Elements of an Essay
Part I: The Thesis Statement
Part II: Nuts and Bolts
Part I:
The Thesis Statement
Effective composition of your
thesis.
A Thesis Statement…

tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of
the subject matter under discussion.
 is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the
reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
 directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is
an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject
itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World
War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to
understand the war or the novel.
 makes a claim that others might dispute.
 is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first
paragraph that presents your argument to the reader.
The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and
organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the
logic of your interpretation.
Writing Your Thesis Statement
1.Determine what kind of paper you are writing:
An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component
parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and
evaluation to the audience.
An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience.
An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this
claim with specific evidence. The claim could be an opinion, a policy
proposal, an evaluation, a cause-and-effect statement, or an
interpretation. The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the
audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided.
If you are writing a text which does not fall under these three categories
(ex. a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph
could still be helpful to your reader.
2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what
you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific
evidence.
3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first
paragraph of a paper.
4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your
thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the
paper.
How Strong is Your Thesis?
1.
2.
3.
Do I answer the question?
Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a
working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses
the focus of the question.
Have I taken a position that others might challenge or
oppose?
If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or
even could, disagree with, it's possible that you are
simply providing a summary, rather than making an
argument.
Is my thesis statement specific enough?
Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have
a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like
"good" or "successful," see if you could be more
specific: why is something "good"; what specifically
makes something "successful"?
How Strong Is Your Thesis?
4. Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test?
If a reader's first response is, "So what?" then you need to
clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
5. Does my essay support my thesis specifically and
without wandering?
If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go
together, one of them has to change. It's o.k. to change your
working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the
course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and
revise your writing as necessary.
6. Does my thesis pass the "how and why?" test?
If a reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your thesis may
be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what
you can add to give the reader a better take on your position
right from the beginning.
Sample Thesis Statements

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a
great American novel.

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
develops a contrast between life on
the river and life on the shore.

Through its contrasting river and shore
scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn
suggests that to find the true
expression of American democratic
ideals, one must leave "civilized"
society and go back to nature.
Thesis Statement Activity
 Take
a sheet of paper from the desk.
 On side 1: Write your Novell Username
 On side 2: Write the thesis statement you
used in the Diagnostic Essay on the
paper.
Thesis Statement Activity
Answer the question for this round, offer a suggestion for
how the author might satisfy this question.
If it already answers the question, explain how it does so.
Round Question
1.
Does it answer the question?
Thesis Statement Activity
Answer the question for this round, offer a suggestion for
how the author might satisfy this question.
If it already answers the question, explain how it does so.
Round Question
2.
Does it take a position that others might be
able to challenge?
Thesis Statement Activity
Answer the question for this round, offer a suggestion for
how the author might satisfy this question.
If it already answers the question, explain how it does so.
Round Question
3.
Is it specific enough?
Thesis Statement Activity
Answer the question for this round, offer a suggestion for
how the author might satisfy this question.
If it already answers the question, explain how it does so.
Round Question
4.
Does it pass the “So What?” Test?
Thesis Statement Activity
Answer the question for this round, offer a suggestion for
how the author might satisfy this question.
If it already answers the question, explain how it does so.
Round Question
5.
Does it explain how and why?
Homework
 Retrieve
your paper .
 Using the suggested revisions, rewrite
your thesis statement tonight.
 Staple the suggestions and your revised
thesis to the diagnostic (with questions).




Essay
Purpose Questions
Audience Questions
Thesis Revision (crumpled paper)
Part II:
Nuts and Bolts
AKA- Pieces of Your Paper
Basic Organization: Outline
Sample Outline:
I.
Introduction
a.
b.
c.
II.
a.
b.
Body Paragraphs
a)
b)
III.
Background
Thesis Statement
Transition
(Translated)
I.
This Is What I’m Going to
Say
Separate topics drawn
from thesis statement
Effective transitions
between body paragraphs
Conclusion
a.
b.
c.
Transition to conclusion
Summary of what has
been discussed
Final statement
c.
What it is
My Point
On to the main event
This Is Me Saying It, and
Making you Believe it
II.
a.
b.
Part 1 (2, 3) of My Point
On to the next reason I’m right.
This Is What We Now
Believe
III.
a.
b.
c.
This is what I’ve said.
This is why I said it.
This is what we’ve discovered.
Introduction

Begin with information relevant to the topic.

Examples: general background of subject (event,
person, place); short (one or two sentence summary)
of a work of literature; relevant quote (use sparingly,
try to quote work being discussed); definition
(especially effective for argumentation papers)

Thesis Statement: see Part I
 Transition to next paragraph


Do not assume that your thesis statement is
automatically your transition.
Give reader some idea as to what will be discussed
first.
Body Paragraphs:
Definition

What is a Paragraph?



"a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms
a unit“ of harmonious and coherent ideas between its
sentences
Usually focused on one specific aspect of the thesis
statement
Every paragraph in a paper should be
• Unified - The sentences should all refer to the main idea, or
thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Coherent-The sentences should be arranged in a logical
manner and should follow a definite plan for development
(Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Well-Developed - Every idea discussed in the paragraph
should be adequately explained and supported through
evidence and details that work together to explain the paper's
controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119).
Body Paragraphs:
Two Important Parts
1.
Topic Sentences –
•
2.
A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main idea of
a paragraph. It tells the reader what to expect about the
information that will follow. Without the use of a topic sentence,
developing a paragraph can be extremely difficult. Topic
sentences can appear at several points in a paragraph.
Transitions –
•
Transitions come in the form of single words, phrases,
sentences, and even whole paragraphs. They help to establish
relationships between ideas in a paragraph and to create a
logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph. Without
transitions, your paragraph will not be unified, coherent, or well
developed.
Body Paragraphs:
Step By Step
1.
Controlling idea
•
2.
Explanation of controlling idea
•
3.
the example serves as a sign or representation of the
relationship established in the idea and explanation portions of
the paragraph
Explanation (of example)
•
5.
the writer's rationale into his/her thinking about the main topic,
idea, or focus of the paragraph
Example
•
4.
the expression of the main idea, topic, or focus of the paragraph
in a sentence or a collection of sentences.
the reasoning behind why you chose to use this/or these
particular examples as evidence to support the major claim, or
focus, in your paragraph.
Completion of Paragraph's idea or transition into
next paragraph
•
a review for your reader about the relevance of the information
that you just discussed in the paragraph, or a transition or
preparation for your reader for the paragraph that follows.
Conclusions

Your conclusion is your chance to have the last
word on the subject.
 Your conclusion can go beyond the confines of
the assignment.


The conclusion pushes beyond the boundaries of the
prompt and allows you to consider broader issues,
make new connections, and elaborate on the
significance of your findings.
Your conclusion should make your readers glad
they read your paper.
Conclusions: Strategies

Play the "So What" Game.




Return to the theme or themes in the introduction.
Include a provocative insight or quotation from the
research or reading you did for your paper.
Synthesize, don't summarize:



If you're stuck and feel like your conclusion isn't saying anything
new or interesting, read each statement and ask “so what” or
“why should anybody care?” in much the same fashion as you
might for a thesis statement. Use your answers to strengthen
your conclusion.
Include a brief summary of the paper's main points, but don't
simply repeat things that were in your paper. Instead, show your
reader how the points you made and the support and examples
you used fit together.
Propose a course of action, a solution to an issue, or
questions for further study.
Point to broader implications of your topic.