph groups.”
by brainstorming and then dropping ideas that do not relate, you will eventually produce a list…
now read over the list, looking for groups of ideas that might become paragraphs. some ideas might become topic sentences; others might be used to support a topic sentence.
write topic sentences and then plan paragraphs
sometimes a writer can compose topic sentences directly from the thesis statement without jotting first. this is especially true if the thesis statement itself shows how the body will be divided or organized. such a thesis statement matches the work of planning paragraphs easy because the writer has already broken down the subject into supporting ideas or parts, e.g.:
because the student canteen has many problems, the university should hire a new administrator to see that it is properly managed in the future.
question: how many main ideas does this statement contain?
this thesis statement contains two main ideas:
the first states the problems and the second offers a solution.
ordering the paragraphs within the essay
it is important that the paragraphs in your plan, and later in your essay, follow a logical order. the rule for writing is this: use your common sense and plan ahead. do not leave the order of your paragraphs to chance.
how many types of order can be used in thesis writing?
what are they?
ordering the paragraphs within the essay
the types of order often used in single paragraphs— time order, space order, and order of climax— can sometimes be used to arrange paragraphs within an essay. essays about subjects that can be broken into stages, with each step discussed in one paragraph, should be arranged according to time. space order is used occasionally in descriptive essays. a writer who wishes to save the most important or convincing paragraph for last would use order of climax. or he or she might wish to reverse this order and put the most important paragraph first.
very often, however, the writer simply arranges paragraphs in whatever order makes sense in that particular essay.
expanding the one-paragraph plan
an essay is like an expanded paragraph.for this reason, any plan for developing a paragraph can also be used to develop an entire essay. it is up to the careful writer to choose the pattern that is best suited to his or her purpose and to the kind of essay required.
linking paragraphs within the body
just as the sentence within a paragraph should flow smoothly, so the paragraphs within an essay should be clearly linked one to the next. as you write your essay, do not make illogical jumps from one paragraph to another. instead, guide your reader. link the first sentence of each new paragraph to the thesis statement or to the paragraph before.
here are four ways to link paragraphs:
linking paragraphs within the body
repeat key words or ideas from the thesis statement.
refer to words or ideas from preceding paragraph. link the first sentence of a new paragraph to the paragraph before, especially by referring to words or ideas near the end of that paragraph.
use transitional expressions
use transitional sentences
use all four methods of linking paragraphs as you write your essay.
checklist
narrow the topic to one that you can discuss fully and well in an essay.
write a clear statement.
brainstorm ideas to support your statement.
choose some main ideas to support the thesis statement.
write a topic sentence that expresses each idea.
decide on a logical order in which to present the paragraphs in the body.
plan the body of each paragraph, using paragraph development.
write the first draft of your essay, linking paragraphs clearly to each other.
check for unity, logic, and coherence; revise and rewrite as necessary.
proofread for errors in grammar, sentence, structure, spelling, and mechanics.
three types of common errors:
language/ideas/format
consideration: how many kinds of specific errors you are likely to make in your writing? how to avoid them?