Essay structure

[Anna232]

I am confused by the different structures of essays. Aren't such statements as "In this essay, I will talk about the importance of learning foreign languages" or "In this essay I will try to explain why uniforms are unnecessary at schools thesis statements?" These photos are from the internet. The structure seems to be different. I saved the suggestions I was given regarding the structure of an esssy kn my previous questions. 1. General statement. 2. Background statements. 3. Thesis. Paragraph 1. Paragraph 2.

 

[emsr2d2]

Aren't such statements as "In this essay, I will talk about the importance of learning foreign languages" or "In this essay I will try to explain why uniforms are unnecessary at schools thesis?"

There appears to be a word missing at the end of this. You start with "Aren't such statements as ..." but there's nothing to go with it. Aren't they what?

 

[Anna232]

There appears to be a word missing at the end of this. You start with "Aren't such statements as ..." but there's nothing to go with it. Aren't they what?

I left out "thesis statements." Thank you.

 

[jutfrank]

No, they're not thesis statements. A thesis statememnt is a sentence that states a thesis. A thesis is the idea or opinion that you go on to argue.

Your sentences are what I and other teachers call 'signposting sentences', because they tell the reader about the following content of the essay.

 

[teechar]

I am confused by the different structures of essays. Aren't such statements ... thesis statements?

I understand why you're confused, and you're right in the sense that all such statements tell the reader what the essay is going to be about.
You can call such a sentence a "statement of purpose". That's a broader definition that encompasses "thesis statement".

 

[emsr2d2]

I left out "thesis statements." Thank you.

OK, you left out "statements". The problem is that you incorrectly punctuated it. See below for how the punctuation should look at the end:

Aren't such statements as "In this essay, I will talk about the importance of learning foreign languages" or "In this essay I will try to explain why uniforms are unnecessary at schools" thesis statements? (No quotation marks here.)

 

[Anna232]

I understand why you're confused, and you're right in the sense that all such statements tell the reader what the essay is going to be about.
You can call such a sentence a "statement of purpose". That's a broader definition that encompasses "thesis statement".

So the following statements "In this essay, I will talk about the importance of learning foreign languages" and "In this essay I will try to explain why uniforms are unnecessary at schools thesis statements" are statements of purpose or thesis statements. Am I right?

 

[teechar]

They are statements of purpose.

 

[Anna232]

They are statements of purpose.

I saved your suggestion and I write essays based on the structure you suggest. Should I use purpose statements or thesis then?

"In the introduction, you need:
- A general statement: This introduces the topic/issue to the reader.
- Background: 1 or 2 sentences to explain more about the issue.
- Your thesis/purpose statement: Explains your position regarding the essay question"

[Essay] - University Education

I am getting prepared for the IELTS test and, as you know, writing is an integral part of it. I would be grateful to you if you could read my essay and give me a piece of advice on what I ought to learn about writing them. Some people believe the aim of university education is to help...

www.usingenglish.com

 

[teechar]

Should I use purpose statements or thesis then?

It depends on the type of essay you've been asked to write. Don't worry too much about the names of those statements. What really matters is the standard of your writing,

 

[Anna232]

It depends on the type of essay you've been asked to write. Don't worry too much about the names of those statements. What really matters is the standard of your writing,

But I don't quite undersrand the difference between them. A purpose statement are the statements I wrote such as "in this essay I will explain.." but a thesis statement is like a rephrased part of the question that mentions the main topic or issue and includes my ideas about it. Right?

 

[teechar]

Which test are you practising for?

 

[emsr2d2]

But I don't quite understand the difference between them. A purpose statement are is something like the statements this statement I wrote: such as "In this essay I will explain ..." but a thesis statement is like a rephrased part of the question that mentions the main topic or issue and includes my ideas about it. Right?

 

[Anna232]

Which test are you practising for?

It is not a test. It is just an essay .