THESIS STATEMENT

Thesis statement is commonly, but not always, placed at the end of the introductory paragraph. In the thesis statement the writer tells the reader what to expect in the essay. There two kind of thesis statements – direct and indirect.

In indirect thesis statements the writer does not explain directly what to expect in the essay. Indirect thesis statements are usually composed of a topic and controlling idea:

There are some notable differences in the lifestyles of these two groups (topic – differences, controlling idea - in the lifestyles of these two groups)

In direct thesis statements the writers give an outline of the essay with the help of predictors that develop a controlling idea into ideas A, B, C:

Perhaps, some of the most notable differences in the lifestyles of these two groups include degree of friendliness, pace of life, and variety of activities (topic – differences, controlling idea - in the lifestyles of these two groups, idea (predictor) A - degree of friendliness, idea (predictor) B - pace of life,, idea (predictor) C - variety of activities).

Both indirect and direct thesis statements are acceptable. It’s up to the writer to decide what approach to take.

NOTE: there are some important rules that should be followed when writing a thesis statement:

- It must be a statement, not a question.

- It must be a complete statement.

- It must be an opinion, not a statement of facts.

- It must state the controlling idea.

- It must have only one controlling idea.

Task 7

Thesis statements

Examine the following examples of thesis statements in groups and say which one is a good thesis statement. Explain your choice.

1. Kyiv is a capital of Ukraine.

2. I’m going to write about my city.

3. Kyiv is a wonderful city.

4. Life in Kyiv resembles life in any other capital in the world as it gives various educational, career and entertainment opportunities.

Task 8

Thesis statements

Define whether these statements are good or bad for thesis statements.

1. Japanese cars are better than Italian cars.

2. A Mitsubishi is a Japanese car.

3. I’m going to show you why seat belts are necessary.

4. Are seat belts necessary?

5. Students, who work while they are studying, meet a lot of people, and their professors also work hard.

6. London – Kyiv: similarities and differences.

2.4. BODY PARAGRAPHS

Each of the body paragraphs supports one of the controlling ideas given in a thesis statement. The body follows the plan of organization that the writer determines before he or she starts writing. The organization of the body usually depends on the kind of essay you are writing.

Idially, each paragraph in the essay should follow the same pattern – introduction, body and conclusion, but sometimes some parts of the pattern are omitted.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 5450