Thesis Statement The transition from the research process to the writing process

Mini Writing Lesson Avoiding expletive constructions

What sentence structures usually work against conciseness? One sentence structure, although appropriate in some contexts, often works against conciseness because it can lead to wordiness: expletive constructions.

Avoiding expletive constructions An expletive construction starts with it or there followed by a form of the verb be. When you cut the expletive construction and revise, the sentence becomes more direct.

Avoiding expletive constructions Expletive construction: It is necessary for students to fill in both questionnaires. Concise: Students must fill in both questionnaires.

Avoiding expletive constructions Expletive construction: There are eight instructors who teach in the Computer Science Department. Concise: Eight instructors teach in the Computer Science Department.

How do I draft a thesis statement? Your thesis statement sets out the central theme, which you need to sustain throughout the paper. As with any piece of writing, your research paper must fulfill the promise of its thesis statement.

How do I draft a thesis statement? You want to make your thesis statement is a declarative sentence, not a question. A good thesis statement makes an assertion that conveys your point of view about your topic and foreshadows the content of your paper. Your research paper needs to support your thesis statement.

Basic requirements for a thesis statement It states the research paper’s subject--the topic that you discuss. It conveys the research paper’s purpose--either informative or persuasive. It indicates your focus--the assertion that presents your point of view. It uses specific language, not vague words. It may briefly state the major subdivisions of the research paper’s topic.

Example of a first preliminary thesis statement Topic: Emotional intelligence in computers and robots 1st preliminary thesis: Artificial intelligence is a complicated problem. [This draft is much too general and does not prepare readers for a specific focus on computers.]

Example of next preliminary thesis statement Determining whether a computer is “intelligent” is an unsolved problem. [This thesis is better, but it still describes a very broad topic, and the writer needs to concentrate specifically on the role of emotion in intelligence.]

Example of a final thesis statement An unsolved problem is whether computers need emotion for scientists to consider them intelligent. [This gets closer to the message. Boo yeah.]