Thesis Statements and How to Create Them in Your Writing

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Thesis Statementsand How to Create Them in Your
Writing

• Adapted from Choices, a handbook on writing from
  Pearson

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What is a thesis?

• A thesis is a complete sentence that demonstrates
  the take away value of your writing.
• It answers the question readers may be asking
  themselves So what?

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Answers to these questions will lead you to the
thesis or the main idea.

• Why will your readers care about your topic and
  your writing?
• What do you want your readers to take away from
  your writing?
• Why are you the best person to write about this
  topic in this way at this time?

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An effective thesis statement demands proof or
demonstration.

• It is never a question, but it is often the
  answer to a question.

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A thesis statement . . .

• Uses specific, objective language
• Identifies the topic
• States your purpose, intention, or attitude
  toward the topic
• May suggest the arrangement or organization of
  the ideas to come

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Writers commonly revise their thesis statements.

• Dont expect to think of a perfect thesis at the
  beginning.
• Plan to create a working thesis that you can
  use as you revise your sloppy copy into a draft.
• A working thesis need not be elegant or formal
  it just needs to get you started.

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Some examples of poor thesis statements and
revision

• My instructor has an attendance policy.
• My instructor should change her attendance policy
  because it is unreasonable, inflexible, and
  unfair.
• Some children show violent behavior.
• Conflict-resolution courses should be taught to
  help prevent violence in Americas schools.
• Social networking sites such as Facebook can
  cause problems.
• College students should be careful of what they
  put on their Facebook pages because prospective
  employees routinely check them.

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Some strategies that can help you create a
working thesis

• Reword the topic question into a statement.
• Use I statements. Writing from your own
  viewpoint can help you figure out what you are
  trying to say. If first person is not
  appropriate for your audience, you can edit the
  wording later.

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More Strategies

• Choose a sentence from the last paragraph of your
  sloppy copy. Writers often figure out what they
  want to say as they are writing.
• Choose any sentence from your sloppy copy that
  meets the criteria. You just need something to
  get you started you can change your working
  thesis as you write.

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Use a fill-in-the-blank sentence.

• Although many people think ____, in reality,
  ____ because ____.
• _____ is the most significant _____ because
  _____.
• ______ illuminates the role of ______ in
  peoples lives by showing us how _______, _____,
  and _____.

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More fill-in-the-blanks

• Although many reasons have been suggested for
  _____, they all boil down to _____.
• _____ is true for these reasons _____, _____,
  _____, and _____.
• X has argued that _____, but Ys position is
  stronger because _____.
• The more important effects of _____ went beyond
  those of _____.

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Remember that a thesis statement helps to shape
the rest of your paper.

• Different thesis statements lead to different
  papers.
• If you find that your paper does not match your
  working thesis, you will need to change one to
  fit the other.

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Any Questions?

• Note This PowerPoint was first developed by
  Professor David Carithers, Department of English
  and MFL, and has helped numerous students with
  shaping thesis statements. Example thesis
  statements were taken from Patterns for College
  Writing by Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R.
  Mandell. In September of 2014, Riley Rich,
  student assistant in the Writing Center,
  redesigned this PowerPoint and added example
  thesis statements.