Thesis sentences for different types of essays...

Here are templates for thesis sentences in different types of essays. Remember, a thesis sentence provides a road map for the direction your essay will take; typically it ends the introductory paragraph. Please adapt these templates to fit your essay's specific road map.

Descriptive essay using the senses: The [sights/smells/sounds/etc] of this experience of ______ left a ______ impression. (OR) I cannot forget the [sights/tastes/feeling/etc.] of ______because ______.

Narrative essay with a dominant impression: This [event] would end up as the best/worst ______. (OR) When ______ happened, I learned that ______. (OR) I never thought that doing/going/having ______ would ______.

Compare and contrast with or without judgement: The similarities between ______ and ______ are ______ and their differences are ______. (OR) Although ______ and ______ share ______, they differ on ______. (OR) Even though ______ and ______ contrast regarding _____, they are quite similar in ______. (OR with judgement) Due to their differences regarding ______, clearly ______ is the better ______ than ______.

Cause and effect: If/When ______ happens, it will result in ______. (OR) The ______ occurs as a result of these causes: ______ and ______. (OR) A _______ causes ______ due to ______.

Argumentative: We/The nation/The ______ should/should not ______ because ______. (OR) The ______ is acceptable/unacceptable when one weighs/considers the ______. (OR) This [action] is excellent/terrible for ______ due to/since it ______.

Informative synthesis (do not give your opinion!): Considering the issue of ______, authors ______ and ______ demonstrate that ______. (OR) Although authors ______ and ______ share ______ on this issue, they dispute the ______. (OR) Even though these authors disagree on ______ regarding the issue of ______, they agree about ______. (OR) The research on this issue points to a common thread that ______.

Summary and response: The [article/documentary/etc] is about ______, and I see how [in my own life/in our society] ______ is clearly related.

Summary and analysis: The [article/documentary/etc] is about ______, and while it succeeds/fails in doing ______, it fails to/succeeds in ______ because of ______.  

 (That's a lot of blanks!)

A good introduction when you don't know what to say

A good way to handle introducing your paper, any paper, is to start general and get more specific in each sentence until you end with your paper's thesis sentence. Think of how a funnel is shaped. The top is broad and the bottom is narrower. If you use the funnel image to shape your first paragraph, then a narrative introduction might go something like this:

We've had many bad smells in our house. The time my husband burnt beans on the stove comes to mind. Or some days when the wind is from the east, the smoke off our neighbor's wood stove finds its way in. We could even mention our friend who doesn't always shower before visiting. But really no foul stench infiltrating our house could have prepared us for what happened last Spring. It was the Great Skunk Debacle of 2009 and it stunk.

Notice how I start out introducing the general topic: bad smells. Then I talk about bad smells in general, but all related to our house. Finally, I move toward the more narrow topic by mentioning a specific time period: last Spring. And lastly I get to the thesis sentence, what the rest of my narrative paper will detail: It was the Great Skunk Debacle of 2009 and it stunk. The most important thing here is that I don't give details of the story until I start the second paragraph.

Introductions don't go into detail

The best advice I can give about introductions is that they shouldn't go into details yet. Even in a narrative paper where you are telling the reader a story, give an introduction that doesn't employ words like "What happened first was" because that statement should happen in the second paragraph when you launch into the body of details. With an argumentative paper, hold off on saying "One good reason to support this point is" because you don't do details until the body. Instead, any introduction should take the reader by the hand and bring him into the topic you'll be discussing. If I were comparing cats and dogs, I wouldn't start by saying "Cats are better than dogs for many reasons such as" because that sets me up to give details already. Instead, I would warm up the reader by talking about how much people love their pets and how there seems to be a "war" between pet owners, those who prefer cats and those who prefer dogs. Then I would end my intro paragraph with my thesis sentence about how cats and dogs have positives and negatives but with a closer look it is clear that cats are the superior pet. Or perhaps you think the opposite, and you would be one of those wacky dog lovers. Anyway, my point is that you can hint at what readers will find in your paper, but save the details for the body.