THESIS
STATEMENTS
H. Fleming
WHAT IS A THESIS STATEMENT?
The “hardest working” sentence in essays.
Identifies the focus of your essay.
Function or Purpose: prepares your
audience to think about what you plan to
fully discuss or prove OVERALL.
Where is the thesis
statement located?
Your thesis statement
should almost always be
the last sentence of your
introductory (first)
paragraph.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD THESIS
A good thesis:
 is a complete sentence
 is a statement rather
than an announcement
 specific
 takes a position
 is written in third
person
A COMPLETE SENTENCE
NO
YES
Fragment
 Beowulf, who was a warrior of
great reknown.
Question
 Is Beowulf a true hero?
Complete Sentence
Because of his willingness to aid
others in the time of need,
Beowulf defines what it means to
be a true hero.
Beowulf is a poor example of true
heroism because he did not use
good judgment.
A STATEMENT RATHER THAN AN
ANNOUNCEMENT
NO
In my essay, I will discuss
whether Beowulf is a true
hero.
The subject of my paper is
Beowulf’s heroism.
YES
In Seamus Heaney’s
translation of the epic
poem Beowulf, the main
character defines what it
means to be a true hero
through his willingness to
aid others in their time of
need.
SPECIFIC STATEMENTS
Not Too Broad
Not Too Narrow
Beowulf is a book
about being heroic.
In the epic poem
Beowulf, the main
character defeats
Grendel through his
strength.
TAKES A POSITION
X There are many reasons why Beowulf is a
hero.
Because of his willingness to aid others in
the time of need, Beowulf defines what it
means to be a true hero.
FORMING YOUR THESIS STATEMENT:
TWO FORMULAS
Formula 1:
Formula 2:
A specific topic
+ a particular feeling,
feature, or stand
__________________
3 parts:
A specific topic
Attitude or opinion
How or why factor
__________________
= an effective thesis
statement
= an effective thesis
statement
EXAMPLES:
Formula 1: Writing to inform
Assignment: Essay about
opportunities in education
Specific topic: High school
internships
Internship
programs (specific topic) give
students real-world experiences
(particular feature).
Formula 2: Writing an argument
Assignment: Essay about
opportunities in education
Specific topic: High school
internships
Thesis Statement: Internship
programs (specific topic) benefit
most students (attitude or
opinion) because of students’
ability to learn through hands-on
training (how or why factor).