what is the purpose of a thesis
This writer must convince readers that governments should take some action; but, he or she must also convince readers that manufacturers can and should improve their engines.
Consumers should purchase cars from manufacturers who have made significant improvements to their engines’ efficiency and cleanliness, thereby forcing other manufacturers to improve theirs to stay competitive.
This writer states the document’s purpose and organization in one sentence. Note, also, that he or she has chosen to address readers in the first person (“I will”), a strategy that is sometimes appropriate for this type of document.
This report synthesizes key background information for readers interested in the debates over manufacturers’ improvements to efficiency and cleanliness of the three major types of internal combustion engines used in today’s cars.
Some examples of descriptive theses:
In some cases a descriptive thesis may strongly imply a prescriptive argument as well (as in most of the examples above). However, note that one can agree or disagree with the descriptive thesis regardless of how one feels about the moral question. For example, some people agree that global warming is real and caused by human activity, but they do not believe it is a bad thing.
“Bog turtle sunning” by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.
But you need not run for president or student government in order to give a meaningful speech. On the contrary, opportunities abound for those interested in engaging speech as a tool for change. Perhaps the simplest way to find a topic is to ask yourself a few questions. See the textbox entitled “Questions for Selecting a Topic” for a few questions that will help you choose a topic.
The goal of a purpose statement is to announce the purpose, direction and the general scope of the paper. Nevertheless, unlike a thesis statement, purpose statement does not provide particular conclusions made by the writer. Just like a thesis statement, a purpose statement is located at the end of the intro paragraph, or may take the form of a separate paragraph in large papers, such as dissertations etc.
You may use such phrases for your purpose statement:
A purpose statement announces the purpose, scope, and direction of the paper. It tells the reader what to expect in a paper and what the specific focus will be.
A thesis statement is generally located near the end of the introduction. Sometimes in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or an entire paragraph.
References:
http://app.shoreline.edu/doldham/102/HTML/What%20is%20a%20Thesis.html
http://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-publicspeakingprinciples/chapter/chapter-8-the-topic-purpose-and-thesis/
http://medium.com/sable-university-writing-tips/difference-between-thesis-statement-and-purpose-statement-53788e7b589a
http://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/process/thesis_or_purpose/
http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/flounder