Writing a Thesis: - PC\|MAC



Writing a Thesis:

The Three “P’s” of a Thesis Statement

A short story (anecdote) like the one above doesn’t work if you give away the punch line. An essay, however, is a bit different. Your reader doesn’t want to have to guess where you’re going and expects a “roadmap” to see the route. Therefore, you need to give the reader a sneak preview of what is coming up on the road ahead. We call this sneak preview the thesis statement of your essay. A thesis is simply a one sentence statement of your essay’s main points.

A clearly written thesis keeps you on track by reminding you of your route, your direction, and your destination. And that brings us to an important “Rule of Three”:

A good thesis statement includes three “P’s.”

It is a Three-Pronged, Parallel Preview of your essay.

Here’s an example:

Television has a positive effect because it helps you learn, it gives you information from all over the world, and it allows you to relax.

•The three prongs are the three ways it has a positive effect. ( It helps you learn, it gives you information from all over the world, and it allows you to relax ).

•The three prongs are written in parallel form, which means they have the grammatical structure. ( In this case each prong begins with “it.” )

•The thesis gives a preview of what the essay will be about. ( It’s going to be about the positive effects of television. )

Examples of parallelism:

Why parallel? The following illustration may help you see the logic behind putting items in parallel form. Imagine you are putting together a poster that announces some activities for next week’s social. Which of the posters below states the information most clearly?

You probably picked the poster on the right. Because all three items are stated in parallel form, they are easier to understand. Each items starts with a verb that describes one of the social activities.

Now notice how parallel form works in thesis statements:

Non-Parallel Thesis: The most important qualities of a good friend are a sense of humor, being kind, and someone I can depend on.

Parallel Thesis: The most important qualities of a good friend are a sense of humor, kindness, and dependability.

Practice with Parallel Form

Directions: Revise the following thesis statements so that they are written in parallel form.

1) Sports benefit your overall health because they relieve stress in your muscles, they work your cardio vascular system, and your brain needs oxygen.

2) Every student should complete high school because high school graduates earn more, finding better jobs, and they have more choices.

3) Jonas’ character in Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver is brave in many situations, skeptical about his community, and chooses his words carefully.

Example Response to Literature:

Traffic Light Method in Action!

| |In Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver the main character Jonas is very thoughtful. For instance he is careful about the |

| |language he uses, is skeptical of the rules in his society, and is responsible when caring for Gabe. |

| |Throughout the novel, Jonas thinks carefully about what words to uses to describe his feelings. When the reader is |

| |introduced to Jonas, he is contemplating the right word to describe his feelings. For example, when it was his turn to |

|Thesis has the title and author and a |share his feelings Jonas says he is apprehensive and is “glad that the appropriate descriptive word had finally come to |

|3-pronged parallel preview. |him” (9). This shows that Jonas thinks before he speaks and knows the importance of choosing precise language when |

| |communicating feelings and thoughts unlike his friend Asher who is less thoughtful with his word choice. |

| | |

| | |

| | |

Transition Words

Transition words are your friends! ( They are like the glue of your essay; they hold everything together and make your essay flow from one point to another. Here are some to try:

When you are introducing evidence:

|For example, |This can be seen when… |

|For instance, |This is illustrated by… |

|This can be seen in/when… | |

|This is evident in/when… | |

Example:

Family is important to Yollie and Mrs. Moreno. For example, they like to play practical jokes on each other, but never get mad.

When you are commenting on evidence:

|This shows that… |This example illustrates that… |

|This example proves that… | |

|What this shows is… | |

Example:

This shows that Yollie and her mother are close and enjoy spending time together.

When you are making a point that is similar to a point you just made (Comparing):

|In addition, |Moreover, |

|Also, |Comparatively, |

|Similarly, |Likewise, |

|Furthermore, |In fact, |

Example:

Similarly, Yollie and her mother go to matinees and stay up late to watch movies together.

When you are making a point that is different from the point you just made (Contrasting):

|However, |On the other hand, |

|Yet, |Conversely, |

|On the contrary, |Although, |

Example:

However, Yollie and her mother still encounter some problems in their relationship.

When you are concluding a paragraph or a point:

|Lastly, |As a result, |

|Finally, | |

|In conclusion, | |

Example:

Despite these troubles, Yollie and her mother are able to come up with a solution that works for both of them. As a result, they maintain their close family bond and show that family is the most important thing.

Here’s what the example sentences sound like altogether:

Family is important to Yollie and Mrs. Moreno. For example, they like to play practical jokes on each other, but never get mad. This shows that Yollie and her mother are close and enjoy spending time together. Similarly, Yollie and her mother go to matinees and stay up late to watch movies together. However, Yollie and her mother still encounter some problems in their relationship. Despite these troubles, Yollie and her mother are able to come up with a solution that works for both of them. As a result, they maintain their close family bond and show that family is the most important thing.

Practice

Choose the word in the word-bank that best fits each blank. Use each word once.

TRANSITION WORD BANK

|For example |Furthermore |

|Also |These examples show that |

|In addition |In summary |

|However | |

My dog Peanut is the best dog in the whole world. ___________, he is always excited to see me. He wags his tail and jumps up and down when I come home. ______, whenever we give him a command, he understands and does exactly what we say. _________, it does not take a long time for him to learn something new. He used to go in the back yard everyday whenever he wanted.__________, when my parents got new landscaping in the backyard, he was not allowed to go out back anymore. It only took one day for him to learn to go to the front door, not the back door, when he wants to go outside. __________, Peanut is fun to play with. He loves to play fetch. ___________ Peanut is a good dog because he is very smart, loves to play, and is always there for you when you need him. ___________, Peanut is the best dog you could ever have!

Incorporating Quotations in your Essay

•Quotations DO NOT have to be dialogue! They can be any words in the text you are using.

•Quotations should be sections of text from the story that help your argument, illustrate your point, or is an example of what you are talking about.

•When you quote a part of a story, put quotation marks around the section of text you selected. Put quotation marks before the first word of the section you chose and after the last word of the section you chose.

•ALWAYS include the page number where the section of text came from. The page number goes in parentheses after the quotation mark with a period at the end, after the parentheses.

Here’s an example. I only want to take a small part of this paragraph. The part I want is highlighted below.

•You should try and incorporate the quotation/section of the text you chose into your writing. You want your comments and writing to flow with the quotation you chose. Here’s an example:

Paper Topic (what you are trying to prove)—Jonas is brave.

Quotation/Section of text you chose—“Jonas’ ankle was twisted, and his knees were scraped and raw, blood seeping through his torn trousers. Painfully he righted himself and the bike, and reassured Gabe” (171-172).

What it should look like in your essay—Jonas demonstrates his bravery when his ankle is “twisted, and his knees scraped and raw” but he makes sure Gabe is not hurt rather than cry or be upset (171).

Now You Practice!

Directions: Using the information from the previous page, practice putting these quotes into a sentence that might appear in an essay. The paper topic tells you what the focus of your writing is about.

Paper Topic—The Giver’s time is consumed by the memories.

Quotation—“My life is here…in my being. Where the memories are” (101).

What it should look like in your essay: ____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paper Topic- One of the rules of the community is the sharing of feelings.

Quotation-“Jonas sighed. This evening he almost would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But it was, of course against the rules” (9).

What it should look like in your essay:____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paper Topic- The community is precise about language.

Quotation- “Distraught is too strong an adjective for salmon-viewing. He turned and wrote distraught on the instructional board. Beside it he wrote distracted” (4).

What it should look like in your essay:____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-----------------------

A doctor is sitting next to a complete stranger on a flight to New York City. He sees that the stranger is reading through some official looking documents. “You must be a lawyer,” the doctor says to the stranger.

“Yes I am,” replies the stranger.

“So how much do you charge per hour?” asks the doctor.

“I don’t charge by the hour. I charge $500 for every three questions,” answers the lawyer.

The doctor replies, “Wow! Isn’t that a lot of money for just three questions?”

The lawyer answers, “Not really…so what’s your third question?”

Thinking in Threes. Copyright 2005 Cottonwood Press, Inc. 800-864-4297.

AMS Social

Jump in bounce house.

Eat Pizza.

Dance with friends.

AMS Social

Jumping in bounce house.

Pizza Eating.

Dance with friends.

Thinking in Threes. Copyright 2005 Cottonwood Press, Inc. 800-864-4297.

The example below illustrates how the traffic light method is incorporated into the introductory and first body paragraph.

A complete essay will repeat the format seen in the body paragraph below for the second and third body paragraphs as well.

Notice that the topic sentence for each body paragraph will relate to a prong from the thesis statement. For example, prong 1 = topic sentence #1, prong 2 = topic sentence #2, etc.

The conclusion (not shown) will incorporate a restatement of the thesis and a wrap up statement which shows what you learned from the story overall.

Green

Green

The red section explains the quote/example and connects it to prong 1 of the thesis statement.

Red

This section begins with a transition and introduces a quote/example that helps prove the topic sentence.

The topic sentence of the first body paragraph relates to prong 1 of the thesis statement

Yellow

Here’s what this section would look like properly quoted:

“Jonas’ ankle was twisted, and his knees were scraped and raw, blood seeping through his torn trousers. Painfully he righted himself and the bike, and reassured Gabe” (159-160).

One night Jonas fell, when the bike jolted to a sudden stop against a rock. He grabbed instinctively for Gabriel: and the newchild, strapped tightly in his seat, was uninjured, only frightened when the bike fell to its side. But Jonas’s ankle was twisted, and his knees were scraped and raw, blood seeping through his torn trousers.

Painfully he righted himself and the bike, and reassured Gabe.

Tentatively he began to ride in the daylight. He had forgotten the fear.

Page number in parentheses. Period AFTER the parentheses at the end.

Quotation marks at the beginning and end of the selection

160

159

Your Writing

Your writing

Quote from story

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