Thesis Statements & Outlines

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Thesis Statements & Outlines (Organising Techniques)

Aim: To introduce thesis statements & outlines. These are useful devices for structuring your essays.

A thesis statement is........

Sample Topic: Is English a difficult language to learn?

A.  Generating Ideas
a. Fast
b. spelling
c. pronunciation (e.g. r)
d. color vs colour
e. easy grammar
f. words with different meanings (ex. spring)
g.  vocabulary difficult. Too many words with the same meanings (e.g. unhappy,
     sad, miserable).
h.  reasons for wanting to learn English
i. study abroad
j. children
k. English books
l. listening
m. mumbling
n. living in an English speaking country
o. sentence structure
p. dialects
q. international English
r. English for jobs
s. cat, queen, keep
t. idioms
u. who speaks English
v. adult learner
w. second language learners
x. number of people

B. Thesis Statements
Evaluate these 'theses statements':
a.      Although English is difficult to learn, many speakers of other languages want to learn   English.

b.      There are three major problems learners of English encounter when they try to learn    English.

c.     Although English is easy to learn as a first language, second language learners have      problems with spelling and idioms.

d.      Different dialects make English a hard language to learn.





C. Informal Writing Plans (Rough Outlines)

1. Outline Lists
Grammatical Features
idioms
spelling
vocabulary
meaning
sentence structure
Reasons for studying English (part of brainstorm)
studying abroad
jobs
English books
 
2.

3. Thesis Statement and list of points
Although many people want to learn English, there are a number of grammatical features that make English a difficult language to learn.

idioms - spelling - vocabulary - meaning - sentence structure

4. Thesis Statement Outline

Although English grammar is relatively simple, second language learners find English difficult to learn.
1.        English grammar is simple
           It does not have many endings
2.        Second language learners find English difficult to learn.
           Spelling is difficult
           Dialect differences cause problems, ...

5: Paragraph Outline

English is a Difficult Language to Learn

Introduction
There are many reasons for wanting to learn English. English is an International Language. A knowledge of English will also help you to study abroad and allow you to read books in English. It will also increase your chances of getting a good job. However, English is a difficult language to learn.

Body
Difficulties include listening, spelling and vocabulary. Listening is difficult when people mumble and speak too fast. English spelling is not regular. Sounds in English are spelled in different ways and words may be spelled in more than one way. There are also problems with English vocabulary. Idioms are difficult to learn and words often have different meanings in different contexts.

Conclusion
In spite of the above difficulties, many people still want to learn English. Probably the best way to learn English is to live in an English speaking country.

D.  Formal Outlines

1.  Topic Outline
         English is a Difficult Language to Learn

I.      Reasons for Wanting to Learn English

II.     Problems
A.   Listening
      1.   mumbling
      2.   speed

B.   Spelling
        1.      spelling = sound
         a.. hear-fair vs. bear-fair
      2.      more than one spelling
         b.  colour, color

C.    Vocabulary
      1.      idioms
      2.      different meanings
         a..   spring
        3.       same meanings
         a.. sad, unhappy, miserable
D.       pronunciation

III.     Advantages
A.     Simple Grammar

2. Sentence Outline

E. Other Uses
Idea generation
Revising writing - ideas, order, repetition, support
Note taking, summarizing, exam prep
Preparing talks

Questions:
1.      What is a thesis statement and how does it differ from:
a. a topic sentence    b. an outline?
2.      Do you prefer Thesis Statements or Outlines for sorting ideas?