How to Put Your Thesis Statement on Strength Training

THESIS

STATEMENT =

TOPIC + OPINION

THESIS STATEMENT = TOPIC + OPINION

TOPIC + OPINION = THESIS STATEMENT

Animals + Dogs make

better pets

than cats. =

When it comes to domestic

animals, dogs make better

pets than cats.

Movies + Titanic was a

sad movie =

The movie Titanic ignited

many heartfelt emotions in

its audiences.

Gangs

and

identity +

The boy was

seen only as a

gang member. =

In the story “On the

Sidewalk Bleeding,” the boy

loses his identity, and he is

recognized only as a gang

member.

Exceeding THESIS STATEMENT =

TOPIC + OPINION + Impact TOPIC + OPINION

+ Thesis with Impact

Animals + Dogs make

better pets

than cats. +

When it comes to domestic

animals, dogs make better

pets than cats because they

offer true companionship.

Movies + Titanic was a

sad movie +

The movie Titanic ignited many

heartfelt emotions in its

audiences proving that movies

can effectively connect to life.

Gangs and

identity +

The boy was

seen only as a

gang member. +

In the story “On the Sidewalk

Bleeding,” the boy loses his

identity and is recognized only

as a gang member proving

that identity is socially

constructed.

SHOW, DON’T TELL Avoid phrases such as I

think, In my opinion, I will

prove, etc.

You prove your opinion in

the way you support the

thesis, not by saying I think.

THESIS RULES for what a

thesis statement should do:

Never be an open-ended question

Be limited to mentioning only those

points you plan to discuss in your essay

Never be so broad that it’s difficult to

discuss all relevant information

Present only one specific idea, not

multiple ideas

• Weak: Little Red Riding Hood has some negative and positive traits.

• Why? This thesis takes no stand, and the phrase “negative and positive traits” is vague.

• Stronger: While Little Red Riding Hood is brave, she is also disobedient which leads to negative results.

A STRONG THESIS takes a

stand and shows conviction.

A STRONG THESIS justifies

discussion.

Your thesis should indicate

the point and purpose of

the discussion.

In other words, why should

your reader keep reading?

• Weak: Little Red Riding Hood is innocent.

• Why? It states an observation. Your reader can’t tell the point of the statement and will probably stop reading.

• Stronger: With innocence, Little Red Riding Hood crosses the forest without fearing the potential dangers.

A STRONG THESIS justifies

discussion.

A STRONG THESIS expresses

one main idea.

Readers need to see that

your paper has one main

point. If your thesis expresses

more than one idea, then

you might confuse your

readers about the subject

of your paper.

• Weak: Little Red Riding Hood is compassionate by caring for her grandmother, and the wolf is threatening to those that travel the forest road.

• Why? The reader can’t decide whether the paper is about Little Red Riding Hood or the wolf. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear.

• Stronger: Despite the risk of hungry wolves on the forest road, Little Red Riding Hood shows compassion by traveling the dangerous route.

A STRONG THESIS expresses

one main idea.

A STRONG THESIS is specific.

Your thesis should show

exactly what your paper

will be about, and will

keep your paper to a

manageable topic.

• Weak: Fairy tales have many kinds of lessons.

• Why? Fairy tales are too big a topic to discuss in an essay, and "many kinds of lessons" is vague.

• Stronger: In its tale of innocence and danger, the story of Little Red Riding Hood teaches children the risk of disobeying the instructions of their parents

• The revised thesis narrows the subject to a specific

and manageable topic, and it also identifies the

specific types of lessons in fairy tales.

A STRONG THESIS is specific.

• Hint: Many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words and phrases like because, since, so, although, unless, however, proving that, and showing that in order to indicate a clear relationship between two ideas.

The best THESIS is arguable

AND specific AND expresses

one main idea and shows its

impact.

Identify the problems in the following thesis statements

A. conflicting ideas B. open-ended question C. too broad, not limited

1.The World’s Fair in New Orleans was a disaster because of the way the press criticized the way it was run, but it was exciting for little children and had many good food booths.

2.TV commercials are obnoxious to the person who is intent on watching a good show; on the other hand, they provide entertainment in the antics of the performers and they provide a good opportunity to take a snack break.

3.Since politicians are constantly bombarding each other, how do they expect anyone to know who is right and who is wrong?

4.Rap music is a creative and original form of art because it follows the traditions of other spontaneously developed music like jazz.

5.Unless people are conscious of pollution, the world will be destroyed by the year 2050.