For some assignments, the topic will be determined for you. For others, you will need to define your
own, and in these cases it is helpful to follow some simple guidelines in finding a topic that will
help you think and write well.
"A common problem of beginning writers is wallowing around in a topic too wide for their purposes. General words
such as 'media,' 'war,' 'life,' or 'nature' are often incorrectly used as if they were topics (even 'dragons' is too broad).
However, students often begin to write essays with nothing more in mind than a general concept, and the result is a
vague and generalized essay, of little interest to the student and less to the instructor. If you start with a broad area,
concentrate on narrowing your subject, it will also help you deal with your topic within the length of the paper assigned
and the time you have been given to complete it."
For helpful advice (and some interesting examples!) on how to narrow down your topic , read the entire selection from the
University of Victoria Writer's Guide.
Before you begin trying to formulate a thesis statement, you might want to browse through what others have written on the general topic. Often, taking the time to do a little browsing will help you define your
own ideas and provide you with a good groundwork for writing a solid thesis statement. In addition, during your browsing you will often run across potential source works that may help you when you get down to writing your paper.
For many assignments, your professor will provide you with a list of supplemental texts. This sort of
list is, in all likelihood, the best place to start browsing.
But it is sometimes fun, useful - and good training, as well - to research an issue yourself using the internet:
- Start at one of the many sites at which you can research an issue, or look for texts matching certain criteria, for free. For places to start, see the list below under "A Virtual Reference Library."
- Try doing a search on key words in your general topic using one of the major search engines. Although you'll certainly find lots of useless information, you may stumble upon something really interesting.
"A thesis statement tells a reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
Such a statement is also called an 'argument,' a 'main idea,' or a 'controlling idea.' Note that a thesis is an
interpretation of a subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or
Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel that others might dispute. A
single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph should present your thesis to the reader. The body of the
essay gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
Your thesis statement gives the reader a preview of the essay's purpose and goal. . . ."
For more help on constructing thesis statements read the complete essay from the UNC Writing Center.
The George Mason University Writing Center gives some sample thesis statements:
BAD:The so-called "right to bear arms" is a bunch of crap.
Better: While revered as truth by many Americans for decades, the Constitutional "right to bear arms" has
in fact been misinterpreted..
Read the complete list.
"The opening paragraph should accomplish several things. It should:
- engage the reader's attention
- identify the central issue or subject
- establish the tone of the essay (comic, persuasive, etc.)
One of the many types of effective introductions for an essay: the funnel paragraph:
- The first sentence is the wide end of the funnel: a focused generalization that provides the necessary context
and the subject
- Each succeeding sentence in the paragraph narrows the subject.
- The last sentence of the paragraph, the least general statement, is the thesis of the essay.
Example:
"According to the linguistic school currently on top, human beings are all born with a genetic
endowment for recognizing and formulating language. This must mean that we possess genes
for all kinds of information, with strands of special, peculiarly human DNA for the discernment
of meaning in syntax. We must imagine the morphogenesis of deep structures, built into our
minds, for coding out, like proteins, the parts of speech. Correct grammar (correct in the logical,
not fashionable, sense) is as much a biologic characteristic of our species as feathers on birds."
-- Lewis Thomas, "How We Process Information"
[Read the complete essay from the George Mason University Writing Center]
"You may be surprised to hear that the word "argument" does not have to be written anywhere in your assignment
for it to be an important part of your task. In fact, making an argument--expressing a point of view on a subject
and supporting it with evidence--is often the aim of academic writing. Your instructors may assume that you know
this fact, and therefore they may not explain its importance to you in class. Nevertheless, if your writing assignment
asks you to respond to reading and discussion in class, your instructor likely expects you to produce an argument
in your paper." . . . .
[Read the complete essay from the University of North Carolina Writing Lab]
It is often difficult for students to grasp the concept of "objectivity," while sustaining the requirements of
conviction & experience that makes adequate writing
good writing. This
short piece from the
Capital Community College (Hartford CT) Writing Center offers one of the most lucid discussions of the "subjective/objective"
elements in writing, and provides a number of examples that clarify the points made in the essay.
"The concept of language errors is a fuzzy one. I'll leave to linguists the technical definitions. Here we're concerned
only with deviations from the standard use of English as judged by sophisticated users such as professional writers,
editors, teachers, and literate executives and personnel officers. The aim of this site is to help you avoid low grades,
lost employment opportunities, lost business, and titters of amusement at the way you write or speak.
But isn't one person's mistake another's standard usage?
Often enough, but if your standard usage causes other people to consider you stupid or ignorant,
you may want to consider changing it. You have the right to express yourself in any manner you please,
but if you wish to communicate effectively, you should use nonstandard English only when you intend to
rather than fall into it because you don't know any better.
. . . . "
[Read the complete essay from Prof Paul Brian's website at Washington State University ]
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