Transcript The Thesis Statement

The Thesis Statement
• Presents the main idea
• Usually one sentence
• Tells the reader what to expect
• Is a formal summary of your
essay topic
• Usually worded to have an
argumentative edge
Developing a Thesis Statement
• Examine your information
• Search for the main idea
• Find the key points that back it up
• Use the main idea & supporting key points to
develop your thesis statement
Common Errors
• Too narrow: Hundreds of northside commuters
drive their cars south to the city every morning.
• Better: Hundreds of northside commuters must
drive their cars south to the city every morning
because public transportation is not available
from the suburbs.
• Too broad: This paper will explain the reason
wars are fought.
• Better: The United States entered the conflict in
Vietnam to deny the spread of communism by
first upholding French control, then by
attempting to build and maintain South
Vietnam’s independence, and finally striving to
deny victory to North Vietnam.
Thesis = topic + specific
assertion about
the topic
Are you stuck?
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Convert the topic to a question:
Topic: The impact of insecticides on wildlife
Question: How do insecticides affect wildlife?
Main Idea: Insecticides negatively affect wildlife
Supporting points
1.
Insecticides introduce poison into the food
chain.
2. Insecticides reduce insect populations that
animals eat.
3. Insecticides kill plants animals use to build
nests.
Thesis:
 Insecticides negatively impact wildlife by
introducing poison into the food chain, reducing
insect populations that animals eat, and killing
plants used for nesting.
Myths about Thesis Statements
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Every paper requires one
Must come at the end of the first paragraph
Must be once sentence in length.
You can’t start writing until you have a perfect
thesis statement
• Must give three points of support
Combine the following:
• What were the great developments of the late
19th Century?
Elements:
rise of industry, growth of cities, explosion of
population
• What are the problems associated with drug
abuse?
Elements: increased crime to support habit,
unhealthy babies born to addicted mothers.
Alternate thesis
• Drug abuse is a plague on society that must be
addressed in a manner more progressive than
incarceration.
• Does it work?
Alternate thesis
• Drug abuse harms not only the abuser but
innocent victims as well.
• (then develop each point of support)
• How does a web page benefit companies?
Elements: advertising, customer contact and
support, potential to capture marketing
information