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Writing Thesis and Topic

M. Sc. Mining, Petroleum, Metallurgy, and Chemical EngineeringPreparatory Year, Technical Writing

tatements

 Dr. Fouad Khalaf 

Nov. 2010

The Communication System

Sender    Message

Receiver Channel

er or mance

Objective, Size, V-Aids,

Environment, Time, Duration, Venue

Main part of a sentence,

or one or more Sentences

the topic in the most

general form.

Element-2

Sender 

 

Receiver 

Channel

“M” is an

Expansion of thees s s a emen

(TS)

TS is a short

sentence:Topic +

Comment.

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س ورا ل. اول اخدوك وا

ود دو ھذا ولو ط  حواق  و

حواالون اوا أن وھ

 اخف

 واخن

 راخشب

 دث

 ھ

 اخشب ر اأرعون ر ا ذك و ى ى وذك الر امأرع ون ر اخشب 

 ال

 

 ون

 

 دث

 ھ

 رعواح

.دى اى اح اظور

ال

 ن

 

 أر

 اح

 ن

 وأدوم

 اى

 وه

.

 ن   ن ال أرع ر  ى اظور وه أرع

اح

.

 ج ن و دا داو ةاخ ةدش

جب أناش.اد ا اض

 وشل ام درا را ص ىإ ذخجا

أل ا وادم  أي ج ھو نائدة

ا

. جون

 ر

 م

 واوارث

 اطورات

اد ار ردة أو ج  ادة ا ن

طا

 اور

 ى

 اطرة

 

 ج

 ب

.

او

 ادي

 خو

 راداو

 ا

 ارد

واخف ظ اج ن ظم اد ادرة واد

 دا  طا اوأ باو را نود ت

 ر

 درة

 

 

 وا

 دون

 ت

 

 ا

 رطا

طا رغو طا رطا ن ج رش. 

An example of 

The topic

 

Greater Cairo’s fall

problem. The comment

An example of 

The topic

 

are not identical.

The comment

An example of 

Bus readers

The topic

 

read selectively.

The comment

An example of 

Ci arette Smokin

The topic

 

is hazardous to health.

The comment

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An example of 

The topic

 

managing people.

The comment

Structure of TS

Subject + Predicate

e op c e comment

 A main clause or a sentence

Terminology:

thesis versus topic

Thesis Statement: for a

whole text of many

paragraphs

Topic Statement: for one

single paragraph

Analyze this paragraph.

Unlike readers of the academic world,

most readers of the “real world” read

selectively: rather than thoroughly

digesting a piece of writing, they skim-

read most of it, skipping from one main

idea to another until they come to

something that particularly interests

them. Such readers are forced to read

this way.

First AnalysisUnlike readers of the academicworld, most readers of the “realworld” read selectively: rather than

thoroughly digesting a piece of

1

2

3   4

5, - ,skipping from one main idea toanother until they come tosomething that particularlyinterests them. Such readers areforced to read this way.

6

7

 ¶ Has 7 parts, # 1

Unlike readers of the academic world

is a hrase 

 cannot stand by itself 

 has incomplete meaning

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Part # 2 of ¶ 

Unlike readers of the academic world

most readers of the “real

world” read selectivel 

is a main clause

 can stand by itself 

 has a complete meaning

Part # 3 of ¶

Unlike readers of the academic world

most readers of the “real world” read selectively

rather than thoroughly

is a phrase

 cannot stand by itself 

 has incomplete meaning

Part # 4 of ¶

Unlike readers of the academic world

most readers of the “real world” read selectively

rather than thoroughly digesting a piece of writing

  -  

is a main clause

 can stand by itself 

 has a complete meaning

Details # 2

Part # 5 of ¶

Unlike readers of the academic world

most readers of the “real world” read selectively

rather than thoroughly digesting a piece of writing

they skim-read most of it

s pp ng rom one ma nidea to another is a phrase

 cannot stand by itself 

 has incomplete meaning

Details # 2

Part # 6 of ¶

Unlike readers of the academic world

most readers of the “real world” read selectively

rather than thoroughly digesting a piece of writing

they skim-read most of it

skipping from one main idea to another 

until they come to somethingthat particularly in terests them has two subordinate clauses

 cannot stand by itself 

 has incomplete meaning .Details # 2

Part # 7 of ¶

Unlike readers of the academic world

most readers of the “real world” read selectively

rather than thoroughly digesting a piece of writing

they skim-read most of it

skipping from one main idea to another 

until they come to something that particularly interests them

Such readers are forced to readthis way.is a “simple sentence” 

 can stand by itself 

 Has a complete meaning.repeats # 2

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Where is the central idea? 

Unlike readers of the academic world,

most readers of the “real world” read

selectively: rather than thoroughly

digesting a piece of writing, they

skim-read most of it, skipping from

one main idea to another until they

come to some-thing that particularly

interests them. Such readers are

forced to read this way.

Where is the central idea? 

Part # # #

Unlike readers of the academic world 4

most readers of the “real world” 4

read selectively 2

rather than thoroughly digesting a piece of

writing 5

skim-read most of it, skipping from one main

idea to another until they come to some-thing

that particularly interests

15

them. 1

Such readers 1

are forced to read this way. 4

Total 9 7 21

Is there any change? 

Most readers of the “real world”

read selectively. They skim-read

most of what they read, skipping

rom one ma n ea o ano er

until they come to some-thing

that particularly interests them.

Such readers are forced to read

this way.

Summarizes the text 

Most readers of the “real world”

read selectively. They skim-read

most of what the read ski in 

from one main idea to another

until they come to some-thing

that particularly interests them.

Such readers are forced to read

this way.

The central idea has two parts 

The topic The comment

Most readers Read 

of the real

word

 

selectively

Which one to develop?

Another exampleThe two processes, speaking and writing, are not identical.

Writing is not simply speech written down on paper.

Learning to write is not just a natural extension of learning

to speak a language. We learned to speak our first

language at home without systematic instruction; whereas,

most of us had to be taught in school how to write that

same language. Many adult native speakers of a languageind writin difficult.A s eakers eaksto a listener who is