Post on 24-Dec-2015
WordinessThesis Statements
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A thesis statement contains the main idea or message of a composition.
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To find the thesis, look for the sentence that best explains what the essay will be about. Which sentence in this paragraph provides that information?
In “Death of a Hired Man,” Robert Frost uses the hushed
conversation of a husband and wife to explore the
meaning of a lonely person’s life. The whole poem
seems to take place in whispers, though the message is
strong.
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Thesis Statements
A thesis statement contains the main idea or message of a composition.
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This is the thesis sentence. It indicates the topic of the essay and the writer’s opinion about that topic.
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Thesis Statements
A thesis statement contains the main idea or message of a composition.
In “Death of a Hired Man,” Robert Frost uses the
hushed conversation of a husband and wife to
explore the meaning of a lonely person’s life. The
whole poem seems to take place in whispers, though the
message is strong.
Wordiness
A successful thesis statement
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•is usually one sentence
•is a statement, not a question
•identifies the subject of the essay or composition
•takes a stand rather than simply announcing a subject
•is narrow and specific enough to be fully supported
A thesis statement may also preview the main ideas of the essay and set the tone.
Thesis Statements
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Which of these sentences are successful thesis statements?
Geoffrey Chaucer was England’s first great writer.
The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer’s greatest achievement because of the humor and the vivid picture of medieval life the tales present.
The Canterbury Tales is a frame story, or a story within a story.
The Pardoner’s Tale is ironic because its moral lesson about the evils of money comes from a man who loves money and has no scruples about lying to get it.
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Click to see successful thesis statements
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Geoffrey Chaucer was England’s first great writer.
The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer’s greatest achievement because of the humor and the vivid picture of medieval life the tales present.
The Canterbury Tales is a frame story, or a story within a story.
The Pardoner’s Tale is ironic because its moral lesson about the evils of money comes from a man who loves money and has no scruples about lying to get it.
These two thesis statements are successful because they express specific ideas and suggest the direction the essay will take.
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When you revise your writing, be sure your thesis statement is as strong as it should be.
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When you write thesis sentences, you should avoid the following common errors. Click on the error you want to explore.
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Thesis Statements
When you revise your writing, be sure your thesis statement is as strong as it should be.
•Simple statements of fact
•Simple announcements
•Broad, general opinions
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Simple Statements of FactStatements of fact cannot be thesis statements because they do not take a position or suggest a direction for the writing.
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Simple Statements of Fact
How would you change this statement of fact into a thesis?
Over the last 100 years the Florida Everglades have
shrunk to less than half their original size.
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Statements of fact cannot be thesis statements because they do not take a position or suggest a direction for the writing.
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Simple Statements of Fact
The revised thesis expresses an opinion about the topic, rather than just stating a fact. It also previews the main ideas of the essay.
Over the last 100 years the Florida Everglades have shrunk to
less than half their original size.
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REVISED
Over the last 100 years the Florida Everglades have shrunk to
less than half their original size because of uncontrolled
agricultural and residential development.
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Thesis Statements
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Statements of fact cannot be thesis statements because they do not take a position or suggest a direction for the writing.
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Simple AnnouncementsA simple announcement doesn’t express a point of view or preview the main ideas of the composition.
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Simple Announcements
How would you rewrite this statement to make it an effective thesis?
In this paper, I am going to analyze the role of Civil War
drummer boys.
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A simple announcement doesn’t express a point of view or preview the main ideas of the composition.
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Simple Announcements
This revised thesis expresses a point of view and previews the main ideas. It does not mention the paper and avoids the first person reference.
Drummer boys in the Civil War not only drummed the call to
battle, they also helped care for the wounded and performed
other duties around the camps.
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A simple announcement doesn’t express a point of view or preview the main ideas of the composition.
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Broad, General OpinionsThe statement of an opinion should be specific and narrow enough to be fully supported.
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How would you revise this broad statement?
The legend of King Arthur is a fascinating story.
Broad, General Opinions
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The statement of an opinion should be specific and narrow enough to be fully supported.
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Broad, General Opinions
Thesis Statements
How would you revise this broad statement?
The legend of King Arthur is a fascinating story.
The statement of an opinion should be specific and narrow enough to be fully supported.
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Broad, General Opinions
The legend of King Arthur is a fascinating story. .
The statement of an opinion should be specific and narrow enough to be fully supported.
.
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Broad, General Opinions
Thesis Statements
The statement of an opinion should be specific and narrow enough to be fully supported.
because it challenges people’s ideas of the value of honor and friendship.
The legend of King Arthur is a fascinating story
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Broad, General Opinions
This thesis statement gives specific reasons that can be supported with evidence.
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The statement of an opinion should be specific and narrow enough to be fully supported.
because it challenges people’s ideas of the value of honor and friendship.
The legend of King Arthur is a fascinating story