Thesis Statements
THESE ARE NOT EASY SO--HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS!
For the Writer,
The thesis statement:
 Serves as a planning tool.
 Helps the writer determine the paper's real focus and
clarify the relationship between ideas.
 Becomes a hook on which the writer can "hang" the
sub-theses or the topic sentences that present
evidence in support of the argument.
 Anticipates questions about the topic and provides
the unifying thread between pieces of information.
For the Reader,
The thesis statement:
 Serves as a "map" to follow throughout the paper.
 Prepares the reader to read.
 Keeps the reader focused on the argument.
 Helps the reader spot the main ideas.
 Engages the reader in the argument.
 Offers enough detail for your reader to grasp your
argument.
Thesis Statement Checklist
www.tru.ca/arts/writingcentre/owl/emergency/thesis.html
Is my thesis:
 Stated in a single sentence?
 Stated at the beginning of the document?
 Sufficiently narrow?
 Backed up by examples?
 Not revealed only at the end?
A Thesis Statement is NOT:
© 2003 University of West Florida Writing Lab
 Points to remember:
1. A thesis statement cannot be a fragment; it must be a sentence.
2. A thesis statement should not be a question.
3. A thesis statement should not contain phrases such as “I think”
4. A thesis statement should not be a blanket statement.
5. A thesis statement should not contain elements that are not
clearly related.
6. A thesis statement should not be expressed in vague language.
7. A thesis statement should not be too narrow.
8. A thesis statement should not contain obscure or garbled
language.
Strategies That Work
Author: Writing Center, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Published 1999
1. Begin with a purpose statement (which you will later turn into a
thesis statement).
2. If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s)
into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your
opinion.
e.g. Do fad diets work?
3. Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you
plan to write:
e.g. The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the
consumers' sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.
4. Examine your Outline/Cluster and see if something pops out at you.
This process often will lead to a "working thesis."
5. Start with a subject…. then use a phrase to link it…with three main
points.
Three-Part Thesis Statement/Parallelism
faculty.southwest.tn.edu/sblack/.../Parallelism3Part.htm
 We write three-part thesis statements for three
reasons:
1. To preview for our readers the three supporting
points that we will introduce in our three
supporting paragraphs.
2. To force ourselves to consider at the very beginning
of our essay the appropriateness of the points with
which we will support our thesis.
3. To be effective, the three parts of the three part
thesis statement must be parallel in two distinct
ways.
What is meant by Parallel Thesis Statements?
faculty.southwest.tn.edu/sblack/.../Parallelism3Part.htm
 They must be grammatically parallel.


Grammatical parallelism means that the three parts must be the
same parts of speech or parts of the same sentence:
If using a single word, use the same parts of speech: all adjectives, all
adverbs, all nouns, and so on.

Here's an example: “Harper’s foreign policies may be financially,
socially, and politically short sighted for Canada." (three adjectives
modifying "disasters")
 They must also be conceptually parallel.

Conceptual parallelism means that the three parts must all be at the
same level of generality. Which is correct?
1. "She likes to dance, swim, and breathe.“
2. "She likes to dance, swim, and waltz.“
3. "She likes to dance, swim, and run.“
Write Grammatically Parallel
Thesis Statements
Our employees are
1.
a.
b.
c.
motivated
good training
knowledgeable
2. Our doctor is
a.
full of medical advice
b.
competent
c.
caring
3. I’ve noticed that my friends are increasingly
a.
concerned about smoking
b.
interested in fitness
c.
environmental awareness
From the Beginning!
 Select a subject
 Make sure it is significant, single, specific and supportable
 Write an outline using lists or clusters
 Make sure the three main points you have are distinct and
clearly related to your subject
 Arrange your points chronologically, climatically or logically
 Write a thesis statement
 Make sure it is grammatically parallel