DOs AND DON'Ts WHEN WRITING AN ESSAY

Avoid the use of first person singular ("I", "me"...). An essay sounds much more objective when "I/me" is not used.

Avoid the use of expressions such as "In this essay...." or "This essay concerns...." These devices usually mask poor organization, and stylistically they are disastrous.

Do not begin body paragraphs with ordinal numbering expressions such as "First...", "Second...", "Third...." Each body paragraph should contain ONE clearly expressed topic; leave it to the reader to keep count how many have appeared (we will assume that your reader is capable of counting to three or four).

Do not begin a conclusion with "To conclude...", "In conclusion...", "Finally...", or the like. A well-written conclusion should simply be conclusive. This is easily achieved by summarizing the theme of the essay and by providing a thesis restatement.

Do not introduce any new supporting evidence for your argument in the conclusion. Supporting evidence should be introduced in the body paragraphs.

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THESIS STATEMENT

The thesis statement is the single most important sentence in your essay. It should appear in your introductory paragraph, after the ‘lead’ (see “Essay Structure”). The thesis statement (and similarly the thesis restatement, which appears in the concluding paragraph) should be expressed in ONE sentence.

There are three components to a properly constructed thesis statement:

· subject (e.g.: cloning, Quebec independence, existence of god, etc…)

· bias (for or against).

· a summary of the reason(s) justifying the bias

The last element is particularly important. In a short essay, this element will take a form similar to that of the ‘sujet divisé’ that is used in French.

Ex.: Because of risks posed to human health , to the environment, and to agricultural diversity, genetically engineered (GE) foods should be banned in Canada.

Notice that this statement offers the reader a miniature essay outline. Immediately it is clear that the essay will be about GE foods (subject), it will present a view which is opposed to them (bias), and it will feature three main arguments (i.e. reasons related to human health, to the environment, and to agricultural diversity). This thesis statement nicely summarizes the structure of the entire essay.

However a ‘sujet divisé’ style thesis statement is not always practical, especially if the essay is longer and more in-depth. There may be too many arguments to compress into one sentence, or the arguments may be too complex to express in a short space. If this is the case, a general rationale linking the main arguments can be used.

Ex.: In order to respond effectively to heightened concerns about security – both national and international - since the horrific events of September 11 2001, Canada must drastically increase its military budget.

In this thesis statement, the subject is increased Canadian military spending and the bias is ‘for’. However instead of enumerating all the reasons why such spending is felt to be necessary, the author summarizes his arguments with a general phrase about new security concerns since 9/11. Presumably there are too many specific reasons to fit into one thesis statement. Instead, it is simply suggested that the reasons will all somehow be related to the events of 9/11.

Exercise. Are the following acceptable as good thesis statements? If not, why not?

a) In this essay, I will explain in detail why the death penalty must be brought back to Canada.

b) As a detrimental influence on children, a source of dangerous ideas for psychopaths, and a bad excuse for entertainment, violence on television clearly must be abolished.

c) Recreational drugs should be legalized.

d) This essay details numerous reasons why it should be illegal to keep pitbulls.

e) From the standpoint of basic human rights, euthanasia should be legalized.

f) In consideration of possible exposure to terrorist attack, of the ever-present possibility of human error, and of the unsolved radioactive-waste disposal issue, Quebec must renew its moratorium on nuclear energy.

g) All devout Christians will agree: gay marriage is a sin.

h) The following paragraphs present solid arguments which prove that the United States was wrong to attack Iraq.

i) Using short and punchy sentences, simple but nuanced dialogue, and primal undercurrents of literary symbolism, Ernest Hemingway imbued the short story form with unsurpassed expression and vigour.

j) Smoking in public places is everyone’s problem.

k) Although billboard advertisements are often manipulative and ugly, they nevertheless help to keep consumers aware of new products which are available.

l) Because it has the potential to undermine people’s health, sexual mores, and economic integrity, prostitution should remain illegal.