A thesis statement usually appears at the conclusion of the introductory

paragraph A paragraph () is a self-contained unit of discourse in writing dealing with a particular point or idea. Though not required by the orthographic conventions of any language with a writing system, paragraphs are a conventional means of organizing e ...

of a

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

. It offers a concise

summary may refer to: * Abstract (summary), shortening a passage or a write-up without changing its meaning but by using different words and sentences * Epitome, a summary or miniature form * Abridgement, the act of reducing a written work into a sho ...

of the main point or claim of the

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

, research paper, etc. It is usually expressed in one sentence, and the statement may be reiterated elsewhere. It contains the topic and the controlling idea. There are two types of thesis statements: direct and indirect. The indirect thesis statement does not state the explicit reasons, while the direct thesis statement does. If one writes, "I love New York for 3 reasons," the fact that they love New York is the topic, and "3 reasons" are an indirect thesis statement. The essay will contain the 3 reasons. If one writes, "I love New York because of the food, the jazz clubs, and the Broadway Shows," it is a direct thesis statement that tells the reader what each section or body paragraph is going to be about."How To Write a Thesis Statement"
''indiana.edu''. The thesis statement is developed, supported, and explained in the course of the paper by means of examples and

evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

. Thesis statements help organize and develop the body of the writing piece. They let readers know what the writer's statement is and what it is aiming to prove. A thesis statement does not necessarily forecast the organization of an essay, which can be more complex than its purpose.

Structure

The thesis statement will reflect the kind of paper being written. There are three kinds of papers: analytical,

expository Narrative exposition is the insertion of background information within a story or narrative. This information can be about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc. In literature, exposition appears in t ...

, and

argument An argument is a statement or group of statements called premises intended to determine the degree of truth or acceptability of another statement called conclusion. Arguments can be studied from three main perspectives: the logical, the dialectic ...

ative. The structure of a thesis statement depends upon the nature of determining essay type. In simple terms, first a thesis statement will have a main

topic sentence In expository writing, a topic sentence is a sentence that summarizes the main idea of a paragraph. It is usually the first sentence in a paragraph. Also known as a focus sentence, it encapsulates or organizes an entire paragraph. Although topic s ...

formed from questioning it, then the writer's statement regarding the topic sentence, and finally ends with the specific supporting points detailing the writer's statement for justifying its relation with the topic sentence. In general, it should have a supportable opinion (specific/focused) and clear intent for the essay.

References

External links

Thesis Statement

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

* Lisa A. Kirby
Writing Effective Thesis Statements

North Carolina Wesleyan College North Carolina Wesleyan University (NCWU) is a Private college, private United Methodist Church, Methodist university in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. It was founded in 1956. North Carolina Wesleyan also offers evening courses at its main Rocky Mo ...

Guide to Writing Master Thesis in English

Tomas Bata University in Zlín Tomas Bata University in Zlín (TBU), ( Czech ''Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně''), is a Czech public university in the Moravian city of Zlín, comprising six faculties offering courses in technology, economics, humanities, arts and health c ...

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Writing tips: Thesis statements
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Structure

See also

References

Further reading

External links