Thesis
Your thesis statement is the hinge of your entire project; it contains the issue being explained or argued, your opinion, and the evidence that supports your opinion. Ideally, it indicates to the reader what you intend to illustrate and how you intend to do so.
Types of Thesis Statements
While there are many modes of writing, there are two basic types of thesis statements: informative and argumentative. No matter what type of essay you are writing (i.e., comparison, evaluative, narrative, etc.), your thesis will be either informative or argumentative. In academic writing, you are most often expected to have an argumentative thesis. Understanding the difference between the two can help you create stronger statements.
Common Issues in Thesis Statements
Because the thesis is so important, it's often the most difficult sentence of the entire paper. A strong thesis statement is a clear, focused, statement of purpose. The most common mistakes that students make when it comes to their thesis statements include being too vague, asking a question, and stating the intent of the paper rather than the argument.
If you are having trouble coming up with a thesis statement for your project, you may be unsure of how you actually feel about the project, or how you actually feel about the angle that you would like to take. You might want to consider asking yourself questions about your topic/issue (during your brainstorming), in order to determine the possible angles that you could take. The answers to your questions will help guide you into a thesis that specifies a clear angle that you can argue. Once you have an argumentative thesis, you will be able to provide both support for your own stand and refutations for opposing views.
One way to check to see that you have an effective thesis is to test whether it is “arguable.” Making sure that your thesis is arguable is important, because it allows you to “convince” your audience of your stand. In other words, if your thesis simply states a fact, what need would they have to read your paper? By writing a thesis that is arguable, you give your readers a reason to read, and you position yourself in an authoritative position to convince them your claim is reasonable.
Some examples of arguable and non-arguable thesis statements are below:
Not Arguable: In the United States, the number of car accidents involving drivers over the age of eighty and resulting in one or more fatalities, increased 28% from 1985-1995. (This statement may be taken at face value and thus does not offer a claim that must be argued or supported.)
Arguable: Since car accidents involving drivers over the age of eighty often result in fatalities, the legal driving age of adults should be reduced to the cut-off age of 75. (This thesis positions the writer to offer specific reasons for the claim, in order to convince the reader that it is correct.)
Not Arguable: In 2005, 75% of children under the age of eight who were read bedtime stories at least three times a week scored higher on verbal assessment tests than those allowed to watch T.V. before bedtime.
Arguable: Reading bedtime stories to elementary-aged children provides early exposure to language skills, including vocabulary development, pronunciation, and word recognition in ways that are not seen when children watch television.
