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 clarify your subject text--name the author and/or text (if not in the thesis, in the introduction)
- Make sure you provide the type of source (genre, according to Writing Arguments)
- 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.
- For example...
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