Good for Nothing or Something
Created by J. Dick
Questions…What are they Good for (in Writing)?
Practically nothing; say it again, now!
What is a statement?
Is it the same as a question?
The differences between statements and questions are relatively clear to students UNTIL they are faced with two essay concepts: titles and thesis statements. Furthermore, the idea of whether questions function in essays, and if so, in what capacity, seems to have been an issue for years.
Titles
When you think of a title for your work, you need to create a unique phrase that is crafted from the content of the last sentence of the essay. By creating your title from the last sentence of the essay—in a unique and witty way—you draw the reader in, present the essay content, and then when you exit the essay, the feeling of familiarity and closure surrounds the reader when he notices that the ending thoughts were portrayed in the title of the work.
A Title Will Never be a Question
A title is a descriptive name. It describes. I am Mrs. J. Dick. My title “Mrs.” Describes my marital status. The same holds true for the titel of an essay. The title of an essay needs to be descriptive. A question does not describe. It inquires. Based on the fundamental meaning of ‘title,’ it must be a statement. It must describe. It will never be a question.
Thesis Statements
I am often shocked when I see a student write the thesis statement for his essay in the form of a question. A question inquires. A Thesis Statement needs to declare. A thesis statement needs to assert the viewpoint that will be developed in the essay.
A Thesis Statement Will Never be a Question
A writer cannot declare and assert anything if he is using a question. Also, consider the name of this characteristic in writing: Thesis Statement. Right there, in the name itself, you see the word statement. A Thesis must be a statement, not a question.
“Hooks” and Closing Sentences
There are only two places where questions can function in an essay: the hook line of the introduction paragraph and the closing line of the conclusion paragraph. As your writing matures, you will eventually craft more diverse and creative styles for leading in or out of your essays, but for now, for college-level writing, the hook and closing lines are the only places a question could even work properly. See the DRAFTING section of the Essay Writing website for more details on Introductions and Conclusions.
Body Paragraphs Will Never have Questions
The purpose of a body paragraph is to present a sub-point from the thesis statement—found in the last sentence of the introduction paragraph of the essay—and create a paragraph full of details, sources, analysis, and evidence to defend that sub-point of the thesis. If you are presenting information and you ask your reader a question here or there, then you are defeating the purpose of declaring your argument in the body paragraphs. When you ask the reader a question, he stops…comes out of the paper…and answers the question for himself. You do not know if the way he answers will benefit your argument. Maybe he answers the question and then begins to return to your writing, yet after realizing that he does not agree with your initial statements, he puts down the writing. You just lost your reader. The goal of writing is to entice and KEEP readers in your writing all the way to the end. Only by keeping them there can you argue your point and persuade them of your side.
If the reader does not set down your paper but simply returns to the writing, you—as a writer—now must work twice as hard to re-engage the reader and submerge him back into your views, sources, and argument. Often, the reader never fully submerses his head again into your writing.
If you ask questions throughout your body paragraphs, you risk two things: 1) losing the reader, and 2) sounding like you do not know what you are talking about since you are looking to the reader for answers and stimulating your writing through the question/answer pattern. It is alright to ask yourself questions in the planning/prewriting phase, but once you have those answers and you begin your draft, all of the questions need to go.
Please remember, though, that I am writing about an academic writing. I am writing about essays. As you can see through my websites, I am writing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person voice. I also ask questions of my readers. However, this is not an academic writing. This is not an essay. My website is a mixture of tutorial and critical thinking as a student learns the process of writing an academic essay. Later, once you are no longer a student, you can feel free to retain these lessons or to chuck them, creating your own path through the waters of essay writing.
For now—ask no questions in your:
1. Titles
2. Thesis Statements
3. Body paragraphs
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Content created for Liberty University and Florida Gateway College students.
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