What is a thesis statement?

Thesis statement is a sentence that

makes an assertion about a topic
and predicts how a topic will be
developed. It does not simply
announce a topic: it says
something about the topic
Good: X has made a significant
impact on the teenage population
due to its….
Bad: in this paper, I will discuss X.
A thesis statement makes a
promise to the reader about the
scope, purpose, and direction of
the paper. It summarizes the
conclusions that the writer has
reached about the topic.
A thesis statement is generally
located near the end of the
introduction. Sometimes in a long
paper, the thesis will be expressed
in several sentences or entire
paragraph.
A thesis statement is focused and
specific enough to be proven
within the boundaries of the
paper. Keywords (nouns and
verbs) should be specific,
accurate, indicative in the range of
research, thrust of the argument
or analysis, and the organization
or supporting information.
A purpose statement announces
the purpose, scope, and direction
of the paper. It tells the reader
what to expect in a paper and
what the specific focus will be.
Common beginnings include:
“This paper examines…” “The aim
of this paper is to…” and “The
purpose of this essay is to…”
A purpose statement makes a
promise to the reader about the
development of the argument but
does not preview the particular
conclusions that the writer has
drawn.
A purpose statement, usually
appears toward the end of the
introduction. The purpose
statement maybe expressed in
several sentences or even an
entire paragraph
 Sample Purpose Statement

This paper will examine the ecological

destruction of the Sahel preceding
the drought and the causes of this
disintegration of the land. The focus
will be on the economic, political, and
social relationships which brought
about the environmental problems in
the Sahel.
 Sample purpose
The goal of this paper is to examine the
effects of Chile’s agrarian reform on
the lives of the rural people. The
nature of the topic dictates the use of
both a chronological and a
comparative analysis of peasant lives
at various points during the reform
period…
 Sample purpose and thesis statement
The Chilean reform example provides
evidence that land distribution is an
essential component of both the
improvement of peasant conditions and
the development of a democratic
society. More extensive and enduring
reforms would likely have allowed Chile
the opportunity to further expand these
horizons.
Suggestions for an Effective Thesis
Statement
1. To be effective, the thesis
statement should express an
opinion or state a position things
you need to convince your reader
of. Consider the following
statements:
Weak: In this, I will write about
ways to improve business by using
the internet and e-commerce.
Strong: Developing business
strategies can be more effective
through the use of the internet.
2.The thesis statement should state
just one thing, the one point you
will need to prove. A good paper
will often have secondary
purposes, but they should not
compete with the main point, the
thrust of your research paper.
Weak: The city government should
take steps to make cigarette illegal
and should actively ban smoke
belchers.
Strong: The city government should
take steps to make cigarette
smoking illegal.
Stronger: The city government
should actively ban smoking.
***Both ideas combined in a
sentence should look like this:
Stronger: The first two priorities of
the city government should be to
make cigarette smoking illegal and
to ban smoke belchers.
3.A paragraph should have coherence.
When a paragraph is woven together
so you can read and understand one
idea and it flows to the next, your
paragraph shows coherence. The
paragraph must also show unity. The
sentences must present a united
impression by following your
prescribed order, and by taking ideas
on at a time.
Thesis statement: Each of us should make an
effort to cut down on use of fuel.
Transition sentence: We can reduce fuel
consumption by driving less.
Transition sentence: Recently, the price of fuel
has doubled compared to last year’s figure.
Transition sentence: Thus, reducing fuel
consumption is imperative if we want to live
a decent life.
Transition sentence: We can further reduce
our use of fuel by staying home during
weekends.
 Each of us should make an effort to
cut down on use of fuel. We can
reduce fuel consumption by driving
less. Recently, the price of fuel has
doubled compared to last year’s
figure. Thus, reducing fuel
consumption is imperative if we want
to live a decent life. We can further
reduce our use of fuel by staying
home during weekends.
 Writing a purpose statement and
thesis statement.
Directions: Choose one of the subjects listed below
and compose a purpose and a thesis statement for
each.
1. My Favorite Professor/Teacher
2. My First Boyfriend/Girlfriend
3. My Family
4. My Failures/Disappointments
5. My Hopes and Fears
Example:
My First Date With Hannah
I want to describe my first date with Hannah,
to make my reader the anticipation and
anxiety I felt, the pleasure, and the panic and
pain of that rainy evening. An experience that
begins in eager anticipation and proceeds
smoothly may still end in disaster by
nonetheless teach you something useful
about human beings and human relationships.