The Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is vital to the organization of the paper. It tells the reader three things. First, it identifies the subject of the paper. Next, it indicates the direction of the paper will go. Then, it gives reasons why (we’ll use three) the discussion should go in that direction. An easy way to remember the three parts of a thesis sentence is this formula, ( S + D + 3R) which stands for:

SUBJECT + DIRECTION + THREE REASONS

Below are examples of a thesis statement. Writing is an important skill because it helps exchange thoughts, it is necessary in a high- tech society, and it increases mental strength in the writer. Swimming is a demanding sport because it requires proper breathing techniques, proper strokes, and proper body conditioning.

As you can see, the first word in each sentence is the subject (S) of the thesis sentence. The second part of the thesis sentence narrows the subject to become the direction (D) of thought in the paper. Suppose you choose money as the subject of your paper. Then you must choose a direction of thought, such as the history of money, or various kinds of money, or the creation of money.

Your task is to chose one direction quickly because you do not have very much space in your paper. In our case it will be five paragraphs and you will have four days to complete it. That is to pre-write, outline, rough draft, peer edit, edit, and type final copy.

The third part of the thesis sentence gives reasons in support of the topic. The three reasons in our model sentence are, for now, arbitrary. Later, you may elect to have two reasons or four reasons or more reasons, depending on the complexity of the topic.

The three reasons supporting the topic should make sense to the reader. Furthermore, the reasons should be placed in order of increasing importance. In other words, reason three should be the best and most important reason in the thesis sentence because it has the last chance to make an impact on the reader. In the writing assignments we do the sentence should be the last sentence in the introductory paragraph, where it is easy to read and easy to understand.

How do we do this: First choose a subject. Say computers—How do students use computers today? So students becomes the subject. What is our direction? Use of computers Now we need reasons: communication, entertainment, and school.

Now we combine all this into one sentence. Students use computers today for communication, for entertainment, and for school. Remember this will be the last sentence of your introductory paragraph.

Set your thesis statement to the side for now and concentrate on writing a opening sentence. We call this the attention grabber. We want to attract the reader, hook the reader, into reading more. There are several ways to do this. The following slides will show you examples that one may use to catch the readers interest.

Ask a question—Did anyone ever dress more distinctively than the old American cowboy? In fact, his costume is still imitated today. The cowboy wore a silk bandanna…. Give an example—Everything the cowboy wore served some practical use. His bandanna, for example, could be used as a dust mask….

Begin with a well-known quote— “I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy,” the old song says. It is true that no person was ever more suitably dressed for work than the cowboy. Around his neck…

Describe an action– A man stood silently listening to the footprints at the door. Each step sounded a jingle of spurs. He could tell without seeing the walker that the man approaching was a cowboy, a cowboy dressed for work, with spurs at his boot heels. He wore…….

Dialogue— “Lend me your neckerchief, Slim. I want to rope this calf.” The cowboy’s clothing was more than just a fashion statement. Other ways include: Statistics: this opening cites interesting stats about the topic. Problem: state the problem and how you will solve it.

Compare/contrast: this hook compares two things for similarities or contrasts two things for differences. Definition: This opening begins with a definition from a dictionary or a respected source. Shocker: will grab the reader’s attention by describing something dangerous, outrageous, or unexpected. Authority: use something from an expert or you yourself is the expert. So let’s try it.

How do students use computers today? Do you own a computer? (Question) Now we need at least three sentences of general details that lead us to our thesis. These sentences continue to pull the reader into the paper. Then we will add the thesis statement and we have our introduction done. Next, the body, and finally the conclusion. So here is a finished introduction.

Do you own a computer? In the 21 st century every school child has access to computers. In fact, most students have never been without computer technology. Students lives have always revolved around computers. Students use computers today for communication, for entertainment, and for school.