Friday, April 15, 2011

Thesis Statement

i want to write about thesis statement in my entry.........
did you know about thesis statement???
let's see what is the thesis statement..


Thesis statement tells the readers how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
Is also a road map for the paper;in other words,it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
What a thesis Statement??


A thesis is an interpretation of aquestion or a subject,not the subject itself.
The thesis statemant is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first pharagraph that presents your argument to the readers.The rest of the essay gathers and organized evidende that will persuade the readers of the logic of your interpretation,.

The thesis statement is the result of a lengthy thinking process.Formulating a thesis statement is not the first thing you do after reading an essay as develop an argument on any topic ,you have to collect and organize evidence,look for possible relationships between contrasts or similarities,and think about what the significance of these relationships.Once you do this thinking,you will probably help basic or main idea,an argument that you think you can support with evidence.

Here is an example of thesis statement:
1)    There are several ways how to deal with a pervert such as walking in a group and learning martial art. 
2) The current crisis in Israel has not only caused strife between Israelis and Palestinians,but also between other nations in the middle east..

writing essay by me n my group

Miss Zue ask my group and I to do an essay about gendor issue..
We are trying the best,but alot of mistaken detected by miss zue..
lets check it out what we are trying to do..
A lot of mistake! Don't laugh at us!
p/s : Dont do again what we are already do..Its ashamed! Like a secondary school student!!

Alot of mistake..Click picture to see the comments by miss zue

Click picture to see more clearly.A lot of comments from miss zue.

Good essay.You must do absolutely like this!

Click to read more clearly

click to read more clearly

Sample of essay from Hakim Ishak's Group


Metrosexual Lifestyle

      Maleness nowadays is an option for almost all men who are living in the 20th century. Most of the men were traditionally born with their “could-not-care-much” about their appearances. With the help of various type of newly invented technologies, a very advance approach by the media stream, it changes those men from care-less to care-more about their appearances. As the matter of fact these neologism are called metrosexuality. Metrosexuality has always been related with homosexuality when it was newly introduced in 1990’s. As the time passes by, metrosexuality has revealed that it gave a lot of advantages in a man’s life.

     One of the benefits of metrosexual lifestyle is, it helps many men to consider more about their skin and it­s healthiness. Some man would rather say that by taking care of their skin is such a waste of time, however many of them have realized the importance of their skin. Thus, nowadays many department stores have provided products for beauty or maintaining appearances for men alongside with the women; therefore it helps them to pick the best products to wear for their skin.

     Secondly metrosexual lifestyle benefits its applicant by telling others, or the society, how good their image is. These kinds of perception ease people around them to communicate, to mix, and to make friends with, as they were like The Apple of an Eye for the people that met those men personally. Hence, it will help them to get a job as their appearances give a lot of positive perception towards their future employer.

    Last but not least about the benefits of metrosexual lifestyle is through the perspective of their personalities. Personality of a person can be reflected as a cover of a book. It will always been judged by the people, and as the result it will determine whether certain activities should be continued or to be stopped right away. Thus, a good personalities shows that a person who has an extra quality for every job that has been done by them, which is particularly perfect.

    In a nutshell metrosexual lifestyle gives a lot of benefits to the people especially men and they will put the lifestyle as their first choice. As the advantages of this lifestyle is totally undeniable. Our society can live much better, prettier then yesterday as the number of men living metrosexually is increasing from time to time. On top of that, this will increase the country’s performances economically, as all the positives values in metrosexual lifestyle give many advantages.

Steps To Write an Essay!

Topic Has Been Assigned

You may have no choice as to your topic. If this is the case, you still may not be ready to jump to the next step.
Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to move to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairly specific. If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.
For example, the topic "KENYA" is a general one. If your objective is to write an overview, this topic is suitable. If your objective is to write a specific analysis, this topic is too general. You must narrow it to something like "Politics in Kenya" or "Kenya's Culture."
Once you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.

The purpose of an outline or diagram is to put your ideas about the topic on paper, in a moderately organized format. The structure you create here may still change before the essay is complete, so don't agonize over this.
Decide whether you prefer the cut-and-dried structure of an outline or a more flowing structure. If you start one or the other and decide it isn't working for you, you can always switch later. 

Diagram


  1. Begin your diagram with a circle or a horizontal line or whatever shape you prefer in the middle of the page.
  2. Inside the shape or on the line, write your topic.
  3. From your center shape or line, draw three or four lines out into the page. Be sure to spread them out.
  4. At the end of each of these lines, draw another circle or horizontal line or whatever you drew in the center of the page.
  5. In each shape or on each line, write the main ideas that you have about your topic, or the main points that you want to make.
    • If you are trying to persuade, you want to write your best arguments.
    • If you are trying to explain a process, you want to write the steps that should be followed.
      You will probably need to group these into categories.
      If you have trouble grouping the steps into categories, try using Beginning, Middle, and End.
    • If you are trying to inform, you want to write the major categories into which your information can be divided.
  6. From each of your main ideas, draw three or four lines out into the page.
  7. At the end of each of these lines, draw another circle or horizontal line or whatever you drew in the center of the page.
  8. In each shape or on each line, write the facts or information that support that main idea.
When you have finished, you have the basic structure for your essay and are ready to continue.

Now that you have decided, at least tentatively, what information you plan to present in your essay, you are ready to write your thesis statement.
The thesis statement tells the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you, the author, will be making. You know what the essay will be about. That was your topic. Now you must look at your outline or diagram and decide what point you will be making. What do the main ideas and supporting ideas that you listed say about your topic? 

Your thesis statement will have two parts.


  • The first part states the topic.
    • Kenya's Culture
    • Building a Model Train Set
    • Public Transportation
  • The second part states the point of the essay.
    • has a rich and varied history
    • takes time and patience
    • can solve some of our city's most persistent and pressing problems
    Or in the second part you could simply list the three main ideas you will discuss.
    • has a long history, blends traditions from several other cultures, and provides a rich heritage.
    • requires an investment in time, patience, and materials.
    • helps with traffic congestion, resource management, and the city budget.
Once you have formulated a thesis statement that fits this pattern and with which you are comfortable, you are ready to continue.

In the body of the essay, all the preparation up to this point comes to fruition. The topic you have chosen must now be explained, described, or argued.
Each main idea that you wrote down in your diagram or outline will become one of the body paragraphs. If you had three or four main ideas, you will have three or four body paragraphs. 

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure.


  1. Start by writing down one of your main ideas, in sentence form.
    If your main idea is "reduces freeway congestion," you might say this:
    Public transportation reduces freeway congestion.
  2. Next, write down each of your supporting points for that main idea, but leave four or five lines in between each point.
  3. In the space under each point, write down some elaboration for that point.
    Elaboration can be further description or explanation or discussion.
    Supporting Point
    Commuters appreciate the cost savings of taking public transportation rather than driving.
    Elaboration
    Less driving time means less maintenance expense, such as oil changes.
    Of course, less driving time means savings on gasoline as well.
    In many cases, these savings amount to more than the cost of riding public transportation.




  4. If you wish, include a summary sentence for each paragraph.
    This is not generally needed, however, and such sentences have a tendency to sound stilted, so be cautious about using them.



Your essay lacks only two paragraphs now: the introduction and the conclusion. These paragraphs will give the reader a point of entry to and a point of exit from your essay. 

Introduction

The introduction should be designed to attract the reader's attention and give her an idea of the essay's focus.

  1. Begin with an attention grabber. The attention grabber you use is up to you, but here are some ideas:

    • Startling information
      This information must be true and verifiable, and it doesn't need to be totally new to your readers. It could simply be a pertinent fact that explicitly illustrates the point you wish to make.
      If you use a piece of startling information, follow it with a sentence or two of elaboration.
    • Anecdote
      An anecdote is a story that illustrates a point.
      Be sure your anecdote is short, to the point, and relevant to your topic. This can be a very effective opener for your essay, but use it carefully.
    • Dialogue
      An appropriate dialogue does not have to identify the speakers, but the reader must understand the point you are trying to convey. Use only two or three exchanges between speakers to make your point.
      Follow dialogue with a sentence or two of elaboration.
    • Summary Information
      A few sentences explaining your topic in general terms can lead the reader gently to your thesis. Each sentence should become gradually more specific, until you reach your thesis.
  2. If the attention grabber was only a sentence or two, add one or two more sentences that will lead the reader from your opening to your thesis statement.
  3. Finish the paragraph with your thesis statement.

Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic.
All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly) or briefly describe your feelings about the topic. Even an anecdote can end your essay in a useful way.

You have now completed all of the paragraphs of your essay. Before you can consider this a finished product, however, you must give some thought to the formatting of your paper. 

Check the order of your paragraphs.

Look at your paragraphs. Which one is the strongest? You might want to start with the strongest paragraph, end with the second strongest, and put the weakest in the middle. Whatever order you decide on, be sure it makes sense. If your paper is describing a process, you will probably need to stick to the order in which the steps must be completed. 

Check the instructions for the assignment.

When you prepare a final draft, you must be sure to follow all of the instructions you have been given.

  • Are your margins correct?
  • Have you titled it as directed?
  • What other information (name, date, etc.) must you include?
  • Did you double-space your lines?

Check your writing.

Nothing can substitute for revision of your work. By reviewing what you have done, you can improve weak points that otherwise would be missed. Read and reread your paper. 

  • Does it make logical sense?
    Leave it for a few hours and then read it again. Does it still make logical sense?
  • Do the sentences flow smoothly from one another?
    If not, try to add some words and phrases to help connect them. Transition words, such as "therefore" or "however," sometimes help. Also, you might refer in one sentence to a thought in the previous sentence. This is especially useful when you move from one paragraph to another.
  • Have you run a spell checker or a grammar checker?
    These aids cannot catch every error, but they might catch errors that you have missed.
 source is from - http://lklivingston.tripod.com/essay/index.html

Writing

INTRODUCTION???
  • Prewriting techniques involve warming up your – the student’s – brain, organizing ideas, and setting up a plan before diving straight into writing a composition.
  •  It may take just a little extra time, but you will find that if you practice some prewriting  before every essay you write, your papers will be better written overall, which will in effect give a better overall grade. 
  • Ten or fifteen minutes of extra work may be the difference between a B and an A grade for your paper.
Mind mapping

  • it is one of the quickest ways to organize ideas in a fun manner.
  • Circling ideas and linking the related ones that surround your main idea is a messy way to be organized… which ends up feeling a lot more enjoyable than most homework does.
Brainstorming

  • Writing down every idea that is related to your topic in a list form is one of the simplest forms of prewriting, which is called brainstorming.
  •  The great thing about brainstorming is that you can put anything in the list that pops into your head.
Free Writing
  • There is nothing more freeing than knowing you can write whatever you want without worrying about grammar, spelling, structure, or coherence.
  •  That is the joy of free writing – you are free to make mistakes and write whatever you want.
  • The trick is to force yourself to continually keep your pen on the paper and write whatever thought comes to mind, while trying to think of your essay’s subject. 
  •  By reading over your free writing afterwards, you should highlight or underline any ideas you find useful to your essay.

Using reference words



Using Reference Words



This section explains the system used to refer forward or backward from where you are in a text
to other words or concepts. You use reference words to show the connections between ideas,
giving greater cohesion and clarity to your writing.

You will already be familiar with the word ‘reference’,
meaning conventions for acknowledging authors or documents you have used in your research
and reading. You ‘reference’ these authors when you quote them or paraphrase them.
(See Module 2, Unit 3: Quoting and paraphrasing).
However, the term reference is also used to refer to a system of creating cohesion in a text.
Reference words point backwards or forwards to other words or concepts that have already
appeared in the text or are about to appear in the text.In the majority of cases, the word has already
occurred in the text i.e. the reference word is pointing backwards.


Example
In this sentence, these is a reference word pointing back to phases in the preceding sentence.
In this sentence, those is a reference word pointing forwards to the changes requiring only
a moderate level of financial support.
Reference words are important because they are another way you
can strengthen the connections between different elements of your text and clarify the progression of ideas.

Categories of reference words

There are six main kinds of reference words.
1. Personal pronouns
The personal pronouns are I, you, she, he, it, we, they.
Because an impersonal style of writing is strongly favoured by most academic disciplines, you may rarely find yourself using pronouns like I, youand we.
The most commonly used personal pronouns in academic writing are it (referring to things) and they (referring to either things or people). In academic writing, ‘things’ are usually phenomena and abstract nouns, and people are usually previous researchers. He and she may also be used, usually to refer to authors previously mentioned in the text.
Example
2. Possessive pronouns
The possessive pronouns show a relationship of ownership or ‘belonging to’. They are: my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their, theirs.
As with personal pronouns, my and our are not commonly used in academic writing. The most commonly used possessive pronouns in academic writing are itstheir, his, her.
Example
3. Demonstratives
Demonstratives are similar to personal and possessive pronouns in that they refer to nouns usually already present in the text. However, they have a stronger pointing quality – they identify (point at) exactly which thing or things are being referred to.
The most common demonstratives are: this, that (singular), these, those (plural), such.
Example
4. Comparatives
Comparatives are sometimes used as pronouns and sometimes as adjectives. You do not need to be able to distinguish the two because, in both cases, they are being used to refer to something or someone in the text.
Comparatives include words like: another, other, both, similar, the same, bettermore, earlier, later, previous, subsequent.
Example

5. The definite article ‘the’
The definite article the is often used to refer back to something which has already been mentioned in the text and is now occurring for the second (or perhaps the third or fourth) time.
Example
The definite article can also be used to point (refer) forwards, although this is less common.
Note that the definite article is not always used referentially.
Example
6. General reference
Usually a reference word is tied to a word, phrase or other grammatical element which is clearly identifiable in the preceding or subsequent text.
However, sometimes a reference word refers back to an entire stretch of text – perhaps even a paragraph or two - without referring to any one particular component of it. In this case, the reference word has the function of summarising the preceding information.
The words most commonly used to do this are the demonstrative pronouns this and these.
Example