Bishop/English
Thesis Sentences
For many young writers, writing a thesis sentence/statement is one of the most difficult tasks in writing an
essay. No matter what you are writing about remember this formula:
Thesis = Idea/Topic + Attitude/Opinion
Idea:
Attitude:
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Identifies the topic (what)
of the paper
Sets the historical context
(where, when, etc.)
Establishes framework of
argument; Logic
A clear focus is the key!
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Expresses your viewpoint
- Causality
- Evaluation
- Significance/Importance
- Predictions/Consequences/Trends
Usually Debatable
To be supported by EVIDENCE in the
body of the paper
- Facts
- Logical Arguments
- Citation
1. Brainstorm the topic: Maybe your class is focusing on problems in America today. After reading
an article about homelessness, you decide that might be an interesting topic. However you don’t
know what should be done or who should do it!
Thesis: Homeless People (obviously that’s not a very good thesis sentence)
2. Narrow the topic: After doing a little reading you really feel that mental health issues affect many
of the people who are homeless in this country. You decide that there should be programs in
place that will help the homeless with their psychological problems. You can now add this to your
thesis.
Revised Thesis: Programs for Homeless People (still incomplete)
3. Take a Position: You’ll notice that you already started forming your “attitude” even though you
haven’t finished writing your sentence yet. Your topic is certainly debatable, but it your attitude
needs to be a bit clearer. You need to make a strong assertion. Ask yourself: Why? How? Who?
What? When? After thinking about your topic a bit longer, you decide that there should be more
emphasis on free psychological counseling and care programs for the homeless. It’s always a
good idea to frame your assertion with facts, so this might be a good time to revise your thesis.
Revised Thesis: Because a large numbers of homeless people in the US suffer from
mental illness, the federal government should create and finance programs to
assist the homeless with their psychological disorders.
Remember, in your final revision, you must try for clarity. Be specific! Be sure that your topic and
attitude are both present and identifiable. Hint: Try using the word “because” in your thesis. If
you can, it usually means that your thesis has an attitude!
4. You’re Done! You have presented your topic and you have taken a stance. You have answered
the question posed during your brainstorming in #1: What should be done about the homeless
problem in America and who should do it? Your final revised thesis clearly asserts “what” and
“who!”