Thesis Statement in Essay

The thesis is one of the most important elements in an academic essay as it is the main idea
your essay will communicate to your readers. As in paragraph, the topic sentence contains the
main idea or focus, in an essay, the Thesis Statement contains the main or central idea or the
main focus of discussion of the entire essay. Everything in the essay supports the thesis
statement.

Definition of Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the sentence that tells the main idea of the whole essay. It creates and
presents the central focus for the essay on which the entire essay is developed. It is usually
written in one complete sentence and appears at the end of the introductory paragraph.

Make sure that your ‘Thesis Statement’

➔ Clearly states the topic
➔ Specifies your claim
➔ Includes the three reasons to support your claim
➔ Written in one complete sentence

For your understanding, note the thesis statement below written by the sample
essay writer on the topic ‘Covid -19 pandemic: a blessing in disguise or a curse?’.
Therefore,COVID-19 pandemic is a curse because the virus is collapsing the world's economy,
threatening the lives of all living beings, and increasing violence across the globe.

Now notice the deconstruction of the different parts of an effective thesis statement.
Topic Claim Reasons (because statement)

COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic is a curse because

pandemic - the virus is collapsing the
world's economy
- threatening the lives of all
living beings
- increasing violence across
the globe.
Another example of a thesis statement on the topic ‘Students who plagiarize be
expelled or not?’.
Students who plagiarize should be expelled from college because they hurt the institution, they hurt
other students, and they hurt themselves.

Now notice the deconstruction of the different parts of an effective thesis statement.
Topic Claim Reasons (because statement)

Students who
plagiarize be students who plagiarize should - they hurt the institution
expelled or not? be expelled from college - they hurt other students
- they hurt themselves

The Dos of Writing Thesis Statement

- A thesis statement gives the author's opinion or states an important idea about the topic. It
should give an idea that can be discussed and explained with supporting ideas.
Example: When studying a foreign language, there are several ways to improve your use
of the language.

- A well-focused Thesis is not too broad or too narrow to deal with the topic. A too broad
thesis is a statement that is too large to be adequately and completely developed in the
essay. While a too narrow Thesis is a statement that is inadequate or not large enough to be
developed into an essay.

❌
Example:

✅
Too broad: People are unhealthy for many reasons
Adequate focus: The diet of many American teenagers is unhealthy.
If you were assigned to write a short essay, you would not even be able to list all
the reasons people are unhealthy. You would be much better off focusing on a
specific group of people and/or a specific reason or reasons why they are

❌
healthy.

✅
Too narrow: American teenagers consume too much salt.
Adequate focus: The diet of many American teenagers is unhealthy.
While you might be able to develop a good paragraph about the diet of American
teenagers being loaded with salt, unless you are taking a nutrition class that
requires in-depth reporting, it's unlikely you would have enough information to
develop an entire essay around this topic.
The Don’ts of Writing Thesis Statement

- A thesis statement should not be a sentence that only gives a fact about the topic.
Example: Bangladesh has a typical monsoon climate characterized by rain-bearing
winds, moderately warm temperatures, and high humidity.
This is not a strong thesis statement. It cannot be discussed or argued about.

- A thesis statement should not state two sides of an argument equally.

Example: There are advantages and disadvantages to using nuclear power.