Writing an Effective Thesis Statement

Why is it the First Step? To know right from the start if you have a clear and workable thesis. To use the thesis as a guide while writing your essay, so you ask yourself “Does this support my thesis?” With the thesis as a guide, the danger of drifting away from the point of the essay is greatly reduced.

Understanding Thesis Statement A Good Thesis statement does two things: Telling the reader an essay’s topic Presenting the writer’s attitude, opinion, idea, or point about that topic.

Writing a Good Thesis Statement 1- Write a statements, NOT announcements: The subject of this paper will be my parents. My parents helped me overcome my shyness. 2- Avoid statements that are Too Broad : Insects are fascinating creatures. Strength, organization, and communication make ants one of nature’s most successful insects.

Writing a Good Thesis Statement 3- Avoid statements that are Too Narrow: A hurricane hit southern Florida last summer. Officials made a number of mistakes in their response to the recent Florida hurricane. 4- Make sure statements develop One Idea: One of the most serious problems affecting young people today is bullying, and it is time more kids learned the value of helping others.

Supporting Your Thesis with Details Specific Details: Usually a body paragraph is made up of vague generalities rather than specific supporting details. Why Specific details are important: 1- excite the reader’s interest making the writing a pleasure to read. 2- explain a writer’s point giving evidence needed for general ideas to be seen and understood An ineffective body paragraph ask a reader to guess about these details. An effective paragraph describes the details in specific & lively way.

Supporting Your Thesis with Details Adequate Details: You must provide ENOUGH specific details to fully support the point in a body paragraph of an essay. One or two sentences is not enough; you have to either extend the example or add several examples showing your point. Do not disguise the lack of adequate support through repetition and generalities, and be ready to do the plain hard work needed to provide solid support for each paragraph.

Sources Langan, John. College Writing Skills with Readings.