{"id":858,"date":"2026-07-04T04:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/?p=858"},"modified":"2026-07-04T04:07:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T19:07:43","slug":"thesis-writing-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/?p=858","title":{"rendered":"Thesis writing basics"},"content":{"rendered":"
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English for Beginners: Thesis Writing Basics<\/h1>\n

Dialogue<\/h2>\n
\n

Alice<\/span>: Hey Bob, you look like you’re wrestling a dragon. Is that your thesis?<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: Alice! It’s worse than a dragon. It’s a blank page that stares back.<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: Ah, the mighty thesis monster! First step: Don’t panic. Second step: Choose a topic. What’s your “dragon” about?<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: I… I don’t know! Everything seems too big or too boring.<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: Okay, let’s make it easy. Think about something you genuinely like. Even if it’s “the history of pizza.”<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: “The history of pizza”? My professor might not approve that for a physics<\/em> thesis.<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: Haha, good point! But the idea is to find your<\/em> interest within your field. What’s one small part of physics you find cool?<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: Well, black holes are pretty cool… but also terrifyingly complex.<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: Perfect! “Black holes: More than just a cosmic vacuum cleaner.” See? You have a start!<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: Hmm, maybe. What’s next after the topic?<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: Next, you need to find sources<\/em>. Books, articles, reliable websites. Think of them as clues for your detective work.<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: Detective work? So, I’m a thesis detective?<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: Exactly! And after you have clues, you structure<\/em> your story: Introduction, main body, conclusion. Like a good book!<\/p>\n

Bob<\/span>: So, topic, sources, structure. It still sounds like a lot, but “thesis detective” makes it a little less scary.<\/p>\n

Alice<\/span>: See? You’ve got this, Bob! Now go catch those cosmic criminals… I mean, write your thesis!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Current Situation<\/h2>\n

Thesis writing is an important part of higher education for many students. It’s a long academic paper where you research a specific topic, analyze information, and present your own arguments or findings. For beginners, it can seem like a huge and scary task, often leading to “writer’s block” \u2013 when you don’t know how to start or what to write. The process usually involves choosing a clear topic, finding reliable information (sources), organizing your ideas, and then writing it all down in a structured way. This content helps beginners understand the very basic steps in a fun, accessible way.<\/p>\n

Key Phrases<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Wrestling a dragon<\/strong>: A humorous way to describe struggling with a very difficult or big task.\n

    My brother is wrestling a dragon with his final exam prep.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • A blank page that stares back<\/strong>: A common problem for writers, meaning you have nothing written yet and don’t know how to begin.\n

    I have to write an essay, but all I see is a blank page that stares back.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • Thesis monster<\/strong>: An informal, humorous term for the overwhelming and intimidating task of writing a thesis.\n

    The thesis monster is giving me nightmares!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • Choose a topic<\/strong>: To select the subject you will write about.\n

    First, you need to choose a topic for your presentation.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • Find sources<\/strong>: To look for books, articles, websites, or other materials that provide information for your research.\n

    Before writing, it’s important to find sources to support your ideas.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • Structure your story\/thesis<\/strong>: To organize your ideas and information into a logical order (e.g., introduction, body, conclusion).\n

    She needs to structure her story better so readers can follow it.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • You’ve got this!<\/strong>: An encouraging phrase meaning “You can do it!” or “You are capable of succeeding.”\n

    Don’t worry about the test, you’ve got this!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Grammar Points<\/h2>\n

    1. Present Simple Tense<\/h3>\n

    We use the Present Simple to talk about facts, habits, and general truths. It’s also used for scheduled events or ongoing situations.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Facts\/General Truths<\/strong>:\n
        \n
      • Bob: “It is<\/strong> worse than a dragon.” (A current truth for Bob)<\/li>\n
      • Alice: “Everything seems<\/strong> too big or too boring.” (A general feeling for Bob)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Habits\/Routines<\/strong>:\n
          \n
        • She reads<\/strong> a book every night.<\/li>\n
        • They always drink<\/strong> coffee in the morning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Form<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • For I\/You\/We\/They: Base form of the verb (e.g., I work, You read<\/em>)<\/li>\n
          • For He\/She\/It: Base form + -s\/-es (e.g., He works, She reads, It seems<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            2. Imperatives<\/h3>\n

            Imperatives are used to give commands, instructions, or advice. They usually start directly with the base form of a verb.<\/p>\n

              \n
            • Commands\/Advice<\/strong>:\n
                \n
              • Alice: “Don’t panic<\/strong>.” (Negative command\/advice)<\/li>\n
              • Alice: “Choose<\/strong> a topic.” (Positive command\/advice)<\/li>\n
              • Alice: “Think<\/strong> about something you genuinely like.” (Positive command\/advice)<\/li>\n
              • Alice: “Find<\/strong> sources.” (Positive command\/advice)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Form<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                  \n
                • Positive: Base form of the verb (e.g., Go! Sit down. Be careful.<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                • Negative: Don’t + base form of the verb (e.g., Don’t go! Don’t worry.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  3. Simple Question Forms (Wh- questions and Yes\/No questions)<\/h3>\n

                  Questions help us get information. There are two common types:<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  • Yes\/No Questions<\/strong>: Answered with “Yes” or “No”. They often start with “be” verbs (is, are, am) or auxiliary verbs (do, does, can, etc.).\n
                      \n
                    • Alice: “Is that<\/strong> your thesis?” (Yes, it is. \/ No, it isn’t.)<\/li>\n
                    • Do you like<\/strong> pizza? (Yes, I do. \/ No, I don’t.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                    • Wh- Questions<\/strong>: Ask for specific information and start with question words like “What,” “Where,” “Who,” “When,” “Why,” “How.”\n
                        \n
                      • Alice: “What’s<\/strong> your ‘dragon’ about?” (Asking for specific topic information)<\/li>\n
                      • Alice: “What’s<\/strong> one small part of physics you find cool?” (Asking for specific detail)<\/li>\n
                      • Where do you live?<\/strong> (Asking for location)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        Form<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

                          \n
                        • Yes\/No with ‘be’: Be + Subject + …?<\/strong> (e.g., Are you happy?<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                        • Yes\/No with ‘do’: Do\/Does + Subject + Base Verb + …?<\/strong> (e.g., Do you work?<\/em>)<\/li>\n
                        • Wh- questions: Wh- word + Auxiliary\/Be + Subject + Verb + …?<\/strong> (e.g., What do you like? Where are you going?<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                          Practice Exercises<\/h2>\n
                          \n

                          Exercise 1: Vocabulary Match<\/h3>\n

                          Match the key phrases with their correct meanings.<\/p>\n

                            \n
                          1. Wrestling a dragon<\/li>\n
                          2. A blank page that stares back<\/li>\n
                          3. Choose a topic<\/li>\n
                          4. Find sources<\/li>\n
                          5. You’ve got this!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                            Meanings:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                            a) To select the subject you will write about.<\/p>\n

                            b) To look for information from books, articles, etc.<\/p>\n

                            c) Struggling with a very difficult task.<\/p>\n

                            d) Not knowing how to start writing when the page is empty.<\/p>\n

                            e) An encouraging phrase meaning “You can succeed!”<\/p>\n

                            Answers:<\/p>\n

                            1. c)
                            2. d)
                            3. a)
                            4. b)
                            5. e)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

                            \n

                            Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks (Present Simple \/ Imperatives)<\/h3>\n

                            Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in parentheses.<\/p>\n

                              \n
                            1. Alice: “______ (not \/ panic).”<\/li>\n
                            2. Bob: “My professor ______ (approve \/ not) that idea.”<\/li>\n
                            3. Alice: “First, ______ (choose) a topic.”<\/li>\n
                            4. Bob: “Everything ______ (seem) too big.”<\/li>\n
                            5. Alice: “______ (find) sources for your research.”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                              Answers:<\/p>\n

                              1. Don’t panic
                              2. does not approve (or might not approve)
                              3. choose
                              4. seems
                              5. Find<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

                              \n

                              Exercise 3: Make Questions<\/h3>\n

                              Form a question using the given words. Start with the capitalized word.<\/p>\n

                                \n
                              1. is \/ thesis \/ your \/ that \/ ?<\/li>\n
                              2. what \/ your \/ is \/ about \/ dragon \/ ?<\/li>\n
                              3. do \/ you \/ coffee \/ like \/ ?<\/li>\n
                              4. where \/ live \/ they \/ do \/ ?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                Answers:<\/p>\n

                                1. Is that your thesis?
                                2. What is your ‘dragon’ about? (or What’s your ‘dragon’ about?)
                                3. Do you like coffee?
                                4. Where do they live?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

                                \n

                                Exercise 4: Short Answer<\/h3>\n

                                Read the dialogue again and answer the questions in short sentences.<\/p>\n

                                  \n
                                1. What is Bob struggling with?<\/li>\n
                                2. What is the first step Alice advises for thesis writing?<\/li>\n
                                3. What does Alice suggest Bob think about for his topic?<\/li>\n
                                4. What two things come after choosing a topic, according to Alice?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                                  Answers:<\/p>\n

                                  1. He is struggling with his thesis \/ a blank page.
                                  2. She advises him not to panic and to choose a topic.
                                  3. She suggests he think about something he genuinely likes within his field.
                                  4. Finding sources and structuring the story.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                                  English for Beginners: Thesis Writing Basics audio_play Dialogue Alice: Hey Bob, you look like you’re wrestling a dragon. Is that your thesis? Bob: Alice! It’s worse than a dragon. It’s a blank page that stares back. Alice: Ah, the mighty thesis monster! First step: Don’t panic. Second step: Choose a topic. What’s your “dragon” about? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basic"],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"poster","author_link":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/?author=2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/858\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/d.pontalk.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}