Essay Cheat-Sheet How to Write a Bomb Thesis

Brainstorm

1. 
   Think about the ideas and concepts that interest you
   
2. 
   Write your top 6 points
   
3. 
   Figure out how these points relate to each other
   
4. 
   Pick the top 2-3, will become your body paragraph topics
   

1. 
   Although a,b,c, ultimately x,y,z
   
2. 
   If you are listing topics stick to the rule of three
   
3. 
   A,b,c should be the points that you were interested in but not the top 3 you find the most convincing or have the most evidence for
   

• 
  Introduction
  
  • 
    Hook
    
  • 
    TAG
    
  • 
    Summary/Background information
    
  • 
    Thesis
    
    • 
      Although a.,b,c, ultimately x,y,z
      
• 
  Body Paragraph X
  
  • 
    Topic sentence
    
  • 
    Evidence #1
    
    • 
      Background information
      
    • 
      Quotation integration
      
    • 
      Analysis
      
  • 
    Evidence #2
    
    • 
      Background information
      
    • 
      Quotation integration
      
    • 
      Analysis
      
• 
  Body Paragraph Y
  
• 
  Body Paragraph Z
  
• 
  Conclusion
  
  • 
    Rewrite thesis that includes your analysis from your body paragraphs
    
  • 
    Connect your body paragraphs/summarize the paper
    

• 
  Overly relying on transition words such as: firstly, secondly, in conclusion
  
• 
  Run-on, confusing sentences. Stick to multiple smaller sentences that are easier to understand.
  
• 
  Restating the obvious: do not explain the quote, say why it’s important (it’s function, how it works in relation to the work/time period as a whole, etc.)
  
• 
  Writing in absolutes (e.g. everybody, every time, must, etc.)
  

• 
  Diversify your syntax (sentence structure)
  
  • 
    Appositives, semi-colons, using simple sentences to make a point obvious,
    
• 
  Use figurative language
  
• 
  Use descriptive language
  
  • 
    Modify your adjectives with adverbs “wonderfully happy”, “physically unreadable”
    
  • 
    Use words with strong connotations to the reader
    
• 
  Use rhetorical devices
  

Semblance, meticulous, mundane, periphery, deliberate, definitive, readily, formation, integral, reliant, prominent, key role, impact, largely, formalized, depictions, took the shape, binary

venture, usher, establish, evident, differ, demand, ensure, actualize, abide, fruition, development, tout, culminate, codify, portray, depicts, develop, commemorate, shift, ensue

Despite, in addition, not just….., but… also, neither….nor, while, ultimately, however, even, in turn

• 
  Logos, pathos, ethos
  
• 
  Alliteration
  
• 
  Anadiplosis
  

• 
  Rely on his honor- honor such as his?
  
• 
  Anaphora (alliteration but for words/expressions)
  
• 
  Antanaclasis (repetition of a word but different meanings)
  
• 
  Apophasis (not acknowledging the thing you want to talk about)
  
• 
  Chiasmus (inverted syntactic elements) eg: S O V (and/or) V O S
  
• 
  Epistrophe (repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect eg: of the people, by the people, for the people)
  
• 
  Hyperbole
  
• 
  Litotes (understatement)
  
• 
  Metaphor
  
• 
  Metonymy (use of the name of one thing and another that has an attribute that it is associated with eg: the crown referring to the British monarchy, oval office for president)
  
• 
  Onomatopoeia
  
• 
  Oxymoron
  
• 
  Simile
  
• 
  Polysyndeton (repetition of conjunction)
  
• 
  Dramatic irony, situational irony, verbal irony