WRITING A THESIS AND
TOPIC SENTENCES
Courtesy of the Writing Center
What is a thesis statement?
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A thesis statement identifies the main idea of your
essay. The rest of the essay will be organized
around supporting your thesis statement. Thesis
statements are usually placed in the introduction to
the essay, often appearing as the last sentence in
the introductory paragraph.
Tentative thesis statements
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As you begin to draft your essay, it is a good idea
to work with a tentative thesis statement. This
statement will help focus your ideas, but may
change as you research your topic and write your
drafts. Review your tentative thesis statement and
revise it accordingly as you work.
Characteristics of effective thesis
statements
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1. Effective thesis statements clearly state the essay’s
main idea.
Beyond simply stating your topic, your thesis statement
should state what you will say about your topic. For
example:
Although the stories “Panacea” and “Ground Zero” both
use descriptive language, the authors differ greatly in the
effect their language has on the reader.
Here, we see that the topic is two stories, but also know
that the writer will focus on how the language affects
the readers.
Characteristics of effective thesis
statements
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2. Effective thesis statements communicate your
essay’s purpose.
Depending on the assignment, your essay will likely
have a specific purpose. For instance, some essays are
informative while others are persuasive. Your thesis
statement should convey your purpose to the reader.
For example:
In order to prevent violence in schools, conflict resolution
should be a mandatory class for all high school students.
Here, it is clear to the readers that this essay will
attempt to convince them of a certain point of view.
Characteristics of effective thesis
statements
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3. Effective thesis statements are clearly worded.
Use specific wording in your thesis statement; avoid
vague language, irrelevant details, and confusing
terminology when introducing your essay’s main point.
The thesis statement should give an accurate preview of
what you will discuss and indicate the essay’s direction
and scope. In this way, your essay and thesis statement
will share a sharp focus. For example:
While enacted with good intentions, immigration laws
often create more problems than they solve.
Here, the clear wording signals what will be discussed
and highlights the focus of the essay.
What to avoid when writing a thesis
statement
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1. Announcements of intent:
Statements like “I will discuss…” or “The thesis of
this essay is…” are stylistically distracting and
informal in tone.
What to avoid when writing a thesis
statement
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2. Statements of fact:
Simply stating a fact is a dead end that cannot be
developed into an essay. For example, “Hybrid cars
are more efficient than cars with standard gasoline
engines” is a fact that has already been established
and leaves the writer nowhere to go.
What to avoid when writing a thesis
statement
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3. Thesis statement as the title:
Titles are not detailed enough to properly preview
your essay and communicate its purpose.
Examples of effective thesis statements
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Because second-hand smoke poses danger to schoolage children, smoking should be banned with 1000
feet of a school. This statement clearly states the main
idea of the essay.
Students should be required to take a course on time
management skills before graduating high school.
This statement clearly conveys the essay’s persuasive
purpose.
Community colleges differ from universities because
they offer quality instructors, financial savings, and
career-oriented classes. This statement clearly and
concisely previews the main points of the essay.
Examples of ineffective thesis
statements
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Smoking is hazardous to your health. This statement simply
states a fact; it cannot be developed into an effective essay.
This paper will discuss the consequences of poor time
management for college students. The announcement of intent
in this statement has an informal tone and distracts the reader.
When it comes to considering what type of institution to
attend, it is beneficial to consider that community colleges
have many positive attributes; these include (but are not
limited to) instructors who are dedicated to their fields,
financial savings to the student, and classes which are
focused on careers, while universities don’t always share
these focuses. This statement has overly complex wording.
TOPIC SENTENCES
Topic sentences
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The main idea of each paragraph should be stated
in a topic sentence
The topic sentence should appear as the first
sentence in each paragraph
Topic sentences
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The topic sentence acts as a guidepost for your
readers, making it easy to follow your discussion
Each detail in the paragraph should work to
support or develop this topic sentence
Any details which do not support topic sentences
should be moved or deleted
Common mistakes:
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A topic sentence should never be a statement of
fact; just like a thesis, it should contain an original
idea
A topic sentences should never simply summarize
information we already know
A topic sentence should never offer a vague
introduction or preview of your idea; it should state
it outright

Effective: While surgical and labor/delivery nursing
are similar in their basic skills, both require differing
specialized expertise.
 Specific
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and identifies main idea
Ineffective: Many types of nursing have similarities
and differences.
 Non-specific
and no clear main idea given
Examples:
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Effective: Jackson’s use of rich symbolism, especially
that of the black box, underscores her message that
traditions can be dangerous.
Ineffective: Jackson uses a black box in the story.
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Effective: One effect of global warming is rising sea
levels.
Ineffective: People don’t always realize the effects
of their actions.
 Remember:
specific is terrific!
Finally…
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Remember this formula:
 Topic
sentence +Topic sentence +Topic sentence
= Thesis statement
Example:
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Topic sentence: Community colleges offer quality
instructors, while many universities employ researchers
with little interest in classroom teaching. +
Topic sentence: The financial savings of a community
college are significant compared with universities. +
Topic sentence: Community colleges offer specific
career-oriented classes, while universities may not be as
focused on these courses. =
Thesis statement: Community colleges differ from
universities because they offer quality instructors,
financial savings, and career-oriented classes.
Activity 1
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First, read this blog post comparing two apps for cooking.
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Why does Rothman feel the iPad will be an “indispensible tool” in the
kitchen?
According to Rothman, how do the two apps compare with regard to
recipe collections?
Are there any features that these two apps have in common? Which
features?
In what ways do these apps differ?
Which app does Rothman feel is the better bet for the user? How does
he conclude his comparison?
Then, take out your own phone, and choose two apps to compare.
Create a Venn diagram comparing the two. You may work with a
partner.
Finally, we'll share possible topic sentences for an essay on this subject
and create a thesis statement.
Activity 2

First, we'll watch an old music video called
"Brenda's Got a Baby".
 Next,
freewrite for a few minutes about the causes and
effects of Brenda's teen pregnancy.
 Then, create a graphic organizer that shows how your
ideas are connected. Education Oasis offers a great set
of graphic organizers you might use--just click to
enlarge the documents.
 Finally, we'll share possible topic sentences for an essay
on this subject and create a thesis statement.