What makes a thesis statement strong

For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:.

This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague. Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.

Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:.

This is a weak thesis because it merely states an observation. While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point. Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:.

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:. That type of thesis is a long, well-written paper that takes years to piece together. This sentence can tell a reader whether your essay is something they want to read. Just as there are different types of essays, there are different types of thesis statements.

The thesis should match the essay. For example, with an informative essay, you should compose an informative thesis rather than argumentative. You want to declare your intentions in this essay and guide the reader to the conclusion that you reach. To make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you must procure the ingredients, find a knife, and spread the condiments.

This thesis showed the reader the topic a type of sandwich and the direction the essay will take describing how the sandwich is made. In other words, unless your purpose is simply to inform, your thesis is considered persuasive. A persuasive thesis usually contains an opinion and the reason why your opinion is true. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best type of sandwich because they are versatile, easy to make, and taste good.

In this persuasive thesis statement, you see that I state my opinion the best type of sandwich , which means I have chosen a stance. Next, I explain that my opinion is correct with several key reasons. Just as there are two different types of thesis statements informative and persuasive , there are two basic styles you can use. It should represent your own ideas—perhaps in response to something someone else has said—but ultimately, it is your argument. As such, a good thesis statement should have 3 main traits.

A good thesis:. In all, the thesis is the backbone of your paper. In the rest of your paper, something in each paragraph should directly relate back to the paper. The Purdue OWL Purdue University is a great source for writing, and this page goes into detail on the different types of thesis statements.

This is a great site from the University of Illinois with some examples of thesis statements and their revised counterparts. What Makes a Strong Thesis Statement? A strong thesis statement gives direction to the paper and limits what you need to write about.

It also functions to inform your readers of what you will discuss in the body of the paper. All paragraphs of the essay should explain, support, or argue with your thesis.

A strong thesis statement requires proof ; it is not merely a statement of fact. You should support your thesis statement with detailed supporting evidence will interest your readers and motivate them to continue reading the paper.

Sometimes it is useful to mention your supporting points in your thesis. An example of this could be: John Updike's Trust Me is a valuable novel for a college syllabus because it allows the reader to become familiar with his writing and provides themes that are easily connected to other works. In the body of your paper, you could write a paragraph or two about each supporting idea.