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.