FAT Thesis

The FATt  Thesis Sentence Demystified What’s a FATt? (Also known as a “text reference sentence.”)

The FATt sentence combines the essential reference information for a specific work you want to discuss and includes a brief summary of the focus or main point the author strives to convey.

What does FATt stand for?

F: FOCUS

This is comprised of a brief plot summary and the author’s main point/moral/thesis.

A: AUTHOR’S NAME

Always use the author’s full name the first time you mention him/her. Check spelling carefully. Every subsequent mention of the author should be last name only since you aren’t on a chummy first name basis.

T: TITLE OF THE WORK

Check the mechanics of your title. Books are underlined or italicized—NEVER BOTH, and articles, poems, and essays are put in quotation marks.

t: text type

Clarify for the reader what kind of text it is. For example, you could be referring to an article, editorial, memoir or autobiography, novel, or essay. Be as specific as you can; don’t write book when you mean novel.

Note!

The above elements of a FATt sentence can appear in a variety of orders. We’ll practice working with the order of information so that you don’t get stuck in a writing rut, relying on a stock sentence pattern. After all, sentence variety is one of the spices of life.