1.3 (b) Thesis statement

A. Thesis statement

1. What is a thesis statement?

"The thesis statement is the sentence that tells the main idea of the whole essay. It can be compared to a topic sentence, which gives the main idea of a paragraph. It usually comes at or near the end of the introductory paragraph. "
--College writing, p. 58

2. Conditions of thesis statement

• It can be discussed and explained with supporting details
• It should be arguable, rather than a fact about the topic

ATTENTION!

• It should state only one side of an argument

Exercise: p. 59 #4

B. Two kinds of thesis statement:

1. Direct thesis statement: Topic + Point of View + Preview (you are required to master this structure)

"Technology in the classroom is advantageous since it promotes more efficiency, reliability, and safety."


2. Indirect thesis statement: Topic + Point of view

"Technology applied in teaching is advantageous in several aspects."


C. Exercise:

In pairs, read these introductory paragraphs, and underline the thesis statement. Then hightlight the topic and use parenthesis to mark the main idea in each thesis statement. (source: College Writing from Paragraph to Essay, p. 58)


group 1

group 2

group 3

group 4

group 5

group 6



D. Homework: 

Revise and rewrite the thesis statement for your diagnostic essay based on what we have learned.