T. C. Norris March 2012

Definition A thesis statement is a one-sentence statement that focuses the reader’s attention on the point of the essay. It should be brief enough so as not to be confusing, but not so brief that it does not prepare the reader for the essay.

Alternatives There are several kinds of thesis statements. The kind you choose should be based on the nature of your essay and how much you have to say about your topic. For now, we will focus on the kind of thesis that is good for the kinds of papers you will write for most of your writing classes. Your teacher may introduce you to other thesis formats.

Elements In order to be effective, a thesis should contain three elements: The topic of the essay (determined through prewriting) The writer’s opinion (the point he wants to make about the topic) An outline of the main points he will use to support his opinion (three is a good balance)

Example For an essay whose general topic is the size of classes in school, the thesis might contain this information: Topic: Large Classes (narrowed through prewriting) Opinion: Not good Outline (reasons, for this essay): Lack of opportunity to participate in the class Inefficient teacher-student ratio too much work for the teacher

Example, con’t. Those three elements could be combined into the following thesis statement: Large classes in school (topic) are not good (opinion) because they result in a lack of opportunity for class participation, an inefficient teacher-student ratio, and too much work for the teacher (outline).

Practice 1. Choose a topic for an essay (either a current assignment or an imaginary one). 2. Do some prewriting if you haven’t already. 3. Determine what information you want to include in your thesis. 4. List that information according to the parts of a thesis: Topic: Opinion: Outline: First point: Second Point: Third point:

Practice, con’t. Now, put those elements together into one clear sentence that will be the focal point of the essay.

For Further Development Take each point in your outline and write it in its own sentence, adding a transition that indicates which point it is...

For Further Development, con’t....For the sample thesis on the size of classes, those sentences might be like this: 1. One reason that large classes are not good is that they don’t allow for participating in class. 2. Another reason large classes are not good is that they produce an inefficient teacher-student ratio. 3. Finally, large classes are not good because they create too much work for the teacher.

For Further Development, con’t. These sentences will be the topic sentences for your body paragraphs, and the body paragraphs will explain in detail why/how those points support the thesis.