How to write a thesis statement A step-by-step guide
Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section youll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)
When you analyze something, you usually try to get to the bottom line and answer such questions as "why" and "how. " Hence, your thesis statement would also answer those questions. The most common mistake here is making your thesis statement too broad. Pick a primary question to answer and come up with a clear, concise response to it in a thesis statement. All essays should have a thesis statement because it is the basic element of nearly any type of paperapart from perhaps creative writing. Now youve got a thesis, you need to use it to structure an essay. The next step is to choose the themes that you will discuss and introduce them to your reader. For many students, the best way to learn is to see some realistic examples. So here we will see how a thesis statement depends on the aim of the paper: But, when it comes to different paper styles, three more thesis statement types can be defined: expository, argumentative and analytical. This post, How to Write a Thesis Statement, is the first post in our 5 part Essay Writing Series.
You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument youll make in the rest of your paper. Another reason why the thesis statement is so important is that you are not likely to get an A for an essay which doesnt include a thesis statement. It is one of the first things a Professor evaluates in an academic paper and one of the main factors for your grade. By no means. A fact requires no proving whatsoever, and thus we cannot dedicate an entire paper to it. Yes, we could name or state it, but it requires no argumentation. On the contrary, a fact can be an argument in support of your thesis statement. Well now look at the process for writing a thesis statement. To do so, we will look at a few different questions so you can get a broad sense of what a thesis needs to do. Then we will focus on one of these questions and develop it throughout this series.
Below, we break down how to write a thesis statement for the most common types of papers. Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? and How will I convince the reader that this is true? When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement. Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the controlling idea, becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this controlling idea into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper. A good thesis is not going to write itself during an exam. If you want a killer thesis statement then you need to write it, and that means practice. Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement.
This post will break down the statements purpose as well as fundamental elements necessary to create an effective thesis. Furthermore, unlike with other essays, its appropriate to make emotional connections in a thesis statement in persuasive essays. This can actually be a clever strategy to start your essay off on a more personal, impactful note. This response fails to address your knowledge concerning about politics or power, the key themes the question is asking you to discuss. Neither thesis statement answers the question meaningfully. The expository (also called explanatory) type's primary goal is to acquaint the reader with something. When working on your thesis statement, be sure to include every part of the topic you want to focus on. Writing in college often takes the form of persuasionconvincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing.
- What is a thesis statement?
- What does a thesis statement do?
- Is the thesis statement important?
- How do I write a good thesis statement?
In this series, we will break essay writing into a series of parts and solve some commonly asked questions to give you the tools to write consistent essays. In this post, well give you an overview of essay structure and explain why a thesis statement is important for your essay. Well then give you a step-by-step guide for writing a Band 6 thesis. There is another important tip for you to consider when working on your thesis statement. You should select the right place for your thesis statement to be at. Typically, it goes at the end of your introductory paragraph, which is usually the first one in your paper. If you are working on a complex assignment with several opening paragraphs, placing the thesis sentence near the beginning of your paper is what you should go for. Whereas the first paragraph may be entirely focused on general information related to the subject, you should place your thesis statement toward the beginning of the second introductory paragraph. It should by no means be introduced in any of your paper's body paragraphs. Thesis statements are a necessary part of paper and essay writing, but different formats have different rules and best practices.
How to write a thesis statement for expository and argumentative essays
For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming. You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement. One of the main reasons students struggle with their thesis statements is a lack of technical understanding. It can be hard to grasp the fact that the thesis is, single-handedly, the most important sentence in the entire text. The rest of the paper is made up of supporting points to support the thesis statement. In Part One of our popular Essay Writing Series, we teach you how to write a perfect thesis statement. Now, that we understand what a thesis statement is and where it should be located, let's delve into the subject and take a look at what an effective thesis statement is made of.
Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember theyre not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool. Gotta be honest - I totally skipped my homework to go to the concert. Singing along and jamming to my fav rock ballads was way more fun than sweating over a paper that can be done by professionals. Your expert really came through, you know, everything was done carefully, I got an A! You're the best, def will recommend you to my friends. Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i. e. , eating disorders and body image among adolescent women) or that simply are not important (i. e. why I like ice cream).
We look at what to include and the steps to take for writing your own, along with plenty of thesis statement examples to guide you. For those who want to know how to write a thesis statement, we have compiled this how-to with mainly one objective in view: to help you master your writing skills and find detailed answers regarding writing your thesis statement. First things first: what makes writing a thesis statement so challenging? Why is a thesis statement important? Being an integral part of the introductory section, a thesis statement is an effective tool for putting forth the main idea of your paper clearly. An academic essay is a well-structured piece of writing controlled by the main idea. It is written with the attempt either to affirm the concept as true or to verify it. The main idea is generally grasped from the thesis statement. Indeed, there are more tips and examples for writing thesis statements we would like to share with you. Check these frequently asked questions regarding thesis statements we are asked by our readers and the answers that we have prepared: To avoid this problem and work with coherent structure, one must know how to write a good thesis statement.
What to include in a thesis statement (with examples)
- Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.
These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic. The first paragraph serves as kind of a funnel opening to the essay which draws and invites readers into the discussion, which is then focused by the thesis statement before the work of the essay actually begins. You will discover that some writers will delay the articulation of the paper's focus, its thesis, until the very end of the paper. That is possible if it is clear to thoughtful readers throughout the paper what the business of the essay truly is; frankly, it's probably not a good idea for beginning writers. It depends on your paper's type. If you need to argue a position or persuade somebody, you should make your thesis statement argumentative. As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic. In this article, we explain how to write a thesis statement in the best way possible.
