Writing Effective Sentences

Copyright 2019 by Gary L. Pullman

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

To write an effective sentence—a sentence that communicates exactly what you mean—you should practice the follow these principles:

• Use active voice. (Active voice results from using an active subject and an action verb. Often, the verb is transitive: in other words, it has a direct object.)
• Use the third person. (All nouns, all indefinite pronouns, and all third-person personal pronouns are in the third person.)
• Be concise. (Use only the words that are necessary to communicate your precise meaning.)
• Write with purpose and deliberation, with a specific intention, or aim.
• Start with a kernel sentence. (A kernel sentence is the shortest possible sentence that you can construct about a topic. Often, a kernel sentence consists of only an active subject and an action verb.)
• After writing a kernel sentence about your topic, consider what information you need to add to communicate the exact meaning you have in mind. Also consider what additional information, if any, your reader is likely to need to know about the topic as you are writing about it in this particular sentence.) According to philosopher and rhetorician Kenneth Burke, all communication addresses only one or more of these questions: Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? How many or how much? Knowing this about communication can help you to decide what information is necessary to include in any sentence concerning any topic.

Let's practice this approach.

Suppose you are writing about the topic of sharks' attacks.

Start your sentence with these words. “Sharks” is your subject; “attack” is your action verb:

Sharks attack.

Ask yourself, WHAT about shark attacks? (What point do you intend to communicate about a shark attack?)

Sharks attack rarely.

What else do you intend to say about shark attacks?

Sharks attack rarely, and these attacks are seldom fatal.

What is your purpose in communicating these facts? What do you intend to communicate? Perhaps you intend to correct a misconception, such as:

Media reports suggest that sharks attack people frequently.

If this is the case, relate your goal (correcting a misconception about shark attacks) to the sentence you have already written (about the rarity and relative non-lethal number of shark attacks):

Media reports suggest that sharks attack people frequently, but sharks attack rarely, and these attacks are seldom fatal.

To emphasize your point, you can add a phrase such as “in reality”:

Media reports suggest that sharks attack people frequently, but, in reality, sharks attack rarely, and these attacks are seldom fatal.

Let's review what intentions motivated you to construct each new, expanded version of this kernel sentence.

You started with a kernel sentence about a specific topic: “Sharks attack.”

You identified the first point you wanted to communicate about the topic of your sentence: “rarely.”

You decided to add a pertinent fact to the sentence: “and these attacks are seldom fatal.”

You identified your purpose in writing these facts, which was to correct a misconception: “Media reports suggest that sharks attack people frequently.”

You related your purpose to the facts that you had already communicated: “Media reports suggest that sharks attack people frequently, but sharks attack rarely, and these attacks are seldom fatal.”

Finally, you used a phrase to emphasize your point: “in reality.”

As a result of this process, using your intent to determine the content of your sentence, you went from the kernel sentence “Sharks attack” to its final, expanded, complete version: “Media reports suggest that sharks attack people frequently, but, in reality, sharks attack rarely, and these attacks are seldom fatal.”

This approach can work for any sentence concerning any topic.

A Lesson Learned

Tom Smith
Professor Gary Pullman
English 98
29 September 2011

A Lesson Learned

It is difficult to see oneself as others do. Men and women tend to rationalize their behavior, providing excuses as to why they did or did not perform some action. They often give themselves the benefit of the doubt when they suspect that they may have acted in their own, rather than in another person’s, best interests. They sometimes believe that they act according to motives other than the true ones which inspire their behavior. Such individuals are sometimes dishonest, about both their intentions and their conduct, but, other times, they may simply be mistaken--no one knows him- or herself completely; everyone is capable, at times, of surprising him- or herself. Likewise, people may lack the knowledge or the experience that they need to make objective, realistic, and accurate evaluations of their actions or those of the others with whom they interact. However, some people are simply more selfish than others and do whatever they please, whenever they like. A few are unaware that their actions do not match their inclinations. Occasionally, someone acts as he or she does simply because he or she has no reason or, more commonly, no incentive, to change his or her behavior, even though it may be offensive or annoying to another person. Tom Smith is such an individual. He changed only when his obnoxious behavior became as painful to him as it was to his someone about whom he cared. Once, Tom was stubborn, but after he lost a girlfriend because of his inflexible behavior, he became more open-minded.

Tom always insisted upon having his own way. When his girlfriend, Brenda Lewis, suggested that they drive up the Coastal Highway, from San Diego, so that they could enjoy the ocean scenery, as they passed through the beach cities on their way to Los Angeles, Tom wouldn’t hear of it. He said that he was the driver, not her, and that, as the driver, he would decide which route they drove. They’d made the same trip many times, and he always drove the same route, he told her, for a reason: going by Interstate 5 was quicker than traveling by the Coastal Highway, because the interstate bypassed the very beach cities that Brenda found quaint and charming. Although it was an inland highway that did not offer a view of the ocean, it was more direct and provided only limited access to traffic. What was important, he maintained, was not the view of the terrain through which they traveled but getting to their destination by the most direct and quickest route. Tom also insisted upon doing what he wanted to do. He decided where he and Brenda would eat, what movies they would see, whether and where they would go dancing, and how many friends--and which ones--to invite to the occasional parties he wanted to have. He might appear to listen to her suggestions, but, when the time came to plan their outings or gatherings, he always saw to it that they did things his way. Tom was obstinate about his opinions as well. Others had a right to their views, he admitted, but so did he, and he refused to change his mind about the issues of the day. Whether the topic was relatively unimportant, such as which football team was likeliest to win the Super Bowl or whether to have peanuts, popcorn, pretzels, or all three snack items during the Super Bowl party he hosted every year, or the issue was more significant, such as whether a political candidate’s views were racist, sexist, or unbiased or a job possibility offered benefits and other incentives beyond the wage or salary it paid to make it worth his--or Brenda’s--while, he always maintained that his judgments were sound and need not be changed.

Finally, tired of Tom’s stubbornness, Brenda broke up with him. She had told him on many previous occasions how annoying she found his obstinacy concerning all matters great and small. She had tried to get him to be more open to her suggestions. She had proposed that they compromise. They could travel part of the way from San Diego to Los Angeles on the Coastal Highway and the rest of the way on Interstate 5. He had refused. She had suggested that they each make a list of places that they enjoyed frequenting and of friends whom they liked to invite to their parties, alternating between destinations and each inviting those friends on their respective lists to attend their parties. Again, he had declined. She had invited him to attend lectures on the political topics that various candidates held, so that he could hear both sides of issues and make up his mind as to where he stood on the basis of more complete information. He had rejected her offers. She had suggested that he should decide which jobs he wanted to seek and let her find the ones that appealed to her, but, once more, Tom had demurred. When it became obvious to Brenda that Tom would never change his stubborn ways, she had broken off their relationship.

Although he was a stubborn man, Tom cared for Brenda, and her ending of their relationship affected him enough for him to become more flexible. He does not assume that he knows what is best for everyone else, and he is more willing to listen and to compromise. He has adopted Brenda’s suggestions, and he works hard at being more open-minded, more flexible, and more tolerant of other people and their views. Others find that it is easier for them to get along with him, and, although Tom is not exactly what one might call easygoing, he is nevertheless more cooperative, accommodating, and forbearing. He considers other people’s interests, desires, and needs, and he no longer thinks that everything must go his way or that everyone should think and feel as he does. He has demonstrated considerable growth since Brenda broke up with him.

Tom’s newfound flexibility may have come too late to save his relationship with Brenda, but their separation, although painful, has helped him to understand that obduracy is a severe handicap to human affairs, whether one’s dealings with others are intimate and personal or formal and impersonal. As a result, he has become more adaptable in his dealings with others, and his behavior is no longer annoying. Brenda did him a favor by breaking up with Tom, because he had to confront an unpleasant truth about himself. As a result, he discovered how truly stubborn he had been, and his conduct toward others has become much more open and engaging. Brenda has noticed the change in his behavior, and there is a good chance, she has confided in her best friend, Sally Johnson, of her dating the new-and-improved, much-less-stubborn Tom. Good results can come from needed changes in one’s behavior.

Planning Your Essay

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady

High school teachers and college instructors complain about students' essays being disorganized, unsupported, and undeveloped. In other words, they complain that students' writing is unfocused, vague, and general. If you use the principles we identified in "Essay Patterns of Development," your essay won't have these problems. However, it is often difficult for students to generate enough details to support and develop their thesis and topic sentences fully and completely. As a result, teachers and instructors conclude that the students' claims (thesis and topic sentences) are unconvincing or unsubstantiated. In this post, we will show how planning your essay can provide the specificity (the specific details) that are needed to make your claims convincing to your readers (in school, usually your teachers, instructors, and, sometimes, fellow students).

Let's assume that, using the "Three-Step Brainstorming Process" or the "Thesis Trident," you have generated this thesis concerning two movies, My Fair Lady and She's All That, that you watched in class:

In both movies, a bet results in the antagonists’ transformation, which, in turn, leads to the protagonists’ transformation.

This thesis, in turn, becomes the basis for developing these three topic sentences:

The main characters bet that they can transform the antagonists.
As a result of the bet, Eliza and Laney are transformed.
The antagonists’ transformations transform the protagonists.

Now, select examples from the movies that illustrate each of these topic sentences:

The main characters bet that they can transform the antagonists.

Professor Higgins bets Colonel Pickering that he (Professor Higgins) can pass Eliza Doolittle off as a “duchess at the embassy ball.”

Professor Higgins teaches Eliza to speak properly.

He uses rote learning (memorization) techniques to teach her to pronounce words
correctly.
He insists that she practices pronunciation drills.
He assigns her appropriate conversation topics.

Professor Higgins teaches Eliza to act like a lady.

He directs his housekeeper to bathe Eliza.
Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering pick out dresses for Eliza to wear.
Professor Higgins teaches Eliza to behave properly.

He rehearses Eliza at the Ascot racetrack.

Eliza is in mixed company, among high society folk.
Eliza fails the test.

Professor Higgins faces a penalty if he loses the bet.

He would have to pay his own expenses.
He would have to set Eliza up as a flower shop owner.

Zach Siler bets Dean Sampson that he (Zach) can make Laney Boggs their high school’s annual prom queen.

Zach helps Lanie to socialize.
To help her to become more popular, Zach introduces Lanie to his friends.

Zach faces a penalty if he loses the bet: he must appear naked at his high school graduation ceremony.

As a result of the bet, Eliza and Laney are transformed.

Eliza develops self-esteem and self-confidence, and she becomes more assertive.

When Freddie Eynsford-Hill and the prince at the embassy ball are attracted to her, Eliza understands that men can find her attractive, which increases her self-esteem.
When Colonel Pickering treats Eliza courteously, she understands that she is worthy of being treated with respect, which also enhances her self-esteem.
When Eliza passes herself off as a princess at the embassy ball, she gains self-confidence.
When Eliza realizes that she can act independently of Professor Higgins, she becomes more assertive.

Lanie becomes more outgoing and more popular, gaining self-esteem and assertiveness.

Zach accompanies Lanie to the theater and takes her to the beach, where she must
interact with her peers.
Zach introduces Lanie to his friends, who are members of the in-crowd.
Although Lanie does not win the title of prom queen, she is a close runner-up, which suggests that she has gained a good deal of popularity.
Lanie gains enough assertiveness to stand up for her values, even if they make her less popular.

The antagonists’ transformations transform the protagonists.

Professor Higgins comes to think of Eliza as a person.
After Eliza stands up to him, showing him that she is an independent individual deserving of respect, Professor Higgins is attracted to Eliza.He begins to treat her with respect.
He wants to become friends with her because of who she is rather than because of what he may gain from his association with her.

Zach falls in love with Lanie.

After Lanie insists upon living according to her own values, Zach respects her
as a person.
He wants to become friends with her because of who she is rather than because of what he may gain from his association with her.

By planning your essay ahead of time, thinking of the various examples from the movies themselves that you can use to support and develop each of your essay's topic sentences, you have generated a lot of specific material that will make your claims (thesis and topic sentences) convincing to your readers. In fact, the essay has almost written itself. Basically, all you have left to do is to write an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph, add transitions, and add any additional examples that come to mind as you write the first draft of your essay. The result might be something like this (the thesis is in bold font; the topic sentences are underlined):

A Lady Is As A Lady Does

by Gary L. Pullman

What is a lady? In part, the answer to this question depends upon the society in which a woman lives, for this term is defined by others--the members of the upper class--who determine what it shall mean. The definition of the term "lady" is likely to change with the times, and it is also likely to differ from one place to another. In nineteenth-century London's high society, being a lady meant something far different than being a lady meant among the in-crowd of a twentieth-century American high school. In both cases, those who had the power to define the social significance of other people's status, or standing, in society defined which women could be considered ladies and which could not be considered to be such. Often, such distinctions are based upon arbitrary, superficial standards. In the movie My Fair Lady, it is mostly how a woman appears and acts that determines whether she shall be considered a lady, whereas, in She's All That, it is largely a matter of whether a girl is popular among her peers that determines whether she shall be considered a lady. The absurdity and superficiality of these social class distinctions is made clear by the idea that a woman can change stations as a result of subterfuge and artifice. In both movies, a bet results in the antagonists’ transformation, which, in turn, leads to the protagonists’ transformation.

The main characters bet that they can transform the antagonists. Professor Higgins bets Colonel Pickering that he (Professor Higgins) can pass Eliza Doolittle off as a “duchess at the embassy ball.” Professor Higgins teaches Eliza to speak properly. He uses rote learning (memorization) techniques to teach her to pronounce words correctly. He insists that she practices pronunciation drills. He assigns her appropriate conversation topics, advising her to speak only about "the weather and everyone's health." Professor Higgins teaches Eliza to act like a lady. He directs his housekeeper to bathe Eliza. Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering pick out dresses for Eliza to wear. Professor Higgins teaches Eliza to behave properly, teaching her the difference between a handkerchief and her sleeve. He rehearses Eliza at the Ascot racetrack. Eliza is in mixed company, among high society folk.Eliza fails the test. Professor Higgins faces a penalty if he loses the bet. He would have to pay his own expenses.He would have to set Eliza up as a flower shop owner. Zach Siler bets Dean Sampson that he (Zach) can make Laney Boggs their high school’s annual prom queen. Zach helps Lanie to socialize. To help her to become more popular, Zach introduces Lanie to his friends. Zach faces a penalty if he loses the bet: he must appear naked at his high school graduation ceremony.

As a result of the bet, Eliza and Laney are transformed. Eliza develops self-esteem and self-confidence, and she becomes more assertive. When Freddie Eynsford-Hill and the prince at the embassy ball are attracted to her, Eliza understands that men can find her attractive, which increases her self-esteem. When Colonel Pickering treats Eliza courteously, she understands that she is worthy of being treated with respect, which also enhances her self-esteem. When Eliza passes herself off as a princess at the embassy ball, she gains self-confidence. When Eliza realizes that she can act independently of Professor Higgins, she becomes more assertive. Lanie becomes more outgoing and more popular, gaining self-esteem and assertiveness. Zach accompanies Lanie to the theater and takes her to the beach, where she must interact with her peers. Zach introduces Lanie to his friends, who are members of the in-crowd. Although Lanie does not win the title of prom queen, she is a close runner-up, which suggests that she has gained a good deal of popularity. Lanie gains enough assertiveness to stand up for her values, even if they make her less popular.

The antagonists’ transformations transform the protagonists. Professor Higgins comes to think of Eliza as a person. After Eliza stands up to him, showing him that she is an independent individual deserving of respect, Professor Higgins is attracted to Eliza. He begins to treat her with respect. He wants to become friends with her because of who she is rather than because of what he may gain from his association with her. Zach falls in love with Lanie. After Lanie insists upon living according to her own values, Zach respects her as a person. He wants to become friends with her because of who she is rather than because of what he may gain from his association with her.

Both My Fair Lady and She's All That show that the powerful, whether they are the members of society's upper class or the most popular crowd in a high school, determine the social status of others, including women. Whether a woman is to be considered a lady and is to be treated accordingly depends not so much upon who she is herself as it does upon what others--the social elite--think of her. These movies suggest that social class distinctions are often based upon superficial, or even absurd, standards, such as one's appearance, manner of speech, and popularity. Nevertheless, these distinctions have real effects both upon how women are treated by others and upon how they think and feel about themselves. These movies also show the power of love to transform others, for it is when Professor Higgins truly becomes friends with Eliza and when Zach falls in love with Lanie that their feelings for the women they’ve transformed into ladies allow the ladies to transform them into men who care about them as people rather than as creations whose transformations reflect nothing more than their winning of a cruel bet. Love, not appearance, dress, manner, and popularity, these movies suggest, is the basis for real relationships and significant transformation.

Rachel Leigh Cook as Lanie Boggs in She's All That

The Thesis Trident

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Before writing an essay, give careful planning, both to the thesis (what you want to say--the claim that you are making about your essay's topic) and what you want to say about it (including the evidence you intend to present in support and development of the claim, or thesis). We saw how, in an earlier post, you can profit from brainstorming about your essay's topic in order to generate a thesis for it and details of support and development for the thesis. In this post, we are considering how outlining your topic can be helpful in supporting and developing a thesis.

In "A Three-Step Brainstorming Process," we learned how to use three simple steps to generate a thesis for any type of essay.

In this post, we introduce another simple, sure-fire way of generating a thesis for any type of essay, the Thesis Trident.

Contruct a trident like this:

At the top, write the essay's topic. In this case, the essay (a comparison-contrast essay) that deals with two movies, My Fair Lady and She's All That, so we write "My Fair Lady and She's All That" (without the quotation marks) at the top of the Thesis Trident:

My Fair Lady and She's All That

At the end of each point of the Thesis Trident, write one of the three related points that will make up your thesis' plan of development. Here, we have chosen these three points:

1. Bet
2. Antagonists' transformations
3. Protagonists' transformations

Therefore, we place one of these points at the end of each of the Thesis Trident's three points.

My Fair Lady and She's All That

Now, by reading in a counter-clockwise direction (around to the right, from the top to the bottom right side of the Thesis Trident) and inserting necessary words, such as a verb, any prepositions, conjubctions, articles, and other connecting words, we the Thesis Trident all but generates a thesis sentence for us:

In My Fair Lady and She's All That, bets result in the antafonists' transformations, which, in turn, lead to the protagonists' transformations.

Viola! You've generated a sound, clear, specific, three-point thesis sentence for a comparison-contrast essay concerning the bets between characters and the outcomes of those bets in these two movies. Again, the Thesis Trident can be used to generate a thesis sentence for any kind of essay.

A Three-Step Brainstorming Process

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Brainstorming is a way to generate a thesis sentence for an essay and the material that you need to support and develop the essay’s topic sentences. There are several ways to brainstorm, but one of the most effective involves these three steps:

1. List
2. Group
3. Use your imagination to create a situation that provides a purpose for your essay to create your thesis

When necessary, step one or step two (or, for that matter, step three) may be repeated.

Let’s try an example to see how this three-step brainstorming process works.

We’ll select a topic about which most high school and college students know quite a bit--horror movies. According to the first step, we should generate a list of such movies. List as many as possible. This step can be accomplished individually or in small groups or, if the teacher or instructor allows, as an entire class exercise.

Here’s a possible list of horror movies, in no particular order, the title of each added as it came to mind (remember that the titles of a long literary work, such as a movie, is underlined or italicized):

• Alien
• The Exorcist
• The Birds
• Psycho
• Carrie
• The Howling
• Dracula
• Frankenstein
• The Mummy’s Curse
• Poltergeist
• The Others
• I Know What You Did Last Summer
• Descent
• The Hills Have Eyes
• Them!
• The Blob
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Ring
• The Shining
• The Thing
• The Abominable Dr. Phibes
• Burn, Witch, Burn
• Needful Things
• ‘Salem’s Lot
• Halloween
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Night of the Living Dead
• Saw
• Jaws

Now, let’s repeat step one, listing the monster or the antagonist that appears in each movie:

• Alien--extraterrestrial
• The Exorcist--devil
• The Birds--birds
• Psycho--mad kille
• Carrie--telekinetic girl
• The Howling--werewolves
• Dracula--vampire
• Frankenstein--monster assembled from parts of dead bodies
• The Mummy’s Curse--mummy
• Poltergeist--poltergeist
• The Others--ghosts
• I Know What You Did Last Summer--mad killer
• Descent--trolls
• The Hills Have Eyes--mutant cannibals
• Them!--giant ants
• The Blob--extraterrestrial
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre--mad killer
• The Ring--ghost
• The Shining--ghosts
• The Thing--extraterrestrial
• The Abominable Dr. Phibes--mad killer
• Burn, Witch, Burn--witch
• Needful Things--devil
• ‘Salem’s Lot--vampires
• Halloween--bogeyman
• A Nightmare on Elm Street--bogeyman
• Night of the Living Dead--zombies
• Saw--mad killer
• Jaws--shark

After listing as many horror films as you can think of, perform step two, which is to group. Think of a way to group the movies on your list. For example, they could be listed by the type of monster or antagonist (natural, paranormal, or supernatural) that each film has.

At this point, one may ask what is the difference between the paranormal and the supernatural. The answer is that the paranormal is considered an aspect of the natural world (the universe) but that its basis is currently unknown and, therefore, cannot be explained scientifically at present. The supernatural also cannot be explained scientifically, but it is believed to belong to a reality that is above and beyond, outside of, and transcendent to the natural world, or universe. A materialist (one who believes that only matter and energy, which are interchangeable states or substances, exist) will not accept the possibility of supernatural powers, forces, or entities. A dualist (one who believes in both matter and energy and spirit) can, and frequently does, accept the possibility of supernatural powers, forces, and entities. (“There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” the dualist, paraphrasing Hamlet, might tell the materialist, to which the materialist might reply, “There is no ghost in the machine.”) A good place to make clear the distinction between the paranormal and the supernatural would be your introductory paragraph.

With this matter settled, we can now decide which of the horror movie monsters or antagonists belongs to each of these three types, natural (N), paranormal (P), or supernatural (S), but, remember, nature to the scientist, includes everything in the universe, the universe itself included:

• Alien--extraterrestrial (N)
• The Exorcist--devil (S)
• The Birds--birds (N)
• Psycho--mad killer (N)
• Carrie--telekinetic girl (P)
• The Howling--werewolves (S)
• Dracula--vampire (S)
• Frankenstein--monster assembled from parts of dead bodies (N)
• The Mummy’s Curse--mummy (S)
• Poltergeist--poltergeist (P)
• The Others--ghosts (P)
• I Know What You Did Last Summer--mad killer (N)
• Descent--trolls (N)
• The Hills Have Eyes--mutant cannibals (N)
• Them!--giant ants (N)
• The Blob--extraterrestrial (N)
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre--mad killer (N)
• The Ring--ghost (P)
• The Shining--ghosts (P)
• The Thing--extraterrestrial (N)
• The Abominable Dr. Phibes--mad killer (N)
• Burn, Witch, Burn--witch (S)
• Needful Things--devil (S)
• ‘Salem’s Lot--vampires (S)
• Halloween--bogeyman (S)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street--spirit (P)
• Night of the Living Dead--zombies (S)
• Saw--mad killer (N)
• Jaws--shark (N)

Now, during step three, we imagine a situation that would give us a reason, or purpose, for writing about such a topic. Let’s assume that cousin Melba, who lives abroad and who has heard of, but never seen, a horror movie is coming to the United States to visit. Upon her arrival, you ask her what she would like to do, and she says, “See the scariest horror movie ever made!” Consider your three types of horror monsters or villains: natural, paranormal, and supernatural. Which is likely to be the most frightening of all? (I have used this exercise in several composition classes, and the answers tend to vary; at least one class has picked each type at one time or another. They vote, and the majority wins. After the issue has been thus decided, I ask for three reasons as to why the majority considers the type of monster or antagonist they chose as most frightening is, in their view, the scariest.)

Let’s say that you decide that the natural horror movie villain is the most frightening. Now, give three reasons as to why you think this is true:

• It is believable.
• It is realistic.
• It could be encountered in the everyday world.

Viola! You now have a thesis for an evaluation essay, in which, contrasting three types of horror movie monster or villain, you will argue that the natural antagonist is more frightening than the paranormal or supernatural alternatives. (Important! Remember that your thesis must have a purpose; it can't be simply a list of related points; the purpose of this thesis is to suggest why one type of horror movie villain is more frighetning than others, and your essay will use reasons and examples to make this claim clear and persuasive to your reader.) Your thesis (with the three points, each in a different color and underlined) might read:

Although paranormal and supernatural horror movie monsters are frightening, the natural villain is more terrifying still, because it is realistic, it is believable, and it could be encountered in everyday life.

But, as they say in infomercials, That’s not all!

You also have quite a list of examples of horror films and their respective monsters or antagonists that you can use, once you expand upon them, as material to support and develop your essay’s thesis and topic sentences.

Remember the three steps:

1. List
2. Group
3. Use your imagination to create a situation that provides a purpose for your essay to create your thesis

These steps can be used to generate a thesis for any type of essay, whether the essay is:

• Analysis
• Argumentation
• Causal analysis (cause-effect)
• Classification (usually used with division)\
• Comparison (usually used with contrast)
• Contrast (usually used with comparison)
• Definition
• Description
• Division (usually used with classification)
• Evaluation
• Exemplification, or illustration'
• Narration
• Persuasion
• Process analysis (“how to”)

Persuasion Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Persuasion: Use appeals to emotion and reasons to convince your audience to accept your point of view or to perform an action that you recommend.

Note: Argumentation is similar to persuasion, except that persuasion’s primary technique is to appeal to the emotions to convince the reader to adopt a point of view or to take a particular action, supporting emotional appeals with optional, appropriate, but supplemental, reasons for doing so.

Topic: Persevere in the pursuit of your college degree

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own persuasive essay:

THESIS:

Narration Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Narration: Tell a story that illustrates a point, such as a lesson learned about an important aspect of life; make sure the beginning of the narrative sets up a conflict, the middle of the narrative develops a conflict, and the end of the narrative resolves a conflict that is related to the theme (lesson).

Topic: Loss of a family heirloom

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own narrative essay:

THESIS:

Exemplification Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Exemplification (Illustration): Use examples to illustrate the points in your thesis sentence’s plan of development.

Topic: Monsters as metaphors

THESIS: Fictional monsters represent various real spiritual, psychological, and social, threats, including greed, drunken behavior, and the social destructiveness of feuds.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own exemplification essay:

THESIS:

Evaluation Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Evaluation: Rate a person, place, or thing according to how well or how poorly the item meets three predetermined standards.

Topic: Alien as horror movie

THESIS: Although it is classified as a science fiction film, Alien is also a good horror movie because it has a believable monster, the action takes place in an isolated setting, and the plot is suspenseful.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own evaluation essay.

THESIS

:

Division Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Division: Separate items on the basis of their different characteristics or qualities.

Note: Division is often used with classification in the development of a classification-division essay.

Topic: Tragic main characters

THESIS: Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar are warned of danger by various supernatural means, are murdered by dissimilar killers, and treat their wives or girlfriends in different ways.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own division essay:

THESIS:

Description Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Description: Depict a person, a place, or a thing through words, phrases, and sentences that appeal to one or more of the five physical senses.

Note: To describe a person, place, or thing, use adjectives (sparingly), vivid action verbs, figures of speech (metaphors, similes, personifications, images), and juxtapositions that highlight the appearance, condition, and quality of the person, place, or thing being described.

THESIS: The colors and furnishings of a church sanctuary, like the songs and music and the scents that are characteristic of it, symbolize the presence of God.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own descriptive essay:

THESIS:

Definition Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Definition: Define a term by grouping it with others of its kind, based on a general characteristic that it shares with them, and distinguishing it from others of its kind by showing how it differs from them.

Note: Definition essays can be “extended” by giving examples of persons, places, or things that represent the item that is being defined. The approach of writing an extended definition is more typical of college essays that define more complex topics, such as concepts or theories.

Note: Often, there will be more than two distinguishing characteristics, or differentiae.

Topic: Comedy (literary definition)

THESIS: A comedy is a drama in which the protagonist, who is an ordinary type of person, is worse off at the end of the story than he or she was at its beginning.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own definition essay:

THESIS:

Contrast Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Contrast: Identify the points of dissimilarity (difference) between two persons, places, or things, and show how (and possibly why) they are different in these ways.

Note: Contrasts are often used with comparisons in the development of a comparison-contrast essay.

Topic: Vampires and zombies

THESIS: The legends concerning vampires and zombies differ, as do the religions with which they associated and the difficulty with which they are destroyed.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own contrast essay:

THESIS:

Comparison Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Comparison: Identify the points of comparison between two persons, places, or things, and show how (and possibly why) they are alike in these ways.

Note: Comparisons are often used with contrasts in the development of a comparison-contrast essay.

Topic: Vampires and zombies

THESIS: Vampires and zombies are revenants who feed on people and are driven by simple motives.Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own comparison essay.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own comparison essay:

THESIS:

Classification Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Classification: Group items on the basis of shared characteristics or qualities.

Note: Classification is often used with division in the development of a classification-division essay.

Topic: Tragic main characters

THESIS: Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar were rulers who made serious errors in judgment that resulted in their own deaths and the deaths of others.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own classification essay:

THESIS

:

Cause-effect Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Cause-effect: Explain the cause or causes of an incident (effect). (When the incident, or effect, is a human being’s behavior, the cause is referred to as a motive.)

Note: Often, an essay will explain both the cause (or causes) and the effect (or effects) involved in two or more incidents, conditions, or circumstances.

Topic: Anxiety

THESIS: Anxiety concerning a task that must be performed may be caused by inexperience regarding the task, by imagining the worst outcome instead of the most likely one, and by a lack of planning and rehearsal.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own cause-effects essay:

THESIS:

Argumentation Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Argumentation: Use reasons and appeals to emotion to convince your audience to accept your point of view or to perform an action that you recommend.

Note: Persuasion is similar to argumentation, except that argumentation’s primary technique is to advance reasons as to why the reader should agree with a point of view or take a particular action, supporting these reasons with optional, appropriate, but supplemental, appeals to emotion.

Topic: Persevere in the pursuit of your college degree

THESIS: By persevering in the pursuit of a college degree, a student will prepare for career success by acquiring needed knowledge, skills, and practice; will earn more money than a high school graduate earns; and will feel more confident about him- or herself after graduation.

Use this blank template to generate a thesis for your own argumentative essay:

THESIS:

Analysis Development Template

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Note: We recommend that you read our "Essay Patterns of Development" post before you read this post.

Analysis: Identify the parts that make up a whole and explain how each functions individually, how each is related to the other, and how they work together to serve a greater, common purpose (the function of the whole).

Topic: Story

Function of the Whole: A story recounts the actions of a character who struggles to attain a goal.

THESIS: The beginning of a story, which is known as the exposition, provides background information and sets the rest of story in motion; the middle, called the turning point, changes the protagonist’s fortune for better or worse; and the end, known as the resolution, determines the outcome of the conflict (the protagonist attains or fails to attain his or her goal).

Use this blank template to create your own thesis for an analytical essay:

THESIS:

The Five-Paragraph Essay

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

Many high schools and colleges teach students to write a five-paragraph essay in which:

1. an introductory paragraph (a) captures the reader's interest, (b) introduces the essay's topic, and (c) ends with a thesis sentence that contains a three-point plan of development;
2. body paragraph 1 (a) starts with a topic sentence based upon the first point in the thesis and (b) uses specific details to support and develop the topic sentence;
3. body paragraph 2 (a) starts with a topic sentence based upon the second point in the thesis and (b) uses specific details to support and develop the topic sentence;
4. body paragraph 3 (a) starts with a topic sentence based upon the third point in the thesis and (b) uses specific details to support and develop the topic sentence;
5. and ends with a concluding paragraph that (a) restates the thesis sentence in words other than those in which the thesis was stated originally (in the introductory paragraph) and (b) provides an appropriate closure to the essay.

Essays Made Easy uses this three-point thesis, five-paragraph essay format, because it helps to organize the writer's thoughts and provides a clear-cut, effective way of supporting and developing the writer's ideas.

In our next post, we will consider a sample essay that follows this format.

Essays Made Easy: Mission Statement

copyright 2008 by Gary L. Pullman

The title of this blog expresses its purpose. Essays Made Easy is designed to take the frustration, annoyance, pain, and suffering out of writing high school and college essays. No, we won't write the essays for you. Instead, we will do something much better. We will teach you how to write essays yourself, using simple, but effective, principles, patterns, and templates that guide you through the writing process. Essays Made Easy is short on theory, but it is long on technique and practice. We will use simple, time-tested approaches to writing that literally walk writers through the writing process (prewriting, or planning; writing; and revising). Links to related posts on such matters as grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage, and style will supplement the main posts concerning rhetoric and composition. From the moment you start using Essays Made Easy, essay writing will get easier. The more you use Essays Made Easy, the easier and easier writing essays will become. Ultimately, our goal is to make Essays Made Easy obsolete--at least, as far as you are concerned. If you've just found us, come back often, because we're just starting Essays Made Easy, and we will be adding helpful new instruction frequently.