Building an
Effective
Thesis
Statement
English 9
Argumentative Paper
Mrs. Zaso
What is a thesis?
A
clear statement of the
writer’s position
A
claim statement
An
indication of what the
writer will prove through the
writing
The Thesis Formula
Subject + Position + 2 Reasons = Thesis
Subject – WHAT/WHO are you talking about?
Position – Where do you STAND on the subject?
What are you going to argue about it?
Reasons – How will you PROVE your position is true?
What textual evidence exists to back up claim?
Thesis Example # 1
 Walt
Disney has greatly impacted the world
of entertainment by changing children’s lives
with his animated films and bringing families
together with the help of his theme parks.
Thesis Example # 2
 Scout
learns the truth about racism in the
south by experiencing Tom Robinson’s
trial and sharing a close relationship with
Calpurnia.
Thesis Writing Tips
 Stay
in 3rd person – NO “I, me, my, we, us, you, your”
 Clarify
all pronouns w/ antecedents  “he” must be
previously mentioned as Odysseus, for example
 Follow
 Use
the structure and format provided!
parallel verb forms when listing reasons  “ing”,
“ed”, etc.
What is Parallelism?
 Encouraging
team sports at a young age
proves substantial later in life because
they promote interacting with others,
dealing with high pressure situations, and
maintaining physical well-being.
 Typically
“ing” or “ed” words
Time to Decide!
Pick
a topic!
Pick
an argument!
Prove
it!
Argumentative Topic # 1
 Choose
ONE of the following as your thesis:
 Odysseus
was a puppet of the gods and did
not have control of his own fate because…
(pick two examples)
OR
 Odysseus
had control of his own fate and
was not a puppet of the gods because…
(pick two examples)
Trying to Decide?
 Not
crazy about picking topic # 1?
 Consider
option # 2…
Argumentative Topic # 2
 Choose
ONE of the following as your thesis:
 Odysseus
was a strong leader and did
everything he could to help his crew
because… (pick two examples)
OR
 Odysseus
was not a strong leader and
ultimately contributed to the destruction of his
own men because… (pick two examples)