The Thesis Statement

By Mimi Taylor

A Thesis Statement is NOT

• 1. a statement of fact

• Example – Automobile accidents account for the highest number of deaths among teens.

• 2. a question

• Example – What can we do to lower the rate of automobile accidents among teens in Georgia?

A thesis statement is NOTcontinued

• 3. An announcement

• Example – In this essay, I am going to discuss the ways that we could lower the number of automobile accidents among teens in Georgia.

Definition

• A thesis statement is a sentence that sets up the purpose of a piece of writing. It serves two purposes: 1. it keeps the writer focused 2. it lets the reader know the purpose of the writing

• The thesis statement usually comes at the end of the introduction. It should never be the first sentence of the first paragraph.

• The thesis statement is usually the answer to a question.

Parts of the thesis statement

• 1. The topic for discussion• 2. The focus on the topic• 3. The plan of development (items in a series)• Example: In order to reduce the number of

automobile accidents among teens in Georgia, we should strengthen current laws for teen drivers, put mandatory drivers education back into the public schools, and raise the driving age to seventeen.

Parts of the thesis statement continued

• In the preceding thesis statement, the topic for discussion is automobile accidents among teens in Georgia. The focus on the topic is reducing the number of accidents. The plan of development is the three items in the series.

• Note: the plan of development sets up the outline for the paper. It is usually developed in emphatic order – least to most.

• Note: the points in the plan of development should be parallel in grammatical form – nouns, verbs, phrases, etc.

Examples

• 1. What makes a good teacher?• Thesis – A good teacher develops a good

rapport with the students, knows the subject matter, and relays the subject matter to students in a clear, interesting manner.

• The subject is teacher; the focus is good; the plan of development is the series of items.

Examplescontinued

• 2. What are some problems that women encounter in the workforce today?

• Example – Women in the workforce today often encounter problems, such as discrimination, stereotyping, and sexual harassment.

• The subject for discussion is women in the workforce today; the focus is often encounter problems; the plan of development is the items in the series.

Examplescontinued

• 3. Why did you choose Chattahoochee Technical College?

• Example – I decided to attend Chattahoochee Technical College because it is close to my home and work, it is affordable, and it has wonderful English instructors. (just kidding)

• The topic for discussion is CTC; the focus is why I decided to attend CTC; the plan of development is the items in a series.

Developing an essay around a thesis statement

• Introduction – background information, reader orientation, set up the topic, give the thesis statement (with a plan of development)

• Body Paragraph #1 – First point in the thesis statement

• Body Paragraph #2 – Second point in the thesis statement

• Body Paragraph #3 – Third point in the thesis statement

• Concluding Paragraph – reiterate, summarize

Other Info

• A body paragraph should contain a clear topic sentence reflecting the point in the thesis statement that is being discussed.

• There should be two or three specific examples in each body paragraph to illustrate the point being made.

• There should be a concluding sentence in each body paragraph.

Other Infocontinued

• You are never locked into a number of maximum paragraphs in an essay.

• You may have two introductory paragraphs and several body paragraphs.

• You may have more than one body paragraph per point in the thesis.

• Five paragraphs is minimum!