English for Academic And Professional

Purposes
Prayer
What is Thesis Statement?

A thesis statement clearly identifies the topic

being discussed, includes the points discussed in
the paper, and is written for a specific audience.
Your thesis statement belongs at the end of your
first paragraph, also known as your introduction.
  One complete sentence that expresses your
position.

 Narrows the topic down to a specific focus of an

investigation.
 Establishes a direction for the entire paper.
 Points forward to the conclusion.
 Always stated in your introduction. (Usually at the end of
the first paragraph).
 Always take a stand and justify further discussion.
A thesis statement is not a statement
of fact.
 Your readers—especially your instructors—want to read
writing that engages them. Consequently, you must write
thesis statements that are arguable, not factual.
Statements of fact seem easy to write about because,
well, they are easy to prove. After all, they’re facts. The
problem is that you cannot write engaging papers around
statements of fact.
 A thesis statement is not a statement
of fact.
 Such theses prevent you from demonstrating
critical thinking and analytical skills, which you
want to show your instructor. If you were to write
a paper around the next two statements, your
writing would probably be quite dull because you
would be restating facts that the general public
already knows.
Thesis Statements always take a stand
and justify further discussion.
 In order to make your writing interesting, you
should develop a thesis statement that is
arguable. Sometimes you will be writing to
persuade others to see things your way and other
times you will simply be giving your strong opinion
and laying out your case for it.
 Examples

 Statement of fact:
Small cars get better fuel mileage than 4x4 pickup trucks.

 Arguable thesis statement:

The government should ban 4x4 pickup trucks except for
work-related use.
 Examples

 Statement of fact:
Foul language is common in movies.

 Arguable thesis statement:

The amount of foul language in movies is disproportionate
to the amount of foul language in real life.
 How do I create a thesis?

 A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process.

Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after
reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an
argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize
evidence, look for possible relationships between known
facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and
think about the significance of these relationships.
 How do I create a thesis?

 Onceyou do this thinking, you will probably have

a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main
idea and an argument that you think you can
support with evidence. Both the argument and
your thesis are likely to need adjustment along
the way.
The elements of a thesis statement

 An essay thesis consists of four elements:

1.The main idea of your paper in a simple sentence.
2.A reason why you support this idea.
3.A counterargument to your claim, if there is one.
4.A valid piece of information that supports your position.

 When you have all the four points, you should organize them in
a coherent sentence or two using transitions and linking words.
Thesis statement examples (1):

“Stress in the fast-food workplace has led to

serious physical, psychological, and emotional
problems for employees.”

 Topic: stress in the fast-food workplace

 Claim: led to serious problems
 Major points: physical problems, psychological problems, emotional
problems
 Topic: stress in the fast-food workplace
 Claim: led to serious problems
 Major points: physical problems, psychological problems, emotional problems
Thesis statement examples (2):

 “Advertisers target young people when marketing

cigarettes, alcohol, and adult movies.”

 Topic: aggressive advertising
 Claim: wrong targeting young people
 Major points: cigarettes, alcohol, and adult movies