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Thesis statement and overview paragraphs

Thesis statement and overview paragraphs. Thesis statement. A thesis statement is a complete sentence that contains one main idea, the focus of the essay. It is usually placed at the end of an introduction. Characteristics of a thesis statement.

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Thesis statement and overview paragraphs

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  1. Thesis statement and overview paragraphs

  2. Thesis statement • A thesis statement is a complete sentence that contains one main idea, the focus of the essay. • It is usuallyplaced at the end of an introduction.

  3. Characteristics of a thesis statement -It states the essay’s subject (the topic being discussed, which is not too broad) - It reflects the essay’s purpose (either to provide information or to persuade the readers to agree with the author) - It includes a focus (an assertion that conveys the author’s point of view) - It avoids generalizations - It may state (but not necessarily) the major subdivisions of the essay’s topic) (Simon & Schuster Handbook for Writers, 2-d ed.)

  4. Parts of a thesis statement

  5. Important points about a thesis statement • A question or a phrase is not a thesis statement (the U.S. foreign policy; What are the effects of the U.S. foreign policy on the lives of American citizens?) • Thesis statement is not a mere statement of a fact (Facebook today has 35 million active users worldwide.) • Thesis statement doesn’t simply introduce the topic of the essay, it includes the author’s opinion or stance (This paper is about TOEFL as means of predicting students’ performance in American schools)

  6. What to avoid in writing a thesis statement • a neutral statement without the author’s position (There are ups and downs in careers of famous musicians) • an announcement of the paper’s broad subject (The paper is about problems of the EU countries after the financial crisis of 2008) • a fact which is not arguable (The Cold war ended after the collapse of the Soviet Union) • a truism (a statement which is obviously true) (Smoking is bad for one’s health) • an opinion based on author’s emotions/feelings (I think that shopping is a total waste of time and money) • a sweeping generalization (Japanese people are more hard-working than representatives of other cultures) (Raimes, A (2006) Keys for writers)

  7. Overview paragraphs • In the overview paragraphs describe a specific case/cases you’ve chosen for your paper; identify the legal issues in these cases; indicate whether there was a precedent for this subject matter; develop a synthesized thesis statement based on the sources you have. • Make sure that each paragraph of your synthesis essay has the following: unity, coherence, a topic sentence, and adequate development.

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