A thesis statement is a single sentence that summarizes your paper’s or essay’s main idea. It’s normally at the bottom of your opening paragraph. Depending on the style of essay you’re writing, your thesis will be slightly different.
However, the thesis statement should always describe the main point you wish to make. The rest of your essay should revolve around this concept. Now that we know the meaning of thesis statement. Let us move on to its importance. So, here is why a thesis statement is very essential:
- It puts your thoughts to the test by limiting them into a phrase or two.
- Helps to improve the organization and development of your argument.
- This should give your reader a steer to your argument
- It offers your writing purpose and aim.
- It provides a brief overview of your core point to the reader.
How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement?
The essay-writing process is guided by a strong thesis statement. You’ll be able to develop strong thesis statements for argumentative, expository, and analytical essays with practice.
1.Brainstorm:
Before you start writing, think about what you want to say. It doesn’t matter how elegant or intriguing your thesis statement is if it’s too hard to defend. Try to picture the body paragraphs you could write to support your thesis statement when composing it.
Consider possible counterarguments and make sure you can defend your thesis against them
2. Provide an Answer to a Specific Question:
Consider your thesis to be the solution to a critical issue. Your thesis statement should explain to potential readers why they should read your essay and what they will learn from it.
3. Keep it Brief:
The majority of powerful thesis statements may be conveyed in a single sentence. It’s okay to use a multi-sentence thesis statement, but don’t go too deep into your argument. The rest of your multi-page document is for that purpose.
4. Consider a hub-and-spoke Structure:
Consider your thesis to be the heart of your whole essay. The body paragraphs are the spokes that branch off from the thesis, and the subject sentences are the screws that hold each spoke to the hub.
Your thesis, like the hub of a wheel, must be central to the material of your work, the home base to which that content returns. If your argument isn’t strong enough to play this function, rework it or look for one that is.
5. Have Evidence to Support your Thesis:
Your thesis should not be a basic factual statement that everyone is aware of. A good thesis statement is one that is supported by further evidence or research. Your thesis statement, especially in an argumentative essay, should be something that others may challenge or disagree with.
6. Keep it Coherent:
Your thesis statement may touch on various areas of your subject, but they should all come together to form a coherent whole that expresses one central point. The rest of your work must support and clarify everything specified in your thesis statement
The 4 Main Examples of a Thesis Statement
The characteristics that create a good thesis statement differ depending on the type of writing you’re doing. The following are some examples of how a thesis statement may appear in a piece of writing:
1. Argumentative Essay Thesis Statement:
Your thesis should take a firm approach in an argumentative essay. The goal of the essay is to persuade your reader of this point through facts and argument.
For example,
“Human civilization is on the verge of collapse unless we severely restrict climate change over the next two decades.”
2. Narrative Essay Thesis Statement:
For example,
“Famous in death for his interest with the occult, Alistair Crowley was better known in his live as a climber who undertook journeys to the Himalayas and the Karakoram.”
3. Expository Thesis Statement:
You’ll try to explain the facts of a topic or procedure in an expository essay. Your thesis doesn’t have to express a strong view, but it should clearly identify the main point you wish to make about your subject and the main points you’ll discuss.
For example,
“The invention of Braille revolutionized the lives of blind people in the nineteenth century, but its success was dependent on sighted instructors’ acceptance, which was impacted by arguments over disabled people’s role in society.”
4. Analytical Thesis Statement:
If you’re writing an essay on evaluating a text, your thesis should explain the exact component you’ll be focusing on and what insight it provides into the text’s meaning or purpose.
For example,
“Edith Wharton’s life was a study in paradoxes, and it was these inconsistencies that turned her into the timeless novelist she is today.”
Tips for Writing a Strong Thesis Statement
1. Decide on the Type of Paper You’ll be Writing:
An analytical paper deconstructs a problem or a concept into its constituent pieces, assesses the problem or concept, and then delivers the breakdown and assessment to the audience.
An expository (explanatory) document instructs the audience on a topic.
In an argumentative paper, you make a claim about a topic and back it up with evidence. An opinion, a policy suggestion, an appraisal, a cause-and-effect assertion, or an interpretation might all be included in the claim.
The purpose of an argumentative paper is to persuade the reader that the claim is correct based on the evidence presented.
It should only address the topics you’ll be discussing throughout your research and be backed up with proof.
2. Be specific:
It should only address the topics you’ll be discussing throughout your research and be backed up with proof.
3. Mention it on the Correct Page:
The thesis statement is normally included towards the end of the first paragraph of a paper.
4. Update Your Thesis:
As you write, your topic may shift, therefore you may need to update your thesis statement to match what you’ve covered in the paper.
5. Check for Grammatical Errors:
Check for errors once you are done with composing the thesis statement. Grammatical errors or any other writing error can draw a bad impression about your writing capabilities.
For one last and final check you can ask yourself the following questions to see whether your Thesis Statement is strong enough.
- Did I answer the question?
- Have I taken a position that others may challenge or oppose?
- Is my Thesis Statement specific enough?
- Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering?
- Will my thesis pass the “so what” test?
- Does my thesis pass the “how and why” test?
If your thesis passes all these questions. Then, you have a very coherent and strong thesis statement. But, no matter how strong if your thesis is grammatically wrong then it will waste all your efforts.
So, it is best to leave that job to editing and proofreading services. Doing so will save you from all the night-long struggle and editing that your paper needs before submission.
-Isabell S.
