Creating a thesis statement is often the hardest part of essay writing. Really, thesis statements are a lot easier to write than most students may think. Think of a thesis statement as a simple formula:
main idea + controlling idea = thesis statement
The main idea is the limited topic. The controlling idea is your attitude toward, opinion of, or belief about the main idea; this is what makes your thesis statement arguable.
Here is a link to a helpful Prezi that explains how to create a thesis statement. Additionally, an instructional video on thesis statements is available here:
What is a
Thesis Statement?
- Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt
after constructing your thesis can help you fix it if it seems like there
is a lack of focus.
- Have I taken a position that others might
challenge or oppose? If
your thesis simply states facts that no one can agree or disagree with, it's
possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than presenting
an opinion, idea or attitude.
- Is my thesis
statement specific enough?
Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong opinion. Make
sure you that your opinion or idea is clear, and comes across strongly.
- Does my thesis pass the "So what?" test? If a reader's first response
is, "So what?" then you need to clarify, or make a connection
with the larger issue asked of the question.
- Does my essay support my thesis specifically and
without wandering?
If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one
of them has to change.
- Does my thesis pass the "how and why?"
test? If a
reader's first response is "how?" or "why?" your
thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader.
- Some essays work better if they have a ‘working thesis’. A working thesis means that your thesis is not fixed; it will evolve as the points of your essay are written. It is flexible and can be changed
- After you have written your first draft, return to your working thesis and check the following:
Below is the handout we use for this workshop:
How
to Develop an Essay: The Thesis Statement
What is the Thesis Statement?
·
The thesis
statement is
that sentence or two in the introduction of your essay that contains the focus of
your essay and
tells your reader what the essay is going to be about. It is the foundation of
your essay.
·
The
thesis statement contains an expression of an attitude,
opinion, or idea
about the essay topic, and establishes what the content of your paper will be.
It is like a mini-outline.
·
The
lack of a good thesis statement can lead to an essay that lacks focus.
·
A
thesis statement is the main idea that your essay supports. A very
complex thesis statement may take up a whole paragraph, but the standard Freshman/EL104
composition essay should do the job in a concise sentence or two.
Getting to Your Thesis:
·
Almost
all essay topics, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single
question.
·
To
get to your thesis, first simplify the essay topic to a specific question. For
example, if your assignment is: “Write
an essay explaining the benefits of word processing college essays”
–
Turn
the request into a question like: “What are the potential benefits of
word processing essays?”
–
Then,
compose one or two complete sentences answering that question: The
potential benefits of word processing college essays are the improvement in the
overall presentation of work, the use of editing features that help develop
grammar, and the development of long-run technical skills
·
When
writing your thesis, remember to think in “threes” – you may be required to have three supporting paragraphs the content of which should mirror the thesis.
-
The
potential benefits of word processing college essays are 1) the improvement in the overall presentation of work, 2)
the use of editing features that help develop grammar, and 3) the development of long-run technical skills
·
Also
make sure your thesis is ‘parallel’ - Parallel structure (also called
parallelism) is the repetition of a chosen grammatical form within a sentence.
By making each item or idea in your sentence follow the same grammatical
pattern, you create a parallel construction.
Example:
Not Parallel:
Peter likes biking, running, and to take afternoon naps.
Parallel:
Peter likes biking, running, and taking afternoon
naps.
OR
Peter
likes to hike, to run, and to take afternoon naps.
Points to Remember About the Thesis Statement:
1.
The
thesis statement should be expressed in a complete sentence. The thesis
is the main statement for the entire essay so it should express a complete
thought. It is not a title. Also, since it is a statement, it should
not be written as a question.
-
The Death Penalty – Not a TS
-
The death penalty is a cruel and
unusual punishment. - aTS
2.
A
thesis statement expresses an opinion, attitude or idea;
it does not announce the topic the essay will develop.
-
I am going to discuss the effects of
radiation. - Not a good TS
-
The effects of radiation are often
unpredictable - aTS
3.
A
thesis statement should express an opinion, attitude, or idea;
it should not express a
fact. Since the Thesis statement is a statement that expresses an attitude,
idea or opinion, it is a statement that the reader can either agree or
disagree with.
-
Cows produce milk – Not a good TS
-
The milk cows produce is not always
fit for human consumption aTS
-
There are many advantages and disadvantages
of going to college - (Not a good TS)
-
The advantages of going to college
far outweigh the disadvantages. - (aTS)
4. A thesis statement should express only
one idea toward one topic; if a thesis statement contains 2 or more
ideas, the essay may lack unity and coherence.
-
Going to college in the Midwest can
be fun, and I have found that living in a suburb of a large city is the best
way to live while at college. (Not a good TS)
-
Going to college in the Midwest can
be fun. (aTS)
Exercises:
Study
the following statements carefully. If the statement is a good thesis
statement, write yes in the blank; if not, write no and explain
why it is not a thesis statement. Finally, re-write the thesis
statement.
1. The
advantages of majoring in engineering. (YES/NO)
_______________________________________________________________________
2. I
would like to discuss my views on basketball. (YES/NO)
_______________________________________________________________________
3. Students
should be allowed to manage the bookstore. (YES/NO)
______________________________________________________________________
4. When
I came to the United States, I wasn’t used to eating in fast food places, and I
was amazed at the shopping centers. (YES/NO)
_______________________________________________________________________
5. Why
do I want to be a teacher? (YES/NO)
_______________________________________________________________________
6. Knowing
a foreign language can be beneficial to anyone. (YES/NO)
_______________________________________________________________________
7. This
advertisement attempts to appeal to the readers’ sense of patriotism. (YES/NO) _______________________________________________________________________
Study the following statements that are not good thesis
statements. Rewrite each of the sentences to make it a thesis statement. The
first one is done for you:
1. I
am going to explain why I decided to go to college
Choosing to go to college was a difficult decision.
2. The
hazards of storing chemical wastes. __________________________________________________________________________
3. There
are many similarities and differences between life in the country and life in
the city.
__________________________________________________________________________
4. New
York City is the largest city in the United States.
__________________________________________________________________________
5. Universities
in the United States should require more humanities courses; they should also
have more social activities.
__________________________________________________________________________
A
thesis statement …
-
Tells
the reader how you (the writer) will interpret the topic under discussion.
-
Tells
the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper
-
Directly
answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question
or a topic, not the topic itself. The topic of an essay might be the
‘Vietnam War’ or ‘Pride and Prejudice’; a thesis must then offer a way to
understand the war or the novel.
-
Makes
a claim that the reader might dispute.
-
Is
usually a single sentence toward the end of your first paragraph that presents
your argument to the reader.
If
there's time, run your thesis by your Professor or make an appointment at the
Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice
elsewhere, you can assess your thesis yourself. When reviewing your first draft
and the thesis, ask yourself the following:
1.
Does
my thesis statement outline my opinion, idea, argument and analysis?
2.
Are
the points outlined in my thesis statement emphasized in my essay (check the
topic sentence/controlling idea of each paragraph
3.
Does
it clearly reflect the structure of my essay
If
your thesis explains the topic and supporting points, then your thesis is good
to go.
Further Exploration of the Thesis Statement
THESIS STATEMENT:
The book The Namesake accurately represents Bengali lifestyle through
attention to cultural detail, the use of Bengali words, and direct quotes from
Bengali people.
The thesis
statement above has 3 main parts:
1) The LIMITED SUBJECT
2) The PRECISE OPINION
3) The BLUEPRINT
LIMITED
SUBJECT: The limited
subject tells the reader exactly
what or whom the essay focuses.
From the example, the book title (The Namesake) is the limited subject
of the thesis statement:
The Namesake accurately represents Bengali
lifestyle through attention to cultural detail, the use of Bengali words, and
direct quotes from Bengali people.
THE PRECISE OPINION:
The precise opinion gives your answer to a question about the
subject.
The Namesake accurately represents Bengali lifestyle through attention
to cultural detail, the use of Bengali words, and direct quotes from Bengali
people.
A
good precise opinion is vital to the reader's comprehension of the goal
of the essay.
THE BLUEPRINT: A blueprint is a plan for the
essay. Just like the blueprint of a building tells you what the finished
product is supposed to look like, the blueprint of an essay permits you to see
the whole shape of your ideas before you start churning out whole paragraphs.
The Namesake accurately
represents Bengali lifestyle through attention
to cultural detail, the use of Bengali words, and direct quotes from Bengali
people.
In the blueprint, the author shows
their intention to support the precise opinion. The author of the example
above introduces three different kinds of evidence: cultural detail, Bengali words,
and quotes from the Namesake. Informed by this blueprint, the reader expects to
see at least one section (a paragraph) devoted to each subtopic.
To emphasize the structure of your
essay, repeat each phrase of the blueprint as you introduce the
paragraph(s) in which you expand and support each point that you want to
make. The way you introduce the supporting evidence is through topic
sentences (mini thesis statements) that echo the paper's main idea.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Refining Composition Skills –
Smalley, Reutten, and Kozyrev
