The School of Letters & Tongues · Composition & Rhetoric
The Essay: From Notion to Draft
How a question becomes a thesis, a thesis becomes paragraphs, and paragraphs become a finished essay. · PE 1408 · ~20 h
An essay is a piece of writing that makes one arguable claim and defends it for a particular reader.
fol. 2 From Topic to QuestionA broad topic becomes usable only when you narrow it into a single question that can actually be answered in a few pages.
fol. 3 The Working ThesisA working thesis is your provisional answer to the question, stated as one arguable, specific sentence you can revise later.
fol. 4 Sharpening the ThesisYou sharpen a thesis by testing it: a strong one is arguable rather than obvious, specific rather than vague, and something a reasonable reader could dispute.
A paragraph carries exactly one idea, developed whole, so a reader can take in the argument one complete step at a time.
fol. 6 Topic SentencesA topic sentence states the single claim a paragraph will support, so a reader knows its point before reading the details.
fol. 7 Transitions and the Logic Between ParagraphsA transition names the logical relation between two ideas, so the reader sees whether the next paragraph adds, contrasts, or concludes.
Facts, examples, quotations, data, and testimony are different kinds of evidence, and each is persuasive for a different kind of claim.
fol. 9 Matching Evidence to the ClaimEvidence supports an argument only when it is actually relevant to the specific claim being made; the writer's job is to fit the right proof to each point.
fol. 10 Using Evidence: Frame, Quote, ExplainEvidence never speaks for itself; you must introduce it, present it accurately, and explain how it supports the claim.
Structure is order in service of argument: you outline by arranging your claims in the sequence that most convincingly builds toward the thesis.
fol. 12 Introductions That Make a PromiseAn introduction orients the reader and states the thesis, making a promise about what the essay will argue.
fol. 13 Conclusions That Do More Than RepeatA conclusion earns its place by extending the argument, naming what follows from it, rather than merely restating the introduction.
Revision fixes large problems before small ones: reverse-outline the draft to check the argument's shape before touching any sentence.
fol. 15 Cutting a Paragraph You LoveAnything that does not serve the thesis weakens the essay, so good revision means cutting well-written passages that do no argumentative work.
fol. 16 Plain Style and Word ChoicePlain style makes the argument easy to follow by preferring concrete words, active verbs, and sentences that say one thing at a time.