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English Writing

English Writing. Part 3: Thesis Focus. John E. Clayton Nanjing University, Spring, 2005. Please Turn In Your Homework. Journal 1 (name/student number/journal 1) Keep your essay for now. Syllabus. 03/02 Introduction; Overview; Writing a good paragraph

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English Writing

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  1. English Writing Part 3: Thesis Focus John E. Clayton Nanjing University, Spring, 2005

  2. Please Turn In Your Homework Journal 1 (name/student number/journal 1) Keep your essay for now

  3. Syllabus 03/02 Introduction; Overview; Writing a good paragraph 03/09 Information Form; Essays – structure, thesis 03/16 Thesis Focus; Movie: Johnny Lingo Journal 1 03/23 03/30 Movie: Dave Journal 2 04/06 04/13 Journal 1 04/20 Mid-term exam 04/27 Business – letters, resumes, SOP Journal 2 05/04 Holiday 05/11 Journal 1 05/18 05/25 Journal 2 06/01 06/08 Final exam

  4. Contacts • E-mail: clayton@software.nju.edu.cn • Downloads: • http://software.nju.edu.cn/~clayton/ • JEC EW2S 1 – Introduction • JEC EW2S 1 – Introduction (smaller) • JEC EW2S 2 – Essay Structure

  5. American Essay Style Thesis Support Support Support Conclusion

  6. Handout Hand out: Argumentative Essays for an American Audience

  7. 5 Paragraph Essay Structure • Introduction • Motivate and interest the reader • State your position - thesis • Tell a little more about what to expect • Body Paragraphs • Begin with a topic sentence • Explain, define, clarify the topic sentence with facts, examples, descriptions, etc. • End with a concluding sentence that draws the paragraph together • Conclusion • Say the thesis in a different way • “Grab” the reader, so he/she will not forget. Might include a prediction, a recommendation or a solution

  8. Thesis – What’s the Big Deal? American academic essays are usually "thesis-driven." This means that you, as the writer, must explain the main pointof your essay at the start. An academic essay is not a mystery novel - your reader does not want to figure out the plot or search for clues.

  9. Writing Differences The thesis-driven essay may be different from non-American writing forms, in which the thesis is often implied, delayed, or delivered at the end of the essay. Consider the thesis statement a concise version of the entire essay, which usually appears in the introductory section of an essay. A thesis provides the reader with a "road map," clearly laying out the route ahead.

  10. Writing Differences Note that a thesis is an interpretation of a subject, not the subject itself. For Example: The subject of an essay might be Smoking, but the thesis must then offer a way to understand smoking that others might dispute.

  11. Purpose of the Thesis • The thesis states: • - the goal of the argument • - the reasons to support the argument. • The essay must clarify or support your thesis.

  12. Example 1 Subject: Smoking Argument: Smoking is harmful, and should be banned Primary goal:to ban smoking in public places. Reasons:it’s dangerous, harmful and annoying. Thesis: “Smoking should be banned from public places, because it is dangerous, bad for health, and very annoying to other people.”

  13. Example 2 Subject: Reading books Argument: Books should remain a key resource for university students. Primary goal:to encourage students to read more printed books. Reasons:inexpensive, relaxing, always available. Thesis: “Even though we are bombarded with information today, we should continue to invest time reading old-fashioned paper books, because they are inexpensive, they can help us relax, and they won’t shut-down at 11:00pm.”

  14. Example 3 Subject: Camping Argument: A university club should be established to focus on outdoor activities, especially camping. Primary goal:encourage the creation of a campus club to promote camping. Reasons:healthy, relaxing, good use of time. Thesis: “Even though some people say the university should be for academics only, the university should establish a club to promote camping, because it is a healthy, relaxing activity that uses time wisely.”

  15. Classroom Exercise • Get in a group with one or two others. • Find an argumentative topic on the handout. • Create a thesis statement as you saw in the examples: • Subject • Argument • Primary goal • Reasons • Thesis

  16. Johnny Lingo Location A South Pacific Island, early 20th century Characters Mahanna a young girl Mo Key Mahanna's father Johnny Lingo an famous island trader Mr. Harris a shop keeper Tulo the shop keeper's helper A husband would bargain for his wife with her father, in cows – trying to pay as little as possible.

  17. Homework Assignment Think about “Johnny Lingo”, and the difference he made in Mahanna’s life, then: Write the introductionparagraph only (including thesis statement) to an essay entitled: “I Can’t Change Someone Else…or Can I?”

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