The Thesis Statement
A thesis statement is vital to the organization
of the paper. It tells the reader three things.
First, it identifies the subject of the paper.
Next, it indicates the direction of the paper
will go. Then, it gives reasons why (we’ll use
three) the discussion should go in that
direction. An easy way to remember the three
parts of a thesis sentence is this formula, ( S +
D + 3R) which stands for:
SUBJECT + DIRECTION + THREE REASONS
Below are examples of a thesis statement.
Writing is an important skill because it helps
exchange thoughts, it is necessary in a hightech society, and it increases mental strength
in the writer.
Swimming is a demanding sport because it
requires proper breathing techniques, proper
strokes, and proper body conditioning.
As you can see, the first word in each sentence
is the subject (S) of the thesis sentence.
The second part of the thesis sentence
narrows the subject to become the direction
(D) of thought in the paper. Suppose you
choose money as the subject of your paper.
Then you must choose a direction of thought,
such as the history of money, or various kinds
of money, or the creation of money.
Your task is to chose one direction quickly
because you do not have very much space in
your paper. In our case it will be five
paragraphs and you will have four days to
complete it. That is to pre-write, outline,
rough draft, peer edit, edit, and type final
copy.
The third part of the thesis sentence gives
reasons in support of the topic. The three
reasons in our model sentence are, for now,
arbitrary. Later, you may elect to have two
reasons or four reasons or more reasons,
depending on the complexity of the topic.
The three reasons supporting the topic should
make sense to the reader. Furthermore, the
reasons should be placed in order of increasing
importance. In other words, reason three should
be the best and most important reason in the
thesis sentence because it has the last chance to
make an impact on the reader. In the writing
assignments we do the sentence should be the
last sentence in the introductory paragraph,
where it is easy to read and easy to understand.
How do we do this: First choose a subject.
Say computers—How do students use
computers today?
So students becomes the subject.
What is our direction? Use of computers
Now we need reasons: communication,
entertainment, and school.
Now we combine all this into one sentence.
Students use computers today for
communication, for entertainment, and for
school.
Remember this will be the last sentence of
your introductory paragraph.
Set your thesis statement to the side for now
and concentrate on writing a opening
sentence. We call this the attention grabber.
We want to attract the reader, hook the
reader, into reading more. There are several
ways to do this. The following slides will show
you examples that one may use to catch the
readers interest.
Ask a question—Did anyone ever dress more
distinctively than the old American cowboy?
In fact, his costume is still imitated today. The
cowboy wore a silk bandanna….
Give an example—Everything the cowboy wore
served some practical use. His bandanna , for
example, could be used as a dust mask….
Begin with a well-known quote— “I see by your
outfit that you are a cowboy,” the old song
says. It is true that no person was ever more
suitably dressed for work than the cowboy.
Around his neck…
Describe an action– A man stood silently
listening to the footprints at the door. Each
step sounded a jingle of spurs. He could tell
without seeing the walker that the man
approaching was a cowboy, a cowboy dressed
for work, with spurs at his boot heels. He
wore…….
Dialogue— “Lend me your neckerchief, Slim. I
want to rope this calf.” The cowboy’s clothing
was more than just a fashion statement.
Other ways include:
Statistics: this opening cites interesting stats
about the topic.
Problem: state the problem and how you will
solve it.
Compare/contrast: this hook compares two
things for similarities or contrasts two things for
differences.
Definition: This opening begins with a definition
from a dictionary or a respected source.
Shocker: will grab the reader’s attention by
describing something dangerous, outrageous, or
unexpected.
Authority: use something from an expert or you
yourself is the expert.
So let’s try it.
How do students use computers today?
Do you own a computer? (Question)
Now we need at least three sentences of general
details that lead us to our thesis. These
sentences continue to pull the reader into the
paper. Then we will add the thesis statement and
we have our introduction done. Next, the body,
and finally the conclusion. So here is a finished
introduction.
Do you own a computer? In the 21st
century every school child has access to
computers. In fact, most students have never
been without computer technology. Students
lives have always revolved around computers.
Students use computers today for
communication, for entertainment, and for
school.