English 104

Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements

•What is a thesis statement?▫A summary of your argument in 1-3

sentences▫The main idea that you will explore in-

depth within the body of your essay ▫Your debatable opinion

Placement

•Your thesis statement should come early in your paper, so the reader immediately knows the direction and purpose of your essay▫Ideally at the end of your introductory

paragraph▫Note: When reading longer texts,

particularly book-length works, the thesis can come after several introductory paragraphs

Tone

•Write in third person▫Eliminate statements such as “I think,” “In

my opinion,” “In this essay, I will show…”▫It is already understood that the essay is

your opinion, so there is no need to state it▫Writing in third person will give your essay

a stronger factual voice, making it more emphatic

Why avoid first person?

•To avoid sounding like you’re writing in your diary.▫This should be a formal essay, not a reflective journal

•To avoid using your own personal experiences as evidence▫Academic essays rely on verifiable documented evidence▫Your own personal experiences have not been professionally recorded and documented

Thesis Statements

•What makes a good thesis statement?▫Focused, specific, clear, debatable

•Avoid writing a thesis that is:▫Too general▫Too broad to be covered in the space/time

provided▫Simply a compare and contrast

Example #1

•“Language is important to humanity”▫This thesis statement is too general and too

broad.▫It is also not very debatable. Few would

disagree and say that language is unimportant.

▫If your thesis is already a generally accepted opinion, then there is no need to write an argumentative paper defending the claim.

Example #2

•“Chinese is spoken by the largest number of people, while English is spoken by the world’s leading superpower, so both languages are important.”▫A mediocre thesis statement that is mostly

compare & contrast, largely observational, and vague in terms of what is ‘important’

Be specific• Refine your thesis by asking yourself “So what?”

“Language is important to humanity.” That’s great, but so what? How is it important to humanity? What has it

allowed us to achieve? What do you mean by ‘language’?

• A better thesis statement: “Written communication was the essential element that allowed humans to evolve into a technologically advanced species.” Much more specific, narrow, and focused Improved diction and vocabulary

Be clear

•Remember your reader▫Don’t assume that your reader will

automatically know what you mean when you use general terms (like ‘language’)

▫Clarify, demonstrate, define With your thesis statement, as well as

throughout the body of your essay