READING & WRITING 11: Prewriting and Thesis Statements

Prewriting

This is the first stage of the writing process that pertains to the different techniques that help you discover ideas before writing the first draft of a paper.

1. Know the kind of paper you’re writing

2. Determine the writing situation

3. Identify your purpose for writing

The do’s of prewriting.

1. Critique your ideas; let it flow smoothly

2. Forget to recognize who your audience/readers are

The don’ts of prewriting.

Purpose

This is the reason why you are writing. With this, you can decide the content, length, organization, support, and tone of your paper.

• This may be to inform, explain, persuade, or to entertain

Audience

This refers to the specific group of readers you must recognize and prioritize during the prewriting stage to ensure your message is effectively communicated. It requires you to anticipate their expectations, background, and existing knowledge of the topic so you can adjust your tone and level of detail accordingly.

Topic

It is the subject or the specific issue that your paper will address.

Tone

This refers to the attitudes and feelings you want your writing to reflect toward your purpose, topic, audience, and yourself.

• These are manifested in your chosen point-of-view, sentence structure, and chosen words.

Brainstorming

A prewriting strategy wherein you list down everything that comes to your mind as fast as you can for a certain amount of time to provide yourself with as many choices for your topic as possible.

Clustering or Mapping

It is a prewriting strategy used to find a writing topic by placing a central word or phrase in the middle of the page and encircling it. From there, you think of related ideas, write them down, encircle them, and draw lines connecting them back to the main topic. You can continue branching these ideas out to form a visual cluster of interconnected thoughts.

Freewriting

It is a prewriting strategy used to find a writing topic by using the force of narration to draw a stream of connected ideas out of the writer’s mind. It involves writing down your thoughts nonstop, in the exact order, language, and form in which you think them.

• Full sentences ✓

• Correct grammar and vocabulary ✓

• No contractions e.g. I would... ✓

• No idioms ✓

• Passive voice ✓ e.g. The application form is complete.

• No phrasal verbs e.g. To investigate ✓

• No abbreviations e.g. As soon as possible ✓

• No exclamation marks ✓

• No imperatives. ✓ e.g. You may complete the form.

Formal Language

• Short sentences ✓

• Lack formal grammar and vocabulary ✓

• Contractions e.g. I'd... ✓

• Idioms e.g. On point (good) ✓

• Active voice ✓ e.g. I completed the application form.

• Phrasal verbs e.g. Look into ✓

• Abbreviations e.g. ASAP ✓

• Exclamation marks ✓

• Imperatives (start with a verb) ✓ e.g. Complete the form.

Informal Language

Thesis Statement

It is the central idea of an essay and reflects your purpose for writing.

1. Topic

2. Position

3. Summarized evidence

The parts of a thesis statement.

1. Write a research question

2. Find a tentative answer for the research question

3. Keep developing the thesis statement from there

The steps in writing a thesis statement.

Argumentative

A type of thesis statement that takes a clear, debatable position on a topic to persuade readers to agree with a specific point of view. It makes a claim that requires evidence and reasoning to prove its validity.

Analytical

A type of thesis statement that is used to break down situations, texts, or ideas into smaller parts to examine how they work together. It explains "how" or "why" something happens by evaluating its individual components and their relationships.

Expository

A type of thesis statement that is intended to discuss and inform the audience about a topic by providing a clear and objective explanation.

Working Thesis Statement

It is the thesis statement that you come up with initially. It is called such because you may have to adjust your thesis statement depending on your research and writing.

1. Responds to the assignment by following instructions

2. Expresses the main idea in one to two sentences

3. Focuses on a specific issue

4. States a stand on the topic

5. Says something meaningful by answering the questions: “So what?”, “How?'“, and “Why?”

6. Previews the rest of the essay by being placed in the introduction

7. Reflects a tone and point-of-view appropriate to the identified purpose and audience

The characteristics of an effective thesis statement.

1. Avoid making overly opinionated stands

2. Avoid making announcements (e.g. In this essay, I will be discussing…)

3. Avoid stating only facts

The guidelines on writing thesis statements.