Dr. Muhd. Al-Hafizh,S.S,M.A.
WHAT IS AN ESSAY?
An organized piece of writing that focuses on a
single topic
Organized around a general idea or thesis
Thesis develops from all the main ideas in the
supporting paragraphs
Paragraphs that develop the thesis are the body of the
essay
Begins with an introduction
Ends with a concluding paragraph
STHE STRUCTURE OF ESSAY
Introductory paragraph
Body of essay
Concluding paragraph
GOOD THESIS STATEMENT
• Not obvious
Disputable
• Some readers can disagree
• Not too broad
Focused
• Your position is clear
• Not boring
Relevant
• Readers won’t say ‘so what’?
EXAMPLES
Declaration of topic:
Weak: Nursing as a demanding profession.
Strong: Nursing requires not only substantial education, but also perfect
self-discipline and enhanced professional ethics.
Falling between 2 stools:
Weak: Sometimes students enjoy their studies, but sometimes they don’t.
Strong: There is a direct relationship between students’ attitudes towards study
and their learning outcomes.
Making general statement:
Weak: I am going to write about the movie Titanic.
Strong: The 1997 movie Titanic was a huge success owing to the talents of the
leading actors, the film director and the original genre of epic romantic disaster
movie.
Thesis Statement
A sentence in the essay that states the thesis
Usually expressed in the first paragraph, as part of the
introduction
Should be:
Not too general or it will not provide adequate direction
for the essay
Not too specific or it will be difficult to develop into a
series of related paragraphs
Thesis Statement-Examples
Topic: Controlling our children
Too General Thesis: Children must be disciplined.
Too specific thesis: Teachers have a role in the discipline
of children.
Precise thesis: By using disciplinary techniques, parents,
teachers, and police are the main agents for controlling
children
Provides three groups to discuss, general enough to allow for the
development of several main ideas and specific enough to give
the essay structure and organization
Thesis Statement-Example
By using disciplinary techniques, parents,
teachers, and police are the main agents
responsible for controlling children.
Main Idea 1: There are a variety of techniques available to parents
who are willing to take responsibility for disciplining their
children
Main Idea 2: Teachers are also important agents of discipline for
children in today’s society.
Main Idea 3: If criminal behavior is involved, police take the
responsibility to control children through the legal system.
Introductory Paragraph
Example
Controlling our children
1.Most people knows what a social problem juvenile delinquency has become. 2.
Without proper control, children will run wild and create a danger to themselves and
everyone around them. 3. Controlling children’s behavior is one of the most
important tasks in today’s society. 4. By using discipline techniques, parents,
teachers, and police are the main agents responsible for controlling children.
1. Attention Getter-Stating problem
2. Attention Getter-General Statement
3. Bridge or transition sentence
4. Thesis sentence
Essay Outline
Thesis Statement
By using discipline techniques, parents, teachers, and police are the main
agents responsible for controlling our children.
Body Paragraph 1
Main Idea Sentence 1: There are a variety of techniques available to parents
who are willing to take
responsibility of disciplining their children.
Major Details: 1. Give rewards Sentence
2. Punish bad behaviorSentence
3. Be consistent and reasonableSentence
Concluding sentence
Body Paragraph 2
Main idea sentence 2: Teachers are also important agents of discipline.
Major Details: 1. Direct communication
2. Nonverbal communication
3. Grades
Body Paragraph 3
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