thesis statm
Bad: The internet has improved the lives of many.
– Again, while readers may agree with this and your statement may be true, how has the internet improved people’s lives? Also, you should run your thesis statement past the “What’s in it for me?” test. Why should readers care?
Good: The internet serves as a means of expediently connecting people across the globe, fostering new friendships and an exchange of ideas that wouldn’t have occurred prior to its inception.
– While the internet offers a host of benefits, we’re choosing to hone in on its ability to foster new friendships and exchange ideas. We’d also have to prove how this couldn’t have happened prior to the internet’s inception – and that is good. The tighter your focus, the better your paper.
Bad: High levels of alcohol consumption are bad for you.
– This is too broad. What are the specific detriments of alcohol consumption that you would like to discuss?
Good: High levels of alcohol consumption have detrimental effects on your personal health, such as weight gain, heart disease, and liver complications.
– Notice we got very specific in our reasons why. In your thesis statement, you don’t need to state every single detriment you’re going to lay out (in fact, you shouldn’t as it will risk becoming a run-on sentence) but you can point to the main areas you will explore.
The form of your thesis statement will look different depending on the aim of your paper.
This is the research process! The answer to your question is likely to change as you discover more evidence and sources. As you write the paper, keep developing and refining your thesis statement.
Arguable thesis statement/opening paragraph:
Arguable thesis statement:
You should provide a thesis early in your essay — in the introduction, or in longer essays in the second paragraph — in order to establish your position and give your reader a sense of direction.
- Are there two large statements connected loosely by a coordinating conjunction (i.e. “and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” “so,” “yet”)?
- Would a subordinating conjunction help (i.e. “through,” “although,” “because,” “since”) to signal a relationship between the two sentences?
- Or do the two statements imply a fuzzy unfocused thesis?
- If so, settle on one single focus and then proceed with further development.
Thesis comes from a Greek word that literally means “a setting down.” In the 300s BC, Aristotle defined thesis as when a philosopher puts forth a new idea that conflicts with general opinion.
Writing an explanatory essay in phases: thesis statement, body paragraph, concluding statement. Peer conversations to identify text evidence to support our thesis. pic.twitter.com/b6fdgx8rkD
References:
http://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/thesis-statement/
http://rasmussen.libanswers.com/faq/32467
http://www.cws.illinois.edu/workshop/writers/tips/thesis/
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/thesis-statement
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/thesis-statement-examples.html