©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 The First and Second Steps in Essay Writing College Writing Skills, 5E and College Writing Skills with Readings, 5E John Langan Chapter Three

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 The First Two Steps point or thesis. point, or thesis. the thesis with specific evidence.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 Begin with a Point, or Thesis Write your point out in Write your point out in a single sentence.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 Common Errors in Writing a Thesis ANNOUNCEMENTS rather than statementsANNOUNCEMENTS rather than statements Statements that are more than one ideaStatements that contain more than one idea Statements that are

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 Announcements rather than Statements The sentence above merely tells the subject of the paper. A thesis statement must advance a point about a limited subject. Ex.: I want to talk about the crime wave in our country.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 A Good Thesis A good thesis is neither too broad nor too narrow: too broad Crime is a major concern of everyone in our country. too narrow My parents had only one child. JUST RIGHT A honeymoon is perhaps the worst way to begin a marriage.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 Statements That Contain More Than One Idea In the statement above, the reader is asked to focus on two separate points, each of which more logically belongs in an essay of its own. My parents helped me grow in important ways, although in other respects I was limited. Ex.: My parents helped me grow in important ways, although in other respects I was limited.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 Support the Thesis with Specific Evidence brief version three points Write down a brief version of your thesis and then jot down the three points that will support it.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 The Importance of Specific Details Develop your supporting points with specific details. WHY? Because details excite the reader’s interest.details excite the reader’s interest. details serve to explain a writer’s point.details serve to explain a writer’s point.

©2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. College Writing Skills, 5E/ CWSwR, 5E Chapter 3 The Importance of Adequate Details Provide enough specific details to fully support the point in a body paragraph.