Need essay help with thesis and subtopics

by Nadia
(New York)

I need essay help with writing a thesis and three subpoints. I don't know where to begin. The assignment is to write an expository essay. We have to choose a quote from a person in history and write about it. I picked a quote from Einstein: "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

Help!

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Linda replies

Nadia, you stumbled into one of the situations where it appears that my normal tricks for a writing skeleton™ don't work. This doesn't happen every day, but it is not uncommon.

What is causing your confusion is that your topic is already a full sentence instead of a sentence fragment. The entire quote is your topic.

A simple tweak in my standard directions will produce a sensible writing skeleton™.

Here's what you do.

In front of your full-sentence topic, put the words I know that. Then proceed to create your writing skeleton™ in the normal way.

That transforms your Einstein quote to this working thesis: I know that anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

It's clear that your subpoints will have to give reasons for how you know that, right? Here is what your subpoints (your writing skeleton™) will look like:

1. I know that anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new because (your first reason).


2. I know that anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new because (your second reason).


3. I know that anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new because (your third reason).

To help you decide what to use as your reasons, I recommend ripple strategy to help you come up with ideas.

I hope that helps, Nadia.

Linda