Thesis formation and thesis statement writing

Thesis formation and thesis statement writing

Index of content

1. Introduction to thesis

2. Characteristics

3. Tips and tricks

4. QnA and practice

Introduction to thesis

What is thesis really ?

• The main argumentation/idea/contribution of your writing
• the concise answer to the question asked of you

• The axis around which all the components of your intellectual contribution revolves

A thesis is

• A simple repetition of a topic
• An introduction
• An opinion statement
• A statement of fact or observation
• A broad generalization
• A summary

A thesis is not

In conclusion, your thesis should make clear what your argument is; it should also provide the reader with some indication of why your argument is persuasive.

Purdue Online Writing Lab

Characteristics of thesis statements

Hint: They are not (always) the same thing

A thesis statement then, is a sentence in your writing that

1. tells the reader about the importance, rationale, approach, etc of the thesis.
2. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
3. directly answers the question asked of you.
4. contains a claim that others might dispute.
5. is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader.

Exercise: which among these are thesis statements?

1. The United Nations is incapable of preventing war"
2. Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.
3. In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.
4. This essay will provide an analysis of World War 2.

Tips and tricks

Make sure it correponds to your "thesis" and as a result, your type of paper

Make sure that it is complex; answer how and why

Checklist of a good thesis statement

Make sure that it answers one specific question that you were given

Consider a multifarious perspective, a wide variety of angle

There isn't any one rule that a thesis statement must conforms to, however, there are many heuristics.

Make sure it shows the importance of reading your writing

Good articulation and style help; this is not just all technical

Can we better these?

Exercise 2

Exercise 1

Exercise 3

High school graduates should be required to take a year off to pursue community service projects before entering college in order to increase their maturity and global awareness.

An analysis of the college admission process reveals one challenge facing counselors: accepting students with high test scores or students with strong extracurricular backgrounds.

Having more knowledge on the particular deffects of marijuana prohibition will equip us with the necessary thinking tools for better legislation

Remember to take into account the thesis of any writing you read from now on

Remember to review these once in a while, so that your thesis can be the best

Remember thesis itself is very flexible and should be judged on a cases by case basis; this is not an ultimate guide, and nothing is

Bonus writing exercise

For most college essays, you need a thesis statement that captures the argument, or central claim, of the essay

Source: Sweetland Center for Writing, University of Michigan

How do we improve this writing?

Great work focusing on my rambling! So, any question?