Unit 8

1. Unit 8 The Structure of an Essay

2. What is an Essay? • Words are collections of sounds; sentences are collections of words; paragraphs are collections of sentences; and essays are collections of paragraphs. • First and foremost, the essay is, essentially true, a piece of non-fiction. • Secondly, all essays have definable beginnings, middles, and endings. • In addition, an essay is built around central idea, normally referred to as thesis. • Finally, essays consist of three, or more paragraphs. • The primary job of the essay is to thoroughly discuss its main idea (s).

4. What is a thesis statement? • Athesis statement is a sentence or sentences which summarize the main idea or ideas of your paper and clearly expresses what it is you are going to say about your topic. • Your statement identifies what topic will be discussed and the purpose of your paper.

5. Your thesis statement will have two parts. • The first part states the topic. • For example: • Palestine's Culture • Public Transportation

6. The second part states the point/ controlling idea of the essay. • has a rich and varied history • can solve some of our city's most persistent and pressing problems

7. Or in the second part you could simply list the three main ideas you will discuss. • has a long history, blends traditions from several other cultures, and provides a rich heritage. • helps with traffic crowding, resource management, and the city budget.

8. Thesis Statement Examples • Example of an analytical thesis statement: • An analysis of the college admission process reveals one challenge facing counselors: accepting students with high test scores or students with strong extracurricular backgrounds. • The paper that follows should: • explain the analysis of the college admission process • explain the challenge facing admissions counselors

9. Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement: • The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent studying, attending class, and socializing with peers. • The paper that follows should: • explain how students spend their time studying, attending class, and socializing with peers

10. Example of an argumentative thesis statement: • High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness. • The paper that follows should: • present an argument and give evidence to support the claim that students should pursue community projects before entering college

11. Writing a Strong Thesis 1. A thesis takes a stand (gives the author’s opinion) rather than announcing a subject. • Announcement: The thesis of this paper is the difficulty of solving our environmental problems. • Thesis: Solving our environmental problems is more difficult than many environmentalists believe. 2. A thesis statement is not a statement of fact or an observation. • Fact or observation: People use many lawn chemicals. • Thesis: People are poisoning the environment with chemicals merely to keep their lawns clean.

12. Writing a Strong Thesis 3. A thesis should not state two sides of argument equally. • Two sides of an argument: There are advantages and disadvantages to living in big cities. • Thesis: Although there are some advantages, living in big cities has many disadvantages.

13. How to write a thesis statement • To create a thesis statement simply follow this formula: • TOPIC  +  OPINION  =  THESIS STATEMENT