Important Sentences
The Thesis Statement:
This is a sentence that explains the main reason for the essay. It is common for many
students to over-think the process of writing a thesis statement. It can be extremely easy.
Your thesis is truly the point you are trying to make.
1. If an essay is being written about purchasing a puppy, an acceptable thesis would
be:
a. If a person decides to purchase a purebred puppy, they should find a reputable
breeder.
2. If an essay is being written about the death penalty, an acceptable thesis would be:
a. The death penalty is a waste of money.
3. If an essay is being written about social media, an acceptable thesis would be:
a. Fiction spreads faster than fact on social media.
As a result, to write a thesis statement, you first have to come up with a topic, then you
have to decide how you feel about/what you are going to discuss/or what should be done
about that topic. Then, you just put those two points together in a sentence.
The Layout Sentence:
This is a sentence that lists the three points that are going to be discussed in the essay. It
should always be the last sentence in the introductory paragraph.
For Example:
1. If the essay is about finding a puppy from a reputable breeder, an acceptable layout
would be:
a. To ensure that a puppy is being purchased from a reputable breeder, the
breeder must allow the buyer to pick up the puppy from the breeder's
residence; the puppy must have a clean bill of health from a vet before pickup;
and the breeder must offer a health guarantee on their puppies.
Writing the layout sentence seems to be struggle for some students. It is a sentence that
can take some practice. Nonetheless, once you understand what belongs in the sentence,
easier than many may believe.
Important Sentences
Information Needed for the Layout
1. The first step is figuring out your topic.
2. Once you have decided on a topic, you must decide:
a. How you feel about that topic
b. The point you want to make
c. The reason the essay is being written
3. Figure out your thesis statement.
4. Take the feeling/point/reason to figure out three points that will support your
argument. (These can be adjusted once you have your actual supporting
paragraphs written).
Example: An essay is going to be about what can be learned in college other than the booklearned education. I would then need to figure out what I believe these items could be. I
come up with:
•
Responsibility
•
Time Management
•
Maturity
•
Self-Esteem
•
Money Management
I then would need to pick the three points that I believe will make the strongest
paragraphs. Lastly. I can create a layout sentence.
Layout: Three additional benefits students receive from college are a higher self-esteem,
maturity, and responsibility.
SIDE NOTE: **Thesis statements and layout sentences should never announce your
paper. i.e. Do not use phrases like “This essay will discuss” or “In this essay I will talk
about,” etc.**
Important Sentences
Topic Sentences
In each of your supporting paragraphs, you must have a topic sentence. This sentence
should mention the thesis and state the main idea of the paragraph.
If you are writing an essay about online voting and how it is a flawed system, then
your thesis statement would be just that...Online voting is flawed.
Now, let us say that the main point of your first paragraph is the ease of
manipulation. For your topic sentence for this paragraph, you need to mention both
points.
Ex: One reason online voting is flawed is due to ease of manipulation. (The
paragraph would then go on to explain HOW online voting can be
manipulated.)
Believe it or not, it is really that easy. Let us look at another one.
The thesis of the essay is dogs are better pets than cats. The point for one of the
supporting paragraphs is that dogs are more versatile. The topic sentence would look
something like:
Dogs make better pets than cats because dogs are more versatile. (The
paragraph would then go on to explain how dogs are versatile. It will also
explain how cats are not as versatile.)
SIDE NOTES ** A topic sentence should NEVER be a quote.
** A topic sentence should NEVER be a question.
Transition Sentences
The purpose of a transition sentence is to close one paragraph and introduce the next.
1. These sentences belong at the end of the first and the second supporting paragraph.
(These paragraphs correspond to the second and third paragraph in a fiveparagraph essay)
Let us go back to the online voting essay. The first supporting paragraph discusses
how online voting can be manipulated. The second supporting paragraph will discuss
how there will be issues with a new voting process. (You can go on to discuss each of
the issues that could arise with the implementation of virtual voting.)
Important Sentences
You would then take these two points and put them together in one sentence. The first
half of the sentence would close the first point and the second half of the sentence
would introduce the new point.
EXAMPLE:
Just as online voting can be manipulated, it will also introduce new issues within the
voting process.
Breakdown – Just as online voting can be manipulated (you are saying, “okay, since this
topic is closed) it will also introduce new issues within the voting process. (Here is
another point that will prove my thesis)
One more example: Let us look at the second essay.
The first paragraph is about the versatility of a dog. The second paragraph will be
about how dogs can also be used for protection.
In turn, the transition sentence would look something like:
Dogs are better than cats not only because they are more versatile, dogs also
can protect their owner.