Writing the Thesis Statement Part 2

What is a good thesis statement ? Look at the following examples.

1)  A good thesis statement should be expressed in one complete sentence.


Not thesis statements :
Smoking in restaurants.
The advantages of learning English.

• These are not complete sentences. They are just topics?
• What is the writer trying to tell us about these topics?

Thesis statements :
Smoking in restaurants should not be allowed.
There are three main advantages of learning English.

• These are complete thoughts. The writer tells us :-

           - that smoking in restaurants should not be allowed .
           - that is he is going to discuss 3 advantages of 
             learning English .





2)  A good thesis statement does not announce the topic that the essay will develop.


Not good thesis statements :
I am going to discuss the causes of drug abuse among students in this essay.
The dangers of allowing the use mobile phones in school is the topic of my essay.

• Do not announce what are you going to do- you only do this in a speech.

Thesis statements :

There are several causes of drug abuse among students.
It is dangerous to allow the use of mobile phones in school.




3) A good thesis statement should not express a fact which cannot be argued.


Not good thesis statements :
Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia.
Camels are desert animals.

• These are facts that don't need further explanation.
• They are not opinions that you can argue about.

Thesis statements:

It is expensive to live in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. The camel is a useful desert animal.

• You can agree or disagree with these statements and give your reasons to support your point of view.

4)  A good thesis statement expresses only one idea for one topic. When you have two or more ideas for one topic, it affects unity and coherence in an essay.

Not a good thesis statement :

College life is fun and joining clubs and societies is the best way to make friends in college.

Thesis statement 1 :

College is fun.

Thesis statement 2 :

Joining clubs and societies is the best way to make friends in college.

• Develop each idea in separate essay.
• Supporting ideas will be more detailed and focused.

We have done with writing the thesis statement. Hopefully, you can write your essay with good thesis statement. See you in the next entry with some exercises on writing the thesis statement. Don't feel shy to leave comments regarding to this topic. Have a good day.