1. Thesis/Proposition Statements Express your thesis/proposition (conclusion) as a single, declarative sentence. Infinitive phrases or questions are NOT thesis statements OR main points. Since the thesis (conclusion) will be the defining statement of your argument, it should be as specific as possible.

2. Topic: State funding to colleges Thesis: –Decreases in state funding to colleges will result in cuts in educational programs, extracurricular offerings, and financial aid.

3. Be sure that the thesis statement includes enough information to differentiate your approach from other possibilities. –Not: Something must be done about AIDS –But: The threat of a national epidemic of AIDS requires a major governmental program of education, research, and treatment.

4. Analyze your topic by breaking your thesis statement into a list of questions to be answered during your debate. Thesis: –There are a number of sociological and developmental reasons for gangs being attractive to youth. –Exactly what are the sociological reasons for gangs being attractive to youth? –Exactly what are the developmental reasons for gangs being attractive to youth? –Do young people find gangs attractive?

5. Thesis: An entrepreneurial business plan discusses the objectives, needs, and financial projections for a business. Main Points: I. The first section of the business plan focuses on the objectives. II. The second section of the business plan establishes the need for the business. III. The third section contains the financial projections for the business.

6. All main points should be of equal importance in relation to the thesis of the speech. Make each main point mutually exclusive Have at least two subpoints per main point. In other words, don’t have one main point supported by lots of evidence, and then the next main point as very little evidence to support it: