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- How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples
How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples
Published on January 11, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on August 15, 2023 by Eoghan Ryan.
A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . It usually comes near the end of your introduction .
Your thesis will look a bit different depending on the type of essay you’re writing. But the thesis statement should always clearly state the main idea you want to get across. Everything else in your essay should relate back to this idea.
You can write your thesis statement by following four simple steps:
- Start with a question
- Write your initial answer
- Develop your answer
- Refine your thesis statement
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Table of contents
What is a thesis statement, placement of the thesis statement, step 1: start with a question, step 2: write your initial answer, step 3: develop your answer, step 4: refine your thesis statement, types of thesis statements, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about thesis statements.
A thesis statement summarizes the central points of your essay. It is a signpost telling the reader what the essay will argue and why.
The best thesis statements are:
- Concise: A good thesis statement is short and sweet—don’t use more words than necessary. State your point clearly and directly in one or two sentences.
- Contentious: Your thesis shouldn’t be a simple statement of fact that everyone already knows. A good thesis statement is a claim that requires further evidence or analysis to back it up.
- Coherent: Everything mentioned in your thesis statement must be supported and explained in the rest of your paper.
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The thesis statement generally appears at the end of your essay introduction or research paper introduction .
The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts and among young people more generally is hotly debated. For many who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education: the internet facilitates easier access to information, exposure to different perspectives, and a flexible learning environment for both students and teachers.
You should come up with an initial thesis, sometimes called a working thesis , early in the writing process . As soon as you’ve decided on your essay topic , you need to work out what you want to say about it—a clear thesis will give your essay direction and structure.
You might already have a question in your assignment, but if not, try to come up with your own. What would you like to find out or decide about your topic?
For example, you might ask:
After some initial research, you can formulate a tentative answer to this question. At this stage it can be simple, and it should guide the research process and writing process .
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Now you need to consider why this is your answer and how you will convince your reader to agree with you. As you read more about your topic and begin writing, your answer should get more detailed.
In your essay about the internet and education, the thesis states your position and sketches out the key arguments you’ll use to support it.
The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its many benefits for education because it facilitates easier access to information.
In your essay about braille, the thesis statement summarizes the key historical development that you’ll explain.
The invention of braille in the 19th century transformed the lives of blind people, allowing them to participate more actively in public life.
A strong thesis statement should tell the reader:
- Why you hold this position
- What they’ll learn from your essay
- The key points of your argument or narrative
The final thesis statement doesn’t just state your position, but summarizes your overall argument or the entire topic you’re going to explain. To strengthen a weak thesis statement, it can help to consider the broader context of your topic.
These examples are more specific and show that you’ll explore your topic in depth.
Your thesis statement should match the goals of your essay, which vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing:
- In an argumentative essay , your thesis statement should take a strong position. Your aim in the essay is to convince your reader of this thesis based on evidence and logical reasoning.
- In an expository essay , you’ll aim to explain the facts of a topic or process. Your thesis statement doesn’t have to include a strong opinion in this case, but it should clearly state the central point you want to make, and mention the key elements you’ll explain.
If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
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A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.
The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:
- It gives your writing direction and focus.
- It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.
Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.
Follow these four steps to come up with a thesis statement :
- Ask a question about your topic .
- Write your initial answer.
- Develop your answer by including reasons.
- Refine your answer, adding more detail and nuance.
The thesis statement should be placed at the end of your essay introduction .
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McCombes, S. (2023, August 15). How to Write a Thesis Statement | 4 Steps & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/
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How to Write a Thesis Statement
About this worksheet:.
Practice developing thesis statements with this writing introduction worksheet! Students will learn how to improve their writing with a strong, attention grabbing thesis statement. This activity helps build writing skills by asking students to create a statement for the topics provided, such as: “What was the greatest challenge in your life?”.
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Topic Sentences & Thesis Statements Read the following 3 paragraphs. Write a topic sentence for each paragraph. When you have completed the topic sentences, write one thesis statement that would be appropriate for an essay on the same topic. Answers will vary. For screen reader users, space to write is indicated with *. 1.
Thesis statement - A thesis statement is a direct statement that explains the topic of your essay, what you believe about that topic, and why you believe it. ... Guided Practice: Writing Prompt: The state of Illinois has been locked into a debate for several years as to whether the driving age should be raised
5. A troublesome thesis is a fragment; a good thesis statement is expressed in a complete sentence. Example: How life is in New York after September 11th. Better: After September 11th, the city of New York tends to have more cases of post-traumatic disorder than other areas of the United States and rightfully so.
Thesis statements - 1-2 sentences that tell the reader your topic and what you will say about it. Direct thesis statements outline the main idea and the organization of the essay for the reader. Underline the topic, circle the controlling idea, and double underline the sub-topics in the following
hesis Statements PracticeThesis statements are sentences that writers use to focus their ideas and express the m. int of their writing. I.Re. the following sentences. As you read co. are fine as they are (OK)______ Manitoba is famous for its landscape, weather. d Festival du Voyageur. ______Miss X can make fift.
Thesis statement - Public health departments need to target teenage smokers with aggressive promotional campaigns in order to combat lung damage, cancer, and heart disease among this group. Exercise 3: Order the following ideas from general (1) to narrow (5). Underline the topic, circle the controlling idea, and double underline the sub ...
thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you'll make in the rest of your paper. What is a thesis statement? A thesis statement: tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of ...
A thesis driven essay is comprised of an initial thesis statement that establishes a claim or argument, and ensuing topic sentences that support and develop that claim. Ideally, a reader would be able to read only the thesis statement and topic sentences of your text, and still be able to understand the main ideas and logical progression of ...
Thesis Statements. Lesson Objectives: 1. To understand the purpose of a thesis statement 2. To convey the importance of a one sentence thesis statement Preparation: 1. Review lesson plan, student handouts, and the activity answer key. 2. Check if there are enough copies of all student handouts. Make copies if necessary. Handouts: 1. Student Notes
356 ©2011 Nancy Fetzer Thesis Statement: Student Worksheet Purpose: To provide students with a tool to practice formulating and writing topic sentences and thesis statements..The organizer displays the formula (setting, subject, big idea) and four boxes for planning ideas and recording fancy words.
Thesis Statements. WHAT IS A THESIS?? Your thesis statement asserts the central idea of your writing. The thesis takes a clear-cut position on a debatable topic, or summarizes the main point of argument of your paper. The thesis answers the main question or problem associated with your topic, which your course's assignment directions often state.
Strong Thesis Statement. ral idea or main argument of theIt typically appears at the end of the introduction as the last sentence. though it may appear elsewhere).The thesis may be implied or explicitly stated, but it shoul. always be evident to the reader.The thesis may differ in form depending on the type of writing (argumentative, persuasi.
me. citizens when th. Statement (Lesson 21 - Practice Worksheet B) irections: Read each outline for a composition. Then write an appropriate thesis state. ent on the lines for the composition described.1. a composition that discusses th. responsibilities involved in carin. for a pet.Topic: What pet ownership inv.
Checklist of a Strong Thesis Statement. ü Clear and concise. • R-T sentences (rest of intro can explain hows, whys, and whats in more detail) • Presents summary picture of your main argument. • Avoids hedging ("I hope to show," "I will try to prove," etc.) ü Specific and Arguable. • Avoids broad / unprovable statements.
1. Thesis. Your thesis is the central claim in your essay—your main insight or idea about your source or topic. Your thesis should appear early in an academic essay, followed by a logically constructed argument that supports this central claim. A strong thesis is arguable, which means a thoughtful reader could disagree with it and therefore ...
ThesisStatement&Practice& Answer&Key&!! Decideifthefollowing!aregoodt hesis!statements!or!not.!!Write!yes!ifitisagoodone. Write!no!if!it!is!a!weak!thesis!statement ...
Debrief this process with the class and provide feedback. Model Step 8. As a whole class, practice Step 8. Have individual students choose a new, previously studied topic and create a new thesis statement using Steps 1-8. Give specific feedback to individuals and share examples with the whole class. 4.
Writing a Thesis Statement Blinn College - Bryan Writing Center Fall 2022 Step 3: Writing a Thesis Statement This worksheet will help you draft a solid thesis statement. Remember, the thesis holds your paper together and guides your research, so be sure it says exactly what you mean. The spaces below are
Arguable thesis statement: The government should ban smoking altogether. Statement of fact: Small cars get better fuel mileage than 4x4 pickup trucks. Arguable thesis statement: The government should ban 4x4 pickup trucks except for work-related use. Statement of fact: On average, people with college degrees earn more money in the workplace.
This is a stronger thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific. 2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion. Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:
Placement of the thesis statement. Step 1: Start with a question. Step 2: Write your initial answer. Step 3: Develop your answer. Step 4: Refine your thesis statement. Types of thesis statements. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about thesis statements.
With the prompt as a guide, here are the topic sentences for each body paragraph: Topic Sentence #1: The repeated characterization of Lilith as "too spirited" highlights her tenacity and pride, which are unusual traits for the enslaved characters to possess. Topic Sentence #2: The term "spirited" also connects Lilith to the spiritual ...
About this Worksheet: Practice developing thesis statements with this writing introduction worksheet! Students will learn how to improve their writing with a strong, attention grabbing thesis statement. This activity helps build writing skills by asking students to create a statement for the topics provided, such as: "What was the greatest ...