When you sequence ideas for essay writing, you need to decide what you want your readers to encounter first, second, and so on. The more easily readers can follow your line of reasoning, more likely they are to understand the message that you want your material to deliver.
Within paragraphs, you have many choices of ways to present ideas. Within an essay, the sequence of those paragraphs gradually reveals your material to your audience. No one sequence or structure fits all college essays, but certain elements are usually present.
Elements in an essay with an informative purpose
1- Introductory Paragraph: leads in to the topic of essay, trying to capture the reader's interest.
2- Thesis statement: states the central message of the essays, accurately reflecting the essay's content. In an academic essay, the thesis statement usually appears at the end of the introductory paragraph.
3- Background Information: gives basic material, providing a content for the points being made in the essay. Depending on its complexity, this information appears in its own paragraph or is integrated into the introductory paragraph.
4- Points of discussion: support the essay's thesis, each consisting of a general statement backed up by specific details. This material forms the core of essay, with each point occupying one or two paragraphs, depending on the overall length of the essay. The general statements, seen as a group, compromise a "mini-outline" of the essay.
5- Concluding paragraphs: ends the essay smoothly, not abruptly, following logically from the rest of the essay.
Shaping writing by drafting a thesis statement
A thesis statement is the central message of the essay. It is evidence that you have something definite to say about the topic. An effective thesis statement prepares your readers for the essence of what you discuss in an essay. As the writer, you want to compose a thesis statement with care so that it accurately reflects the content of your essay. If you discern a mismatch between your thesis statement and the rest of your essay, revise to coordinate them better. The basic requirements for a thesis statement are presented below.
Basic requirements for a thesis statement
- It states the essay's subject-----the topic that you are discussing.
- It reflects the essay's purpose-----either to give your readers information or to persuade your readers to agree with you.
- It includes a focus-----your assertion that conveys your point of view.
- It uses specific language-----vague words are avoided.
- It may briefly state the major subdivisions of the essay's topic.
Some instructors ask for more than the basic requirements. For example, you might be required to put your thesis statement at the end of your introductory paragraph. Also, many instructors require that the thesis statement be contained in one sentence. Other instructors permit two sentences if the material covered warrants such length. All requirements, basic and additional, are designed to help you think in structured patterns that communicate clearly with readers.
The use of a thesis statement in the introductory paragraph of an essay is typical of English-speaking and certain other cultures. Even if you are not accustomed to writing such a straight forward statement of your point, you need to master the skill for writing in your area.
Until you have written one or more drafts, your thesis statement may not yet reflect what you say in the essay. Still, you can begin. At the start, make an assertion-----a sentence stating your topic and the point you want to make about it. The exact wording of this assertion will probably not appear in your final draft, but it serves to focus your thinking as you progress through a preliminary thesis statement toward a fully developed one.
You may want to test your thesis statements by exchanging them with one another. By asking the readers to answer questions about the thesis statements, the writers may discover weaknesses (and strengths) that were not apparent to them. Some questions they can ask are the following:
- Is the main idea, the central point, clearly stated?
- Is the purpose of the essay writing clear?
- What is the purpose: to inform or persuade?
- What is the focus of essay?
- Does the thesis statement identify the major subdivisions of the essay's topic?
- Does the thesis statement make the topic seem interesting?
- Can this thesis be developed in the time available?
- Can this thesis be developed in an essay of the length planned?
- Is the thesis limited enough for development but general enough to be worth the effort?
- Is the thesis stated in specific terms? Does it avoid overly general, vague ones?
