General Thesis Writing Strategies

Thesis Statement

The sentence that states the main point you are making for the entire essay. All points made in essay are meant to support this statement (sometimes posed as a question).


The Rhetorical Parts:

• Make sure you imagine your audience
• Make sure you provide the type of source
• Use a nice introductory clause to provide contextual detail
• Make sure your thesis language frames your piece's purpose.    
• Also, make sure your language frames the subject (author/text) of your piece's purpose.  

• ***In essence, your thesis should give your reading audience a sense of what kind of commentary your own writing is making on the original text's purpose

The Language Parts:

• subject (a noun or noun phrase (click link) that acts) + verb (how we act upon subject) + object (the idea, a noun or noun phrase, that receives the action)

• Use specific language over abstract/too general words, whenever possible.

• Avoid all-incusive language (everyone, no one, is, all, ...)

• Avoid using standalone pronouns (It, this, these, ...) as subject

• Use an analysis verb (click link) to indicate to your reader how dynamic you are looking at your subject. 

• The more action on the subject, the more you transform our view of it. The more you can pose questions about subject with that verb.

• Example: The myth is...  (NO!).   ...  The myth illustrates... (Yes, please)
  

• Be specific about what your body paragraphs discuss. Do not tease the reader with an unclear object!!! 

• ***One of the most ineffective thesis statements is the type that only suggests ideas but does not actually identify what ideas will be developed in the body paragraphs.

• Don't use general/broad phrases; specify.