MEETING FIVE

Thesis Statement and Outlining

▪ The thesis statement is the most important sentence in the introduction. It states
the specific topic of the essay.
▪ To begin an outline, you need to start with your thesis statement. The thesis
statement will be your guide throughout the process of writing your essay. From
the thesis statement, you can begin writing the topic sentences for the body
paragraphs in the outline.Add your third bullet point here

Native Americans have made many valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture.
Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent house pets.
✓Native Americans have made many valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture.
✓ Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent house pets.
✓Young people in my culture have less freedom than young people in the United
States.
✓The large movement of people from rural to urban areas has major effects on
cities.
Sometimes a thesis statement lists the subtopics that will be discusses in the body.

✓ Native Americans have made many valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture,
particularly in the areas of language, art, food, and government.
✓ Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent house pets as they are good
companions, they are civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for.
✓ Young people in my culture have less freedom than young people in the United States in
their choice of where they live, whom they marry, and what their job is.

✓ The large movement of people from rural to urban areas has major effects on a city’s
ability to provide housing, employment, and adequate sanitation services.
 Sometimes a thesis statement also indicates the pattern of organization that the essay will follow.
Which of the following thesis statements indicates chronological order? Logical division of ideas?
Comparison/contrast?

✓ When buying a used car, use these four strategies to get the best price.

✓ There are several differences between a nurse practitioner and a physician’s assistant.

✓ My best friend and I spent an entire summer constructing a tree house in my grandmother’s old apple
tree.
 A basic pattern for essays is logical division of ideas. In this pattern, you divide your topic
into subtopics and then discuss each subtopic in a separate paragraph. Logical division is an
appropriate pattern for explaining causes, reasons, types, kinds, qualities, methods,
advantages, and disadvantages, as these typical college exam questions ask you to do.
 The thesis statement of a logical division essay often indicates the number of subtopics:

✓ Native American have made valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture in four main areas.

✓ Inflation has three causes.

 The thesis statement may even name the specific subtopics:

✓ Native Americans have made many valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture, particularly in the
areas of language, art, food, and government.

✓ Inflation has three causes: excessive government spending, unrestrained consumer borrowing, and an
increase in the supply of paper money.
 Paired conjunctions (both ... and, not only ... but also) are an especially effective way to list two
subtopics:

✓ Young people in my culture have less freedom than young people in the United States not only in
their choice of lifestyle but also in their choices of careers.

✓ Puppies, like children, need both love and discipline to become responsible members or society.
 A colon (:) is often useful before lists of two, three, or more subtopics in a thesis statement:

✓ Young people in my culture have less freedom than young people in the United States in three areas:
where they live, whom they marry, and what their job is.

✓ The Father of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, believed that the human mind had three separate
parts: the id, the ego, and the superego.

Note: the subtopics are in parallel grammatical form.

Because an essay is long, it is important to organize and plan before you begin to write. An
outline not only organizes your thoughts, but it also keeps you on track once you begin to
write.

An outline is a method of organizing material that shows the order of the topics in your
essay. An outline makes the writing of your essay easier because it allows you to focus on one
stage of the essay at a time. The outline allows the writer to see relationships between
thoughts, to identify subordinate items, to emphasize more important information, and to
visualize the progression of ideas in a logical manner.
 An outline of an essay can be very helpful for two reasons:

✓ An outline will help make your essay more organized. A careful plan will help your body paragraphs stay
focused on the ideas in your thesis statement.

✓ An outline saves time for writers. Preparing an outline can take time, but when you are finished, you will
be able to write the rough draft of your essay more quickly than if you didn’t have an outline.
1. begins with the essay’s thesis statement.

2. show the organisation of the essay.

3. tells what ideas you will discuss and shows which ideas will come first,
second, and so on.

4. ends with the essay’s conclusion.

 Competitive Swimming, an Ideal Sport for Kids
I. Introduction
II. Competitive swimming provides same benefits as other sports
a. It is good exercise and builds muscular strength
b. It promotes cooperation among team members, especially in relays
III. Competitive swimming provides some additional benefits
a. Swimming is an important skill that can be used forever
b. There is a reduced risk of injury
c. Each swimmer can easily chart his or her own progress
IV. My personal experience as a competitive swimmer
a. I enjoy working with my coach
b. I've made a lot of friends on the swim team
V. Conclusion
Practice 1
Thesis Statement
 Check (√) the thesis statement that suggest logical division as a method of organization.

___1. Teenagers demonstrate their independence in several ways.

___2. My eighteenth birthday was the most memorable day in my life.
___3. On their eighteenth birthdays, U.S citizens receive two important rights/responsibilities: They can vote, and
they can sign legal contracts.
___4. In most occupations, women are still unequal to men in three areas: salary, power, and status.
___5. Living in a dormitory offers several advantages to first-year students.
___6. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants manufacture their own food.
___7. A college degree in international business requires (1) a knowledge of business procedures and (2) a
knowledge of cultural difference.
___8. A computer is both faster and more accurate than a human.

___9. Giving a surprise birthday party requires careful planning.

___10. Being an only child has both advantages and disadvantages.

Practice 2
Thesis Statement
 Complete the following thesis statements by adding subtopics to them. Be sure to check your sentences for
parallel form.

1. A computer is necessary for college students for three reasons: ________________________________________

2. Students have a difficult time taking notes in class due to _____________________________________________
3. Successful politicians have the following qualities: __________________________________________________
4. A generation gap exists in my home because of ____________________________________________
5. To survive a major disaster such as an earthquake requires __________________________________
6. My two sisters are as different as day and night not only in __________________________________
but also ___________________________________________________________________________
7. Living in a large city has certain advantages over living in a small town: _________________________
Practice 3
Thesis Statement
 Write a thesis statement for a logical division essay on each of the following topics.
1. Clothing, hair, or shoe styles in your school (three styles)
2. Dangerous automobile drivers (speeders, cell-phone users, teens)
3. Disneyland’s or Disney World’s appeal (children and adults)
4. The advantages (or disadvantages) of living in a large city/a small town.
5. Kinds of appeals television advertisers use to sell automobiles/beer/any product or service.
Practice 4
Outlining
After writing a thesis statement for a logical division essay on each of the topics
in Practice 4, develop the outline for three different topics.