INTRODUCTION TO THE THESIS Writing Unit

Creating a Thesis Statement What is a thesis? Simply said: A clear and concise way to state and support your opinion on a specific topic. It asks: What will your essay be about? What is the main idea of your essay? What idea or concept do you want to introduce to your reader?

Thesis Sentence Focuses and directs the essay Is usually one sentence Can be found in the introduction (usually the last line) Your opinion + support Is a statement NOT A QUESTION!!! Is a position that can be argued

A thesis sentence NEVER Announces itself:  "I'm going to talk about . . ." Personalizes:  "I think . . ."  or " I believe . . ." Questions:   "Is English hard to learn?“ Uses unclear language: “It seems…”

Position + Support + Implicit “SO WHAT” Structure of a Thesis Identify a debatable/arguable topic and choose a side… POSITION Find three clear supporting ideas for your position… SUPPORT Why the reader should be interested “SO WHAT” Position + Support + Implicit “SO WHAT” = Killer Thesis

Take a debatable position on your topic. In the movie The Little Mermaid, the character Ariel sacrifices her identity for love (position).

What are your 3 main arguments? Explain why/how. What are your 3 main arguments? Gives up her ability to talk/sing Is willing to leave her mermaid family behind Makes physical changes, such as losing her tail

Now combine them: In the movie The Little Mermaid, the character Ariel sacrifices her identity for the love of her prince by giving up her voice, abandoning her family, and physically altering her body, which suggests that to love someone requires sacrifice.

Thesis Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wxE8R_x5I0 Add parallel structure

The Thesis test: Does my thesis………..?

Do I answer the question? Re-reading the essay prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.

Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument. Is my thesis statement specific enough?  Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument.

Does my thesis pass the “So what. ” test Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is, “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.

Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.

written using parallel structure? Is my thesis written using parallel structure?

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level. The usual way to join parallel structures is with the use of coordinating conjunctions such as "and" or "or."

Words and Phrases With the –ing form (gerund) of words: Parallel:    Mary likes hiking, swimming, and bicycling. With infinitive phrases: Parallel:  Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a bicycle.  OR   Mary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.  (Note: You can use "to" before all the verbs in a sentence or only before the first one.)

Do not mix forms. Not Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle. Parallel:  Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle. Not Parallel:  The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low. Parallel:  The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lacked motivation.

Clauses A parallel structure that begins with clauses must continue with clauses. Changing to another pattern or changing the voice of the verb (from active to passive or vice versa) will break the parallelism. Not Parallel: The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and to do some warm-up exercises before the game. Parallel:  The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, that they should not eat too much, and that they should do some warm-up exercises before the game. — or — Parallel:  The coach told the players that they should get a lot of sleep, not eat too much, and do some warm-up exercises before the game.