1. Thesis statements

2. A Thesis is not a title: A title can often give the reader a clue of what the thesis is going to be, but the title is not a thesis. The thesis statement does not suggest the main idea; it is the main idea. Note: A thesis statement must also be a complete sentence. Example: Title: Year Round School Thesis Statement: Year round school is a disastrous concept with mythical benefits.

3. A Thesis is not an Announcement of the Subject: ("My paper is about...") A Thesis takes a stand. It expresses an attitude or opinion about a subject. It is not the subject itself. MLA urges us not to use the personal pronouns I, me, you, your (unless the essay is a personal narrative.) It is acceptable to use the pronoun we. Example: Announcement: My paper is on the incompetence of Mr. Law. Thesis Statement: Mr. Law is an incompetent teacher.

4. A Thesis is NOT a Statement of fact. A thesis makes a judgment or interpretation. There is no need to write a whole paper supporting a statement that needs no support. A thesis must be arguable. The addition of one opinion word will accomplish that goal. Example: Fact: The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg. Thesis: The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg, but it should be Philadelphia.

5. What an Effective Thesis Contains An effective thesis is restricted and deals with bite- sized issues rather than issues that would take a whole lifetime to discuss intelligently. A more restricted thesis lends itself to a tighter and more complete argument. Example: Not restricted enough: People are too selfish. Improved: Human selfishness is seen at its worst during rush hour.

6. A Thesis Must be Unified A thesis must express one major idea about the subject. For tight organization, an essay depends upon all details working to support one idea. A good thesis sometimes includes a secondary idea if it is strictly related to the major one. Be careful that the relationship is close or the paper will not have a tight focus, and the structure will suffer. Example: Not Unified: Detective stories are not a high form of literature; but people have always been fascinated by them, and many fine writers have experimented with them. Improved: Detective stories appeal to the basic human desire for thrills.

7. A Good Thesis is Specific Word choice is key when writing an effective thesis statement. Make sure that the thesis does not imply any ambiguity. Be careful to select words that are not dull, vague, or unclear. Example: Ambiguous: Drug addiction is a big problem. Improved: Drug addiction has caused a huge increase in violent crime.

8. Note: Writers may also extend the thesis statement by forecasting ( listing ) the major points that will be presented in the paper. A forecasting thesis is an excellent strategy to prepare the reader for a series of issues which will be discussed in that exact order in a lengthy paper. Short essays usually do not benefit from a forecasting thesis statement because it often becomes a summary and reveals too much too soon. Summaries are most effective as the conclusion of an essay. Example: Hemingway's war stories helped create a new prose style by employing extensive dialogue, shorter sentences, and strong Anglo-Saxon words.