English 101; How to write a thesis statement.

Considering what season is coming up soon, it's not too late to teach an old dog new tricks. Through out my years of suffering through the AP system, writing four page essays twice a week, researching DBQs, and overall stressing my hand out, there has been a few tricks up my sleeve to make this process easier.

Sure, I am talking from a purely Advanced Placement prospective because that was the program I studied under, however as a college student I still use these skills now to write documents and essays.

1) English focused - Rhetoric

💭 In the [Media's name], [author name] demonstrates [plot], in order to [demonstrate an issue/focus], ultimately illustrating [main idea]. 💭

Depending on if it's a novel, play, etc, you may have to use different punctuation at the beginning of the sentence. However, this format has given me consistently high scoring essays within AP Rhetoric.

I believe the format is *Longer novels, bigger media are in italics,* "shorter media are in quotations." There may be media that is underlined, but I forgot which. However, these are AP standards and are for style. (My professors did not care for AP Style, so take lightly.)

This can be used as one full paragraph, at the beginning of the essay.

Example; 💭 In the novel *The Hunger Games Trilogy,* Suzanne Collins showcases a "kill or be killed world," in order to demonstrate how the government influences people, ultimately illustrating that the status quo isn't always right. 💭

It is important to state a short summary within the thesis, while being vauge enough to have enough wiggle room to write more than a certain topic.

If I were to opt out "ultimately ... right" for "ultimatley illustrating that the government is more than willing to exert force on the people," I would now be only limited to talking about unfair government systems. By making my last statement vague, I am able to bring in topics such as societal norms, political parties, and bias.

Furthermore, I am able to bring out more outside resources to back up my "status quo" claim due to it being a more abundant topic rather than government tyranny.

2) DBQ

💭 X, however A, B, C, therefore Y. 💭

This format is widely popular, but it is important to know how to utilize it; Counterclaim/thesis.

In many argumentative essays, it is vital to provide a counter claim which could further elevate your prior claim.

By providing a counter argument not only does it help make your work look "unbiased," but if you are able to tear apart the counter claim you are able to present your claim as the "better option."

Example; 💭 Apples are awesome. However, Apples are occasionally hard to eat, they are inconvenient to pack, and they scare doctors. Therefore, grapes are a better fruit choice. 💭

Usually, using other topics (such as history, where this format would be utilized far more often), it is recommended to use vocabulary that declares your stance on the topic. Ex; "Capitalism is *notoriously* evil," "Communism *frequently* fails to be established,"

Furthermore; Avoid using pronouns in essays. Opt to use nouns most of the time, and only use pronouns when a noun has been declared before hand.

"I know Stacy, she is great." Correct usage for essay

"Stacy, Amy, and Lucy are my best friends. She is great." Incorrect usage for essay, no clear "she" in scenario.

^It makes sense here, but in many essays regarding *Places* and *Non-human nouns* people tend to use the pronoun "they" in their essays. Stop doing that. It will kill your essay. If you must use a pronoun, make sure the subject of said pronoun is declared clearly. If the subject is not stated clearly, use a noun instead of a pronoun.

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