Thesis Statement for Logical Division of Ideas (p.

65)

The thesis statement for a logical division of ideas essay

Often indicates the number of subtopics
o Illegal immigration has four main causes.
May name the subtopics
o Achebes characterization is based on his use of active verbs,
vernacular vocabulary, and conflict between characters.
Use paired conjunctions when there are two subtopics:
o Both chronic unemployment and the lack of legal means to enter
Europe are causes of illegal immigration.
o Neither the threat of desertification, nor the promise of global
warming are enough to end the cutting down of the rainforests.
Use a colon before lists of two, three or more subtopics
o There are three main causes of illegal immigration: poverty,
unemployment, and despair.
Make sure subtopics are written in parallel form
o All nouns, or all adjective + nouns, all prepositional phrases, etc

Problems to avoid when writing a thesis statement: (p. 67)

Dont be too general
o Illegal immigration is bad
o Illegal immigration has at least four major negative consequences.
Dont make a simple announcement
o I am going to talk about the causes of illegal immigration
o There are four main causes of illegal immigration.
Dont state an obvious fact
o Cutting down the rainforests is terrible.
o Cutting down the rainforests leads to drought, desertification, and global
warming.

Linking Paragraphs in an essay: (p. 68-69) (See List of Transitions p. 68)

o Use transitions to link paragraphs

o Transitions show how the subtopics in each paragraph are related.
o Sometimes a word or phrase from the paragraph above is repeated to help connect
the ideas.
Writing a concluding paragraph: (p. 72)

3 purposes to the concluding paragraph:

o To signal the end of the essay
o Use a transition to do this
o To remind the reader of your main points
o Summarize your subtopics
o OR restate your thesis in a different way
o Give your reader on final thought on your topic:
o Make a prediction
o Suggest results or consequences
o Suggest a solution to a problem
o Make a recommendation
o Quote an authority about the topic

Outlining as Essay (p. 76) see example

Why? Because an essay is long. Organize before you write.

Where do you get ideas for your thesis statement or your outline?

o Take your topic.

o Brainstorm a list of ideas. (p. 267)
o Look at your list and make groups of ideas (logical divisions)
o This will help you make the main points for your thesis statement or your
outline.
o Do clustering. Write your topic in the middle of a paper, and write related ideas in
spokes around it. (p. 269-270)
o Circle the ideas that go together. Group like ideas.
o To make an outline, look at your lists or clusters.
o Cross of items that are not useable
o Read the lists and make titles for groups of ideas
o Use these titles for your large headings in the outline
o Uses the minor ideas for subtopics