Of Writing A Thesis Statement

If written properly, your thesis can act as a “roadmap” for your paper, where each main idea presented in your thesis essentially becomes the topic of your body paragraph.

Your argument should also be the one which you can most strongly defend with your research. Your first sentence should immediately capture the reader's attention.

Posing a question in your first sentence and then answering it in subsequent sentences is one way to pull your reader into your essay.

Research and write the first draft of your essay minus the introductory paragraph and thesis statement.

Often you will start an essay with one idea for your thesis statement, but as you write you discover your essay focuses on a different argument, or you refine and further clarify your original statement.

Try to avoid beginning your essay with phrases like, "In this essay I will..." or "This essay will demonstrate how...." Your goal in the introductory paragraph is to build a compelling path to your thesis statement in a few sentences.

Insert your thesis statement as the final sentence of your introductory paragraph.Also, if appropriate, address and refute any opposing viewpoints to your thesis statement here.As always, include evidence that supports your point. Show the reader how this entire paragraph connects back to the thesis statement.As with the previous paragraph, include supporting evidence after stating your topic sentence. Show the reader how this entire paragraph connects back to the thesis statement.Possible topic sentence for Paragraph #3: Your last reason should be stated in the final body paragraph.A thesis can be found in many places—a debate speech, a lawyer’s closing argument, even an advertisement.But the most common place for a thesis statement (and probably why you’re reading this article) is in an essay.Basically, write down what a person who disagrees with your position might say about your topic.Writing a good introductory paragraph and thesis statement takes patience, research and a willingness to continue to revise your paragraph until your statement and supporting sentences are as strong as they can possibly be.After the topic sentence, include any evidence in this body paragraph, such as a quotation, statistic, or data point, that supports this first point. Show the reader how this entire paragraph connects back to the thesis statement.Possible topic sentence for Paragraph #2: The first sentence of the second body paragraph should state the second reason presented in your thesis.