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Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements. Chapter 3. Objectives. Identify Strong and Weak Thesis Statements Support the thesis with specific evidence. The First and Second steps in Essay Writing. The first two steps: Begin with a point , or thesis Support the thesis with specific evidence.

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Thesis Statements

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  1. Thesis Statements Chapter 3

  2. Objectives • Identify Strong and Weak Thesis Statements • Support the thesis with specific evidence

  3. The First and Second steps in Essay Writing • The first two steps: • Begin with a point, or thesis • Support the thesis with specific evidence

  4. Begin with a Point, or Thesis • Write your point in a single sentence • While a thesis statement can be longer than one sentence, you might find it helpful to ask yourself, “What am I trying to say?” in one succinct sentence.

  5. Rules for Thesis Writing • Rule 1: A thesis is not an announcement • Rule 2: A thesis is more than a general statement (broad) • Rule 3: A thesis is more than a specific detail (narrow) • Rule 4: A thesis develops only one idea

  6. Announcements • Ex.: I want to talk about the crime wave in our country. The sentence above merely tells the subject of the paper. A thesis statement must advance a point about a limited subject.

  7. A Good Thesis • A good thesis is neither too broad nor too narrow: too broad Crime is a major concern of everyone in our country. too narrow My parents had only one child. JUST RIGHT A honeymoon is perhaps the worst way to begin a marriage.

  8. A Good Thesis • When deciphering whether or not a thesis is too broad or too narrow, consider the breadth of the assignment and whether or not you have enough material for the required length, or perhaps too much material.

  9. Too Many Ideas • My parents helped me grow in important ways, although in other respects I was limited. • In the statement above, the reader is asked to focus ontwo separate points, each of which more logicallybelongs in an essay of its own.

  10. Supporting with Specific Evidence • Write down a brief version of your thesis and then jot down the three points that will support it. • Develop your supporting points with specific details. • WHY? • Because • details excite the reader’s interest. • details serve to explain a writer’s point.

  11. The Importance of Adequate Details • Provide enough specific details to fullysupport the point in a body paragraph. • In the organization of an essay, the thesis should flow through the: • Introduction • Body • Conclusion • If a paragraph doesn’t support the thesis, it shouldn’t be there!

  12. Generating a Working Thesis • A working thesis is a tentative statement made about your topic early in the writing process. • Directsyour thinking early • This thesis is likely to change or to be abandoned altogether as you move through the writing process, so it is best not to become too attached to it.

  13. Components of Thesis Statements • There are three components of a thesis statement: • Topic • Attitude • Controlling Idea • A fourth, optional, component is a blueprint

  14. Topic • The topic of the thesis statement is what you are going to be talking about. • Ex.:“Media Violence is harmful to society.” • In the above example, Media Violence is the topic.

  15. Attitude • The attitude is the one or two words in the thesis that reflect judgment on the controlling idea: • Ex.:“Media Violence is harmful to society.” • Here, “is” is the attitude • Other attitude words: • Should/should not • Will/will not • Can/cannot

  16. Controlling Idea • The controlling idea (CI) is the main idea that controlsthetopic within your paper. • In our example, “harmful to society.” is the controlling idea.

  17. Blueprint • You can also choose to add a blueprint or essay map to your thesis statements. • The blueprint includes the main topics of your body paragraphs within your paper.

  18. Identifying strong and weak thesis statements • Media Violence is harmful to society. • What is meant by Media? • What is meant by violence? • What is harmful? • What society is the writer referring to? • Video games, such as first-person shooters, are psychologically harmful to children and teens under eighteen because they increase social isolation, cause confusion between fantasy and reality, and increase aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Weak Thesis Statement Strong Thesis Statement

  19. Identifying strong and weak thesis statements • Video games, including first-person shooters, arepsychologically harmful to children and teens under eighteenbecause they increase social isolation, cause confusion between fantasy and reality, and increase aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Topic CI attitude Blueprint

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