Finding the Thesis · 寻找论点
| English | 中文 | Pinyin · 拼音 |
|---|---|---|
| thesis/ˈθiːsɪs/ | 论点 | lùn diǎn |
It is not always the last sentence of paragraph one
- Students look for a thesis where they would put one.
- Experienced writers often do something else entirely.
- Finding a thesis is a reading skill, not a formatting convention.
A thesis can appear in paragraph three; it never signed a lease for the final line of paragraph one.
它不一定在第一段的最后一句
- 学生总在自己会放论点的地方去找论点。
- 有经验的写作者常常完全不这么做。
- 找出论点是一项阅读能力,而不是一条格式惯例。
中心论点可以出现在第三段；它可没签合同，非住在第一段末句不可。
What a thesis is
- A thesis 论点 is the main, overarching claim a writer seeks to defend or prove.
- It is defended by reasoning supported by evidence.
- Everything else in the text should be working for it.
论点是什么
- 论点(thesis)是写作者试图辩护或证明的主要的、统领性的主张。
- 它由以证据支撑的推理来辩护。
- 文本中其余的一切都应当在为它服务。
It may not be a sentence at all
- A writer's thesis is not necessarily a single sentence or an explicit statement.
- It may be distributed across the text, or implied by its structure.
- The CED says identifying it may require a thorough reading — so read the whole thing first.
它可能根本不是一句话
- 写作者的论点未必是单独一句话或明确的陈述。
- 它可能分散于全文,或由结构暗示。
- CED 指出识别它可能需要通读全文——所以先把整篇读完。
Thesis, topic, or a claim being rejected? · 是论点、主题，还是被反驳的主张？
Sort each opening sentence by what it actually is. · 按每句开头实际所属类别进行分类。
A thesis must always be a single explicit sentence. · 论点必须始终是一个明确的单句。
The CED says it is not necessarily a single sentence and may require a thorough reading to identify. · CED指出它不一定是单句，可能需要通读全文才能识别。
A writer may open with a claim they intend to reject. Taking the first arguable sentence as the thesis is a common and expensive error — read the whole text and check that the claim you picked is the one the evidence is defending.
写作者可能以一个他打算反驳的主张开篇。把遇到的第一句可争辩的话当作论点,是一个常见且代价高昂的错误——通读全文,并检查你所选的主张是否正是那些证据在为之辩护的。
A reliable method for finding a thesis is to... · 寻找论点的可靠方法是……
The sequence of paragraphs reveals the reasoning, and the reasoning points at the thesis. · 段落的顺序揭示了推理过程，而推理指向了论点。
Match each sentence type to what it is. · 将每种句子类型与其定义匹配。
Only the first is the thesis, and only reading the whole text tells you which is which. · 只有第一个是论点，且只有通读全文才能分辨哪个是哪个。
A method that works
- Summarise each paragraph in one sentence.
- Read the list. What single claim would make all of those sentences necessary?
- That claim is the thesis, whether or not the writer ever wrote it down.
一个可行的方法
- 给每一段写一句概括。
- 读一遍这份清单。什么样的单一主张会使这些句子全都成为必要?
- 那个主张就是论点,无论写作者是否曾把它写下来。
"This text is about school start times" names a , not a thesis. · “本文关于学校上课时间”指出了一个，而非论点。
A thesis is a position that could be disagreed with, not a subject. · 论点是一种可以被反对的立场，而不是一个话题。
Select all · 所有 the errors this lesson warns against. · 选择本课警告的所有错误。
Reading the whole text first is the correct procedure, not an error. · 先通读全文是正确的做法，而非错误。
Two failures to avoid
- Taking the first arguable sentence you meet — a writer may open with a claim they go on to reject.
- Taking the topic for the thesis — "this text is about school start times" names a subject, not a position.
- A thesis is always something that could be disagreed with.
要避免的两种失误
- 把遇到的第一句可争辩的话当成论点——写作者可能以一个他随后要反驳的主张开篇。
- 把主题当成论点——"本文讲的是上课时间"点出的是题目,不是立场。
- 论点永远是某种可以被不同意的东西。
A column opens: "Everyone agrees the scheme has been a success." Three paragraphs later it has shown that nearly nobody who used it agrees. The opening sentence is a claim the writer is setting up to dismantle — the thesis is its opposite.
一篇专栏开篇写道:"人人都同意这个方案是成功的。"三段之后,它已经表明使用过它的人几乎无人同意。开篇那句是写作者准备拆解的主张——论点恰恰是它的反面。
A thesis is the main, overarching claim a writer defends with reasoning and evidence. It is not necessarily a single sentence and may be implied by structure. Summarise each paragraph and ask what single claim makes them all necessary — and never take the first arguable sentence on trust.
论点是写作者用推理与证据加以辩护的主要的、统领性的主张。它未必是单独一句话,也可能由结构暗示。给每一段写一句概括,再问什么样的单一主张会使它们全都成为必要——并且绝不要轻信遇到的第一句可争辩的话。