Hey. Tutor Phil here. I’ve taught college-level composition, tutored writing for a while, and I’ve come to this conclusion: writing essays is still a challenge for many students. During my teaching years, I’ve taught two different courses: Freshman Composition and Introduction to Literature. Well, my English I students (Freshman Comp.) were able to put together coherent essays pretty early in the semester, while my Literature students were usually so challenged with writing that I had to discontinue assigning term papers because I simply couldn’t bear the thought of how much struggle it must have been for my students to write (which was evident in the content of their essays). I gave quizzes instead.
So I thought to myself, why not put together some writing advice that was so helpful to my English I students and just put it out there? And I did (doing it as we speak, so to speak).
And since the number one complaint from my students has been that they had difficulties writing a good thesis statement, here’s a bit of advice:
Write your Thesis Statement without adding an Introduction.
Let’s clarify something right away: a Thesis Statement and an Introduction are not one and the same thing. A Thesis Statement should include ONLY your main argument and the description of why you believe that it’s true. That description (or the explanation) should also be your outline in accordance with which you will structure your support.
Introductions are purely ornamental and are NOT essential to a good essay. In fact, in my own writing classes I required my students NOT to write Introductions. An Introduction is usually some material that is aimed at “grabbing the reader’s attention,” or some other similar purpose, which does not contribute to the quality of your main argument or its support. In plain English, it doesn’t help you or the reader.
To quote Bill Stott, from his book Write to the Point:
The problem with Introductions is that writers, particularly bad writers, use them to clear their throats. […] Don’t clear your throat. Get to the point.
Well put, Mr. Stott. Yes, folks, get to the point, and I’ll show you how to do just that in one of the future posts. Cheers…
P.S. By the way, don’t hesitate and leave a comment with any challenges you have with writing essays, and I’ll be more than happy to post some advice. Bring it on!
Questions? Go ahead and ask one here.
Tutor Phil
Comments
JLhelensays
yes, one of my challenges to writing an essay is how to write a good thesis. I’m interested in this topic. Thanks.
yeah, i think it would be easier and may be better to just get to the point instead of adding an introduction. meanwhile, i ‘d like to mention that students have different writing style from different cultures.
For example, for traditional chinese students, usually they will add an introduction which even may not related to the theme or thesis statement of the essay, in order to capture the readers’ attention. For example, they may begin with”the sunshine is so bright, the birds are singing…” however, in their opinion, the purpose to add this is to emphasis sth, whatever it’s a person, an object,etc..
You’re absolutely right about introductions. Different people and institutions have different ideas whether an essay needs an introduction or not. And this is not only true for other cultures, but for the United States and the Western world as well. Here’s one simple fact: people teach writing the way they were taught; and they rarely change their ideas about what they learned years ago, even if new information came up that might improve their methods. This is just our human nature.
But I still think that you can save yourself some pointless effort if it turns out that your instructor doesn’t necessarily want you to write an introduction (or even a conclusion). Many instructors simply don’t care if you write those bits – all they care about is that you can get your point across in clear language. I recently wrote a 9-page research paper for one of my Graduate courses – a final paper – in which I did not write an introduction or a conclusion. I just went straight to the point and then ended the paper on the last piece of evidence. My professor not only gave me 100, but he also complimented me on the quality of my essay. Here’s an easy bit of advice: before you start writing, just approach your instructor (or send him an email) asking whether he would prefer your essays to have introductions and conclusions or to just go straight to the point. And then simply follow the instructions. It’s that simple.
And here’s some advice on writing a thesis statement:
I am of thoes people who is accustomed to writing intoduction for his essays. Your points was really helpful for me.
By the way, I have established a blog to write about subjects that we could see in TOEFL exams. I would be so glad if you could visit my blog and give some pieces of advice to me.
You have a really cool blog going. Nice work. I’ll make sure to stop by every once in a while to check up on your essays. Your writing is pretty good, considering that English is not your first language. Keep up the good work.
Also, remember, whenever you’re not sure whether your teacher or professor will like your straight-to-the-point introduction-free approach or not, just ask him (or her) in advance of submitting your essay. If you’re required to write an intro – just write it – it should be a piece of cake for you, anyway.
Phil!
Cheers!
I’m glad to know that you share the same idea that I have.
I like your blog and you are doing a great job here. I know Essay writing is a challenging but it also the most rewarding. The first feeling of writing an Essay well is ‘Wow! I did it!’. I’ve seen my students reacting in a positive manner when they like a topic they write and often ask me how much I liked. Frankly speaking irrespective of their grammatical error, what I value the most is their idea! And I never fail to reward them with good marks and also write a positive and encouraging comment.
Pl. give your views.
Sanjay
Hello:
Back in October or in November, I made a purchase of Stop Essay Pain; Surely, I should have written earlier, but
returning back to school is troublesome. Certainly, one would agree. After checking,
I need a small favor. I’m in need of a copy of Stop Essay Pain, 21 Errors to avoid, and How To Add 300 Words, because of a fire. By the way, I have received good grades after writing a few essays. Now, I’m working on a compare/contrast essay.
Thanks
William Heggs, Jr
Hi Tutor Phil,
I’m having such hard time to writing an essay introduction on, challenges of going back to school as a non traditional student. My thesis is “Going back to school poses many challenges for a non traditional student.”
“Going back to school poses many challenges for a non traditional student for three reasons.”
And then just go ahead and give those reasons. Also, don’t forget to explain what you mean by “nontraditional student,” because I don’t know what that means, and I suspect many people will wonder, too.
Writing essay isn’t easy as it seems to be. Sometimes people simply don’t have enough skills for it, or simply don’t have time. If you need help professional team can easily write a nice essay for you in a short time.
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Hey. Tutor Phil here. I’ve taught college-level composition, tutored writing for a while, and I’ve come to this conclusion: writing essays is still a challenge for many students. During my teaching years, I’ve taught two different courses: Freshman Composition and Introduction to Literature. Well, my English I students (Freshman Comp.) were able to put together coherent essays pretty early in the semester, while my Literature students were usually so challenged with writing that I had to discontinue assigning term papers because I simply couldn’t bear the thought of how much struggle it must have been for my students to write (which was evident in the content of their essays). I gave quizzes instead.
yes, one of my challenges to writing an essay is how to write a good thesis. I’m interested in this topic. Thanks.
yeah, i think it would be easier and may be better to just get to the point instead of adding an introduction. meanwhile, i ‘d like to mention that students have different writing style from different cultures.
For example, for traditional chinese students, usually they will add an introduction which even may not related to the theme or thesis statement of the essay, in order to capture the readers’ attention. For example, they may begin with”the sunshine is so bright, the birds are singing…” however, in their opinion, the purpose to add this is to emphasis sth, whatever it’s a person, an object,etc..
Dear JLhelen,
You’re absolutely right about introductions. Different people and institutions have different ideas whether an essay needs an introduction or not. And this is not only true for other cultures, but for the United States and the Western world as well. Here’s one simple fact: people teach writing the way they were taught; and they rarely change their ideas about what they learned years ago, even if new information came up that might improve their methods. This is just our human nature.
But I still think that you can save yourself some pointless effort if it turns out that your instructor doesn’t necessarily want you to write an introduction (or even a conclusion). Many instructors simply don’t care if you write those bits – all they care about is that you can get your point across in clear language. I recently wrote a 9-page research paper for one of my Graduate courses – a final paper – in which I did not write an introduction or a conclusion. I just went straight to the point and then ended the paper on the last piece of evidence. My professor not only gave me 100, but he also complimented me on the quality of my essay. Here’s an easy bit of advice: before you start writing, just approach your instructor (or send him an email) asking whether he would prefer your essays to have introductions and conclusions or to just go straight to the point. And then simply follow the instructions. It’s that simple.
And here’s some advice on writing a thesis statement:
http://www.tutorphil.com/blog/how-to-write-a-great-thesis-statement/
Tutor Phil
I am of thoes people who is accustomed to writing intoduction for his essays. Your points was really helpful for me.
By the way, I have established a blog to write about subjects that we could see in TOEFL exams. I would be so glad if you could visit my blog and give some pieces of advice to me.
Thanks,
Mohammad
Hey, Mohammad.
You have a really cool blog going. Nice work. I’ll make sure to stop by every once in a while to check up on your essays. Your writing is pretty good, considering that English is not your first language. Keep up the good work.
Also, remember, whenever you’re not sure whether your teacher or professor will like your straight-to-the-point introduction-free approach or not, just ask him (or her) in advance of submitting your essay. If you’re required to write an intro – just write it – it should be a piece of cake for you, anyway.
Tutor Phil
Phil!
Cheers!
I’m glad to know that you share the same idea that I have.
I like your blog and you are doing a great job here. I know Essay writing is a challenging but it also the most rewarding. The first feeling of writing an Essay well is ‘Wow! I did it!’. I’ve seen my students reacting in a positive manner when they like a topic they write and often ask me how much I liked. Frankly speaking irrespective of their grammatical error, what I value the most is their idea! And I never fail to reward them with good marks and also write a positive and encouraging comment.
Pl. give your views.
Sanjay
Couldn’t agree with you more!
Phil
Great post. I have no word to express that how much i like that post. Thanks for sharing.
wow i was looking for it you done great for me thanks for article it gives me help.
Hello:
Back in October or in November, I made a purchase of Stop Essay Pain; Surely, I should have written earlier, but
returning back to school is troublesome. Certainly, one would agree. After checking,
I need a small favor. I’m in need of a copy of Stop Essay Pain, 21 Errors to avoid, and How To Add 300 Words, because of a fire. By the way, I have received good grades after writing a few essays. Now, I’m working on a compare/contrast essay.
Thanks
William Heggs, Jr
William,
You didn’t quit school, did you? Guess you’re still in because you’re working on an essay.
I will email you the ebooks as soon as I get back to my home office later today. Gosh – I hope nobody was hurt in the fire…
Talk soon…
TP
Hi Tutor Phil,
I’m having such hard time to writing an essay introduction on, challenges of going back to school as a non traditional student. My thesis is “Going back to school poses many challenges for a non traditional student.”
Kevin,
You don’t need an introduction. Just say:
“Going back to school poses many challenges for a non traditional student for three reasons.”
And then just go ahead and give those reasons. Also, don’t forget to explain what you mean by “nontraditional student,” because I don’t know what that means, and I suspect many people will wonder, too.
Good luck.
Writing essay isn’t easy as it seems to be. Sometimes people simply don’t have enough skills for it, or simply don’t have time. If you need help professional team can easily write a nice essay for you in a short time.