Basic Essay Structure

1. BASIC ESSAY
STRUCTURE:
THESIS
STATEMENTS

2. • It is typically one sentence; however, sometimes you may
need more than one sentence.
• It states the main idea or argument of your essay.
• It lets your reader know what to expect.
• It is the basis for your entire essay.
• It is the most important part of your essay.
• It is awesome (kinda).

3. Strategies for Introductions
• Controversial statement
• Rhetorical Question
• Story or anecdote
• Startling statistic
• Statement of popular opinion that is contradicted or
shown to be untrue
• Comparison or analogy
• Rhetorical Devices: poetic, repetition, anticipation,
emphasis
• Quotation

4. HOW DO I WRITE A
THESIS STATEMENT?

5. Your thesis is the foundation of your essay
• The entire essay attempts to prove that your thesis is correct.
• Constantly refer back to your thesis to make sure that your
essay is staying on track.
• A Restricted Thesis statement typically lists three ideas. We
call it restricted because the scope of the essay and body
paragraphs are restricted to the points mentioned in the thesis
sentence. With this type of thesis sentence, the body
paragraphs should cover one of the ideas mentioned in your
thesis.
• Your body paragraphs should go in the same order as the
points they cover were mentioned in the thesis.

6. Simple or Complex?
A beginning THESIS STATEMENT:
A is B.
A better THESIS STATEMENT:
A is B because of x, y, and z
A more complex THESIS STATEMENT:
Although C is D, A is B because of x, y,
and z.

8. Thesis Formula
Although , ________
because ,_____________
and _______________________.
gasoline-powered cars are popular people should drive hybrid cars
they cut down on pollution they save you money on gas,
hybrid owners receive special tax breaks

9. _________________________ + __________________________
Subject Opinion
because _____________________________, _____________________________,
reason 1 reason 2
_________________________________________
reason 3
Although _________________________________________________,
counter argument (opposite of your opinion)
the war on drugs is a travesty of justice
sentencing laws are discriminatory more prisons than colleges are built
and addiction is treated as a crime rather than a disease.
most politicians support ongoing funding for the DEA

10. Thesis Formula
Although , ________
because _____.
many people remain skeptical the gov’t should research bigfoot
compelling evidence suggests it exist

11. A Few Examples
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was written by Mark
Twain in 1876.
Some people think that The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer is Mark Twain’s best novel.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain’s best novel.
Although some scholars argue that Huckleberry Finn is
Twain’s crowning achievement, the Adventures of Tom
Sawyer is Mark Twain’s best novel because of its use of
satire, imagery, and symbolism.
WEAK
WEAK
STRONG
STRONGER

12. Where Does the THESIS STATEMENT
Go?

13. The Five Paragraph Essay
Although some believe martial arts are dangerous, they are beneficial because they
teach discipline, patience, and character.

14. Moving from thesis points to
Topic Sentences
The sample essay on the next slide has the following thesis
statement:
Although some believe martial arts are dangerous, they are
beneficial because they teach discipline, patience, and
character.
When looking at the sample essay on the next slide, notice how
the author uses each of the thesis statement points “discipline,
patience, and character” to form the topic sentence (first
sentence and main idea) of a body paragraph. This structure will
help to tie the ideas together and keep the paragraph organized.

15. Have you ever had an interest in self defense? Karate is martial art and a way of fighting
and self-defense based on an understanding of both body and mind. As a college student, I
discovered tae kwon do. Even though I was physically fit and planned to become a police officer,
I thought that women needed special skills to protect themselves. Karate teaches these skills
and more. Although some people feel martial arts dangerous, the person who practices karate
gains discipline, maturity, and a changed self-concept.
First, the discipline of karate helps the student to outfight and outsmart her opponent. For
a while, I didn’t appreciate the discipline. We had to practice every night in class and also commit
to a rigid exercise plan outside of class. We also had to be disciplined in our study of the course
materials.
Second, with practice, karate increases maturity. Although maturity sometimes comes
with age, it can also come with experience. Maturity is something that I thought I had developed
until I started my karate classes, and I realized that I have a hot temper and often jump to
conclusions.
Finally, after a year or so, karate can change the student’s self-concept. This happened
to me. On one hand, I became confident that I had the skills to take care of business if
necessary. On the other hand, the better I got, the more I started to act like a pussycat instead of
a lion. Inside I knew that I had nothing to prove to anybody.
As I discovered firsthand, the practice of karate can bring personal benefits that go far
beyond self-defense. I know that my own maturity, discipline and sense of self have been
enhanced through my involvement in this martial art. Imagine the benefits that practicing karate
could possibly bring to your own life. Chances are that there classes are being offered in your
local community right now. What are you waiting for? Sign-up today.
Adapted from the following book:
Fawcett, Susan and Alvin Sandberg. Grassroots with Readings. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.

16. Five strategies for the conclusion
• Go beyond restating and/or summarizing.
• Explain the benefits if the audience accepts our view.
• Make inferences or predictions.
• Ask the audience to consider what would happen if they don’t
accept your point of view.
• Make a connection to society in general, the bigger picture, or
the human condition.

17. The Five Paragraph Essay
In defense of the 5 paragraph essay
Ill Effects of the Five Paragraph theme
The length of your essay—the number of paragraphs, the sentences in each
paragraph, etc—depends on the audience.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that essays should only be five paragraphs
long. Even if you list three points in your thesis, you may need 20 paragraphs
to explain those three points.
The five paragraph essay is a great place to start for beginning writers. It’s
similar to riding a bicycle with training wheels. After the you get comfortable
with the form, you will want to expand beyond five. This is especially true
when you are writing essays for English 101 and above. The following
articles provide some commentary on the pros and cons of five paragraph
essays.

18. Let’s practice thesis
statements

19. Prompts
Choose one of the prompts below:
• What do you believe are the benefits of daily exercise?
• Are online courses better than traditional course? Why or why
not?
• What do you think should be the main priorities for California’s
budget?
• Should recreational use of marijuana be legalized in CA?
Using one of the prompts below, write a “complex, restricted
thesis statement” using the “although clause” described in the
previous slides. Include three points in your thesis statement.
This will be submitted as part of your homework module for this
week.