ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Lesson LOCATING THESIS STATEMENT IN

Thesis statement presents/describes the point of an essay. In academic texts, it is usually

WHAT IS IT
A thesis statement:
 tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under
discussion.
 is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the
rest of the paper.
 directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question
or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War
II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
 makes a claim that others might dispute.
 is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the
first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body
of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of
your interpretation.
Sample Abstract
Previous studies revealed that meaning focused instruction and form focused instruction are two
of the most effective approaches in developing the overall language skills of second language
learners, separately. However, no experimental studies have been conducted to prove their
effectiveness when integrated. This study, therefore, aims to fill in this gap by investigating the
effects of combining MFI and FFI in developing the speaking, writing and grammar skills of
selected secondary ESL students in public high schools in the Philippines. The participants
involved in this study are 480 third year high school students.
Sample Introduction
Filipinos are frequent moviegoers. Perhaps because of the comic relief that comedy films promise,
or the fairytale ending we all want to have that the rom-coms provide, we indulge in the
cinematography of moving pictures. In the 1984 Guinness Book of World Records, the Philippines
was listed as the nation with the world’s most avid film-going public, averaging 19 trips to the
cinema per year, per person (Yeatter 4). In a more recent statistic, the country has also been
known to have the highest level of theatre admission in South-East Asia, with 63 million
moviegoers in 2004 (“Phil. indie films”).
More often than not, movie theatres all over the Metro are filled with people who want to break
out from their usual working routine to catch a two-hour movie with friends. Oddly enough,
however, we as constant consumers of these motion pictures tend to patronize those that are
made particularly international.
Source: Tagudina, M. Curioser: The making of a better Philippine cinema
STRATEGIES IN LOCATING THE THESIS STATEMENT
 Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose.
 If the text has no abstract or executive summary, read the first few paragraphs as the thesis
statement is usu. located there.
 In other cases, you may also check the conclusion where authors sum up and review their
main points.

WHAT’S MORE
A. Directions: For each pair of sentences below, select the one that you think would
make the more effective thesis in the introductory paragraph of a short essay. Keep in mind
that an effective thesis statement should be sharply focused and specific, not just a general
statement of a fact. Write the letter of your answer.
 ____1. (a) The Hunger Games is a science fiction adventure film based on the novel of the same
name by Suzanne Collins.
(b) The Hunger Games is a morality tale about the dangers of a political system that is
dominated by the wealthy.
___2. (a) There is no question that cell phones have changed our lives in a very big way.
(b) While cell phones provide freedom and mobility, they can also become a leash, compelling
users to answer them anywhere and at any time.
___3. (a) Finding a job is never easy, but it can be especially hard when the economy is still
feeling the effects of a recession and employers are reluctant to hire new workers.
(b) College students looking for part-time work should begin their search by taking advantage
of job-finding resources on campus.
___4. (a) For the past three decades, coconut oil has been unjustly criticized as an artery-
clogging saturated fat.
(b) Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic fat that is used in frying, baking, and other types
of cooking.
___5. (a) There have been over 200 movies about Count Dracula, most of them only very
loosely based on the novel published by Bram Stoker in 1897.
(b) Despite its title, Bram Stoker's Dracula, a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, takes
considerable liberties with Stoker's novel.
___6. (a) There are several steps that teachers can take to encourage academic integrity and
curtail cheating in their classes.
(b) There is an epidemic of cheating in America's schools and colleges, and there are no easy
solutions to this problem.
___7. (a) J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist who directed the building of the first
atomic bombs during World War II, had technical, moral, and political reasons for opposing
the development of the hydrogen bomb.
(b) J. Robert Oppenheimer often referred to as "the father of the atomic bomb," was born in
New York City in 1904.
____8. (a) The iPad has revolutionized the mobile-computing landscape and created a huge
profit stream for Apple.
(b) The iPad, with its relatively large high-definition screen, has helped to revitalize the comic
book industry.
____9. (a) Like other addictive behaviors, Internet addiction may have serious negative
consequences, including Academic failure, job loss, and a breakdown in personal
relationships.
(b) Drug and alcohol addiction is a major problem in the world today, and many people suffer
from it.
____10. (a) When I was a child, I used to visit my grandmother in Moline every Sunday.
(b) Every Sunday we visited my grandmother, who lived in a tiny house that was undeniably
haunted.
____11. (a) The bicycle was introduced in the nineteenth century and rapidly grew into a
worldwide Phenomenon.
(b) In several ways, bicycles today are better than they were 100 or even 50 years ago.
____12. (a) Although many varieties of beans belong in a healthy diet, among the most
nutritious are black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and pinto beans.
(b) Although beans are generally good for you, some kinds of raw beans can be dangerous if
they're not well cook.
B. Directions: Choose the best thesis statement for each essay prompt. Write the letter
of your answer. (5 pts)
1. What are the benefits of participating in sports?
A. Some benefits of participating in sports include good health, working on a team, and a
competition.
B. Some benefits of participating in sports include having good health, the ability to work
on a team, and a competitive spirit.
C. Some benefits of participating in sports include having good healthy, the ability to
working on a team, and a competitive spirited.
2. Does technology helps students learn more efficiently?
A. New technologies such as online search engines allow students to learn better, faster
and more in depth.
B. Students using new technologies such as online search engines mean they learn best,
fast and most depth.
C. Having students use new technologies such as online search engines enable, they to
learn better, faster and more in depth.
3. Which is better: classroom-based learning or online learning?
A. Some benefits of online learning are ease of scheduling, lower costs than
classroom-based learning, and flexible time for studying.
 B.
Compared to classroom-based learning, online learning is easier to schedule, costs less
and has more flexible studying options.
C. Some benefits of online learning are its scheduling, cost, and flexibility.
4. What are the advantages or disadvantages of online learning?
A. Some disadvantages of online learning are the lack of face-to-face classroom contact and
the jam-packed schedules of learners.
B. Some disadvantages of online learning are that face-to-face classroom contact is lacking
and the schedules of learners are jam-packed.
C. Some disadvantages of online learning are lack of face-to-face classroom contact and the
jam-Packed scheduling of learners.
5. What is the ideal college class?
A. An ideal college class would be educational, be entertaining, and be enlightening.
B. The ideal college class will be educating, entertainment, and enlightened.
C. The ideal college class is educational, entertaining, and enlightening.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
A. Directions: Read each of the following texts and locate the main idea by writing
it in your paper.
1. This paper considers the nature of professional learning arising through the
processes of carrying out action research in professional organizations. It suggests that
communicative space opened up outside of the professional context can lead to
unanticipated professional learning. Such learning could be considered transformative
in the way it leads professionals to reframe their understanding of the dilemma arising
from doing action research. To illustrate this, two cases are presented to show the
pivotal role university tutors can play not only in the way they create and maintain
communicative space but also in the way they purposefully employ strategies to
interrupt and challenge viewpoints, assumptions and practices held by professionals
doing action research, enabling professional learning to become transformative.
2. This study examines the viewpoints of Macau and Singapore residents to the
development of casino gambling and the social, economic, and environmental impacts
that are thought to arise. It also assesses whether differences exist between socio-
demographic groupings. The sample comprised 416 respondents from Macau and 409
from Singapore. An analysis using primarily descriptive statistics indicated both sub-
samples had similar viewpoints although Macau residents tended to have higher scores
pertaining to the consequences of gambling. It is suggested that the differences arise
due to the greater exposure of Macau residents to the influences of casino development.
3. The roles of English within and between the many of the countries which make up
Southeast Asia are increasing, and English is constantly being used and negotiated as
a mutual means of communication by Asian multilinguals for whom English is an
additional language. It is timely, therefore, to consider ways in which these Englishes
have been developing, along with the roles English is currently playing. Areas worthy of
investigation include the influence of language contact and the motivations for the
presence of non-standard forms in these new varieties of English. Given the recent
research reviewed in this paper, the criteria by which the use of non-standard forms
are classified as characteristic of the particular variety need to be revised. The paper
will conclude by considering whether the role of English as a lingua franca in the region
has reached its zenith and whether regional language education policy is likely allow
the languages of Asia to thrive.
B. Directions: Read the article entitled “Understanding Calories” and formulate or write
the Thesis statement. (5 pts)
Understanding Calories
A calorie, also known as kilocalorie, is a unit of energy. This unit represents the energy required to heat a
kilogram of water on degree Celsius. While people generally link the term calorie with food, it is a unit of
measurement that can be applied to any substance possessing energy. For instance, there are 8200 calories in a
litter (about one quart) of gasoline.
Calories describe the potential energy in food to maintain bodily functions, grow or repair tissue, and perform
mechanical work such as exercise. Food calories may take the form of fat, carbohydrates, or proteins. Once
consumed, enzymes act on these nutrients through metabolic processes and break them into their perspective
categories of fatty acids, glucose, and amino acids. These molecules travel through the blood stream to specific
cells where they are absorbed for immediate use or sent on to the final stage of metabolism where they release
their stored energy through the process of oxidation.
The number of calories burned during an exercise depends on various factors including body weight and the type
of exercise. For example, an individual weighing 59 kilograms (130 pounds) would expend roughly 500 calories per
hour swimming or playing basketball. However, this same person would burn an estimated 200 walking or playing
table tennis. In order to survive and maintain body weight, the average individual requires approximately 2000 to
2500 calories per day. Gaining or losing weight is a simple process. Add and subtract 7,700 calories over the
course of time to gain or lose a kilogram. Nutrition has nothing to do with it. It is all about calories.
 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND
PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES
Lesson 4

Name: ________________________________________________ Year and Section: _________ Score: ______

What’s More
A.
1. 6. 11.
2. 7. 12.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.

B.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What You Will Do

2.

3.

B.
1.