Lecturer: Gareth Jones
Class 14: Academic Essays
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Introduction-Body-Conclusion
Thesis Statement
Applying these concepts to business writing
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Lecture Material taken from:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/esl/eslaudience.
html
http://www.studygs.net/fiveparag.htm
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Academic essays are usually “thesis driven”
This means we must explain the main point of our essay
at the start
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Think of your “thesis statement” as a “topic sentence” for
your entire essay
Before beginning to write, you should already know what
your thesis statement is
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Consider your thesis a very short summary of your
essay, stated in the introduction.
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Should do three things:
◦ Show the purpose/topic of the essay
◦ Introduce the parts (body) of the essay
◦ Show your point of view
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Samples:
◦ “UK Universities should offer more scholarships to
international students. This is because they have a
greater desire to succeed in college and tend to work
harder, than UK students.”
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Samples:
◦ “China needs to be a leader in the fight against global
warming because of its size, its technology, and the
influence it has on the rest of Asia.”
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Samples:
◦ “I think I am a perfect candidate for the banker job
because I am hardworking, have many computer skills,
and I have banking experience.”
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This type of thesis usually states the primary goal of the
argument and then states the reasons or points you will
make in the essay to support the argument.
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Every point that you make afterward must be related to
the thesis statement. The rest of the essay must clarify
or support your thesis.
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Following your thesis, the rest of your essay should
“flow” naturally
For this it is useful to create an outline
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Part 1. Introduction (includes thesis and 3 points to be
made)
Part 2. Point 1.
Part 3. Point 2.
Part 4. Point 3.
Part 5. Conclusion
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Create this outline, and add information to it during the
planning process.
We can now think of the different parts of the essay, the
introduction, the body, and the conclusion
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Should do three things:
◦ Show the purpose/topic of the essay
◦ Introduce the parts (body) of the essay
◦ Show your point of view
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Think of your introduction as having three parts.
◦ The opener
◦ The lead in
◦ The thesis statement
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The opener – the first sentence or your essay.
Needs to get the reader’s attention and introduce your
topic.
We can do this in a variety of ways.
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Question: (What do you know about global warming?)
Statement: (Global warming is one the major problems
facing the world today)
Quotation: (Al Gore calls global warming “the challenge
of the 21st century”.
ETC.
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Lead in
2-3 sentences for your opening statement to “flow” into
your thesis statement
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Thesis statement – the last sentence of your introduction
Shows your point of view and introduces the rest of your
essay (body paragraphs)
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A typical academic essay will contain 3 body paragraphs
These must support our thesis with facts, evidence, and
examples
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The more examples/facts we have, the more credibility
we will gain
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Each body paragraph must support one individual topic
from our thesis statement
Each body paragraph must begin with a TOPIC
SENTENCE
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Each body paragraph must flow into the next one
We can achieve this by using transition words
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This transition can come at the beginning or end of the
paragraph.
I recommend the beginning
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however, therefore, additionally, thus, also, like, for
example, on the other hand, in conclusion, to add,
another way,
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Structure
◦ Transition
◦ Topic Sentence
◦ Support/evidence/facts
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“In addition to working harder, international students also
seem to graduate faster than their British counterparts.”
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“Although China’s size is important, an even more
important factor in the fight against global warming is its
advanced technology and infrastructure.”
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Follow this topic sentence with evidence, examples, and
facts to support the topic sentence
Use transition ideas within the body to make it flow
better
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“Besides being a very hardworking student, I am also
very skilled with computers.”
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The conclusion must restate our main ideas without
sounding too repetitive. This is difficult, but made easier
with the following strategy.
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The conclusion should do 3 things
◦ Restate the thesis topic
◦ Lead out
◦ Concluding remark
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Begin by restating the thesis statement.
Don’t simply repeat it, make sure to change the wording.
Like our body paragraphs, we may begin with a
transition word or phrase
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“In conclusion, our university should work harder to
attract international students, because they have a
greater desire to succeed, work harder, and graduate
more quickly than UK students.”
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◦ “Therefore, in this changing world, China must take the
lead on global warming, not just because of its size, but
also because of its technology and influence over other
countries”
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“As you can see from my résumé and qualifications, my
work ethic, computer skills, and banking experience
make me an ideal candidate for this job”
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Lead out
2-3 sentences leading up to the final statement
May restate topics mentioned in the body paragraphs
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Concluding Remark
This is your final thought in your essay and must be
strong, conclusive, and direct
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“The future is not located only in UK, and in order to
grow and succeed, we must open our doors and invite
our international brothers into our university.”
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“Global warming will not go away without a fight, and it is
China’s duty to lead the world in the fight of this century.”
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“I believe I am the best person for this job, and if you talk
to me in an interview I am sure you will agree.”
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Use this same structure for effective business writing.
As a class, we will investigate writing a persuasive
request using the Academic Essay structure
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Introduction
◦ The opener
◦ The lead in
◦ The thesis statement
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Body
◦ Transition
◦ Topic Sentence
◦ Support/evidence/facts
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Conclusion
◦ Restate the thesis topic
◦ Lead out
◦ Concluding remark
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