Writing+Resources

[[@http://Instructions:%20For%20each%20pair%20of%20sentences%20below,%20select%20the%20one%20that%20you%20think%20would%20make%20the%20more%20effective%20thesis%20in%20the%20introductory%20paragraph%20of%20a%20short%20essay%20(approximately%20400%20to%20600%20words).%20Keep%20in%20mind%20that%20an%20effective%20thesis%20statement%20should%20be%20sharply%20focused%20and%20specific,%20not%20just%20a%20general%20statement%20of%20fact.%20%20When%20you're%20done,%20you%20may%20want%20to%20discuss%20your%20answers%20with%20your%20classmates,%20and%20then%20compare%20your%20responses%20with%20the%20suggested%20answers%20on%20page%20two.%20Be%20ready%20to%20defend%20your%20choices.%20Because%20these%20thesis%20statements%20appear%20outside%20the%20context%20of%20complete%20essays,%20all%20responses%20are%20judgment%20calls,%20not%20absolute%20certainties.%20%20TIP:%20To%20view%20this%20exercise%20without%20ads,%20click%20on%20the%20printer%20icon%20near%20the%20top%20of%20the%20page.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20The%20Hunger%20Games%20is%20a%20science%20fiction%20adventure%20film%20based%20on%20the%20novel%20of%20the%20same%20name%20by%20Suzanne%20Collins.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20The%20Hunger%20Games%20is%20a%20morality%20tale%20about%20the%20dangers%20of%20a%20political%20system%20that%20is%20dominated%20by%20the%20wealthy.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20There%20is%20no%20question%20that%20cell%20phones%20have%20changed%20our%20lives%20in%20a%20very%20big%20way.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20While%20cell%20phones%20provide%20freedom%20and%20mobility,%20they%20can%20also%20become%20a%20leash,%20compelling%20users%20to%20answer%20them%20anywhere%20and%20at%20any%20time.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20Finding%20a%20job%20is%20never%20easy,%20but%20it%20can%20be%20especially%20hard%20when%20the%20economy%20is%20still%20feeling%20the%20effects%20of%20a%20recession%20and%20employers%20are%20reluctant%20to%20hire%20new%20workers.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20College%20students%20looking%20for%20part-time%20work%20should%20begin%20their%20search%20by%20taking%20advantage%20of%20job-finding%20resources%20on%20campus.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20For%20the%20past%20three%20decades,%20coconut%20oil%20has%20been%20unjustly%20criticized%20as%20an%20artery-clogging%20saturated%20fat.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20Cooking%20oil%20is%20plant,%20animal,%20or%20synthetic%20fat%20that%20is%20used%20in%20frying,%20baking,%20and%20other%20types%20of%20cooking.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20There%20have%20been%20over%20200%20movies%20about%20Count%20Dracula,%20most%20of%20them%20only%20very%20loosely%20based%20on%20the%20novel%20published%20by%20Bram%20Stoker%20in%201897.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20Despite%20its%20title,%20Bram%20Stoker's%20Dracula,%20a%20film%20directed%20by%20Francis%20Ford%20Coppola,%20takes%20considerable%20liberties%20with%20Stoker's%20novel.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20There%20are%20several%20steps%20that%20teachers%20can%20take%20to%20encourage%20academic%20integrity%20and%20curtail%20cheating%20in%20their%20classes.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20There%20is%20an%20epidemic%20of%20cheating%20in%20America's%20schools%20and%20colleges,%20and%20there%20are%20no%20easy%20solutions%20to%20this%20problem.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20J.%20Robert%20Oppenheimer,%20the%20American%20physicist%20who%20directed%20the%20building%20of%20the%20first%20atomic%20bombs%20during%20World%20War%20II,%20had%20technical,%20moral,%20and%20political%20reasons%20for%20opposing%20the%20development%20of%20the%20hydrogen%20bomb.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20J.%20Robert%20Oppenheimer,%20often%20referred%20to%20as%20%22the%20father%20of%20the%20atomic%20bomb,%22%20was%20born%20in%20New%20York%20City%20in%201904.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20The%20iPad%20has%20revolutionized%20the%20mobile-computing%20landscape%20and%20created%20a%20huge%20profit%20stream%20for%20Apple.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20The%20iPad,%20with%20its%20relatively%20large%20high-definition%20screen,%20has%20helped%20to%20revitalize%20the%20comic%20book%20industry.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20Like%20other%20addictive%20behaviors,%20Internet%20addiction%20may%20have%20serious%20negative%20consequences,%20including%20academic%20failure,%20job%20loss,%20and%20a%20breakdown%20in%20personal%20relationships.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20Drug%20and%20alcohol%20addiction%20is%20a%20major%20problem%20in%20the%20world%20today,%20and%20many%20people%20suffer%20from%20it.%20%20%20%20%20%20(a)%20When%20I%20was%20a%20child%20I%20used%20to%20visit%20my%20grandmother%20in%20Moline%20every%20Sunday.%20%20%20%20%20(b)%20Every%20Sunday%20we%20visited%20my%20grandmother,%20who%20lived%20in%20a%20tiny%20house%20that%20was%20undeniably%20haunted.|About.com Thesis Statement ]]

Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements

RHETORICAL DEVICES AND STRATEGIES

American Rhetoric

Virtual Salt Rhetorical Devices



Literary and Rhetorical Devices

Bedford ST Martin's The Language of Composition glossary

Tone

Integrating Quotations