Example of an expository (explanatory) thesis statement:
4. You can think of the thesis as an elevator pitch. If you only had thirty seconds to tell someone the main point and supporting points for your essay, what would you say?
Note: These are guidelines for writing thesis statements for college essays. In non-college essays, these guidelines may be bent or broken.
3. The thesis very often contains three parts that support the main point. These are reasons or evidence that will be expanded later in the essay.
Example of an argumentative thesis statement:
Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about.
For argumentative or analytical essays, you can use the CASE acronym. This means that the thesis statement should be Clear. It can't be ambiguous or indirect. It should also be Arguable--meaning it can't be a fact or something that everyone agrees on. A thesis statement should also be Specific. Avoid generalities when writing a thesis statement. Be as specific as possible. Lastly, a thesis statement should have good Evidence listed in the thesis. The evidence should be valid (not made up) and relevant to your main point or stance.
Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. For more information, please see our and our .
I know it's really basic, but I just feel so confused. I tried to formulate thesis statements for my essays in class, so that I'm sure the teacher approves of it, but for every single one I managed to conjure, I got the feedback saying they were more like opening titles. What do I do? Any advice is appreciated, thank you!
Below are examples of thesis statements in several types of essays:
This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about sugar consumption.
To write a thesis statement, follow these guidelines:
If you want to know more about , , or make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!
Find more resources for thesis statements below:
A thesis statement is a concise, clear, and specific sentence that presents the main argument or point of your essay. It serves as a roadmap for your readers, informing them about the purpose and direction of your paper. A well-crafted thesis statement helps you maintain focus and provides a foundation for your arguments throughout the essay.
Here's an example to illustrate these points:
1. Be specific: Your thesis statement should clearly state your main argument or point of view. Avoid vague or general statements that lack clarity.
Owl Purdue Writing Lab: Creating a Thesis Statement
Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. Your first step, then, is to distill the assignment into a specific question. For example, if your assignment is, “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class,” turn the request into a question like, “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” After you’ve chosen the question your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question.
UNC Writing Center: Thesis Statements
3. Be arguable: Your thesis statement should present an argument or position that can be debated or supported with evidence. It should not be a statement of fact.
Vanderbilt Writing Studio: How Do I Write a Thesis Statement?
Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement.