Thesis Sentence/Statement The main idea of an essay, report, speech, or research paper, sometimes written as a single declarative sentence. A thesis may be implied rather than stated directly. A thesis statement presents your opinions or thoughts on a subject or an issue. You cannot write an essay without one. A thesis statement must contain a subject + an opinion. A thesis statement answers the topic question (the one you created or the one presented to you by the instructor). Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/20762.aspx?p=2#ixzz1IwYPfped

Thesis Sentence/Statement A good thesis statement is short and simple: it should be no longer than one sentence, regardless of essay length. Good Example: Success is a result of doing the right things consistently. Bad Example: In a world full of success gurus and books about success, it becomes ever so more important to delineate the one trait that ultimately determines success: doing the right things consistently. Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/20762.aspx?p=2#ixzz1IwYcTBaq

Thesis Sentence/Statement It makes a clear and specific statement. It indicates the direction of your thoughts. It sets a stage. It provides structure. It is supported by the body paragraph

Transition Sentences Transition-sentences bring out the logical relation between ideas.  You want your paper to read like a continuous argument which good transitions help to facilitate.  Words like ‘however’, ‘so’, ‘additionally’ do indicate a logical relation between paragraphs, but they are weak.  A strong transition makes the relation explicit.

Weaker transition: However, conflicts between principle and emotion more often occur when there is a conflict between the moral values of different cultures. Stronger transition: While conflict between morality and sympathy can occur in the context of a single cultural code, it more often arises in cross-cultural conflicts.

[1] summarizes the point of the previous paragraph [1] summarizes the point of the previous paragraph. [2] summarizes the point of the current paragraph.