Thesis Statements

Definition

How

of a Thesis Statement

to Construct a Strong ThreePronged Thesis Statement

Four Characteristics of Strong

Thesis Statements
1.

A strong thesis statement

______________________________.

A thesis must show your conclusions about a topic.

2.

A strong thesis statement

________________________________.

Your thesis should indicate the point of the

discussion.

(Quoted Source: Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University- current and

following slide)

Four Characteristics of Strong

Thesis Statements
3.

A strong thesis statement

_________________________________.

4.

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.

A strong thesis statement _________.

A thesis statement should show exactly what your
paper will be about, and will help you keep your
paper to a manageable topic.

Constructing a Strong Thesis

Statement
How

do you write a good

thesis statement?
Magic Formula:
________________+
___________________ +
________________________ =
Strong Thesis Statement

A Three Pronged Thesis

Example for Literature:
Literary

contemporaries William Shakespeare

and Ben Jonson exhibit 1 similar styles of
language, 2 character development, and
plot execution. = Strong Thesis!

Topic

+ active verb + 3 prongs / main points /

the approach that you use to prove your topic
= strong thesis

A Three Pronged Thesis

Example for Science:
Because it emits
no greenhouse gasses,
1
2 causes no atmospheric pollution, and
harms no water or aquatic life, Nuclear power +
3
provides + the cleanest source of energy to meet the
demands of the twenty-first century. =Strong Thesis
Statement
3

prongs / main points + Topic + active verb + the

approach that you use to prove your topic = strong
thesis

Grammar Connection:
A Note about Parallel Structure
The

3 points in your thesis must be written in

parallel structure.
Parallel structure means using the same
pattern of words to show that two or more
ideas have the same level of importance.
This can happen at the word, phrase, or
clause level. The usual way to join parallel
structures is with the use of coordinating
conjunctions such as and or or.

Examples:
Parallel Words and Phrases
With

Parallel: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and

bicycling.

With

the -ing form (gerund) of words:

infinitive phrases:

Parallel: Mary likes to hike, to swim, and to ride a

bicycle.
OR
Mary likes to hike, swim, and ride a bicycle.

Keep Your Sentence Structure

Parallel- Dont Mix Word Forms

Example 1- Not Parallel:

Parallel Fix:

Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.

Example 2- Not Parallel:

Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.

The production manager was asked to write his report

quickly, accurately, and in a detailed manner.

Parallel Fix:

The production manager was asked to write his report

quickly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Work Cited
Four

Characteristics of Strong Thesis

Statements (Quotations)

Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University,

Bloomington, IN

Parallel

Structure Quotations and Examples

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing

Lab and OWL at Purdue and Purdue University.
26 Aug. 2005. Web. 18 Aug. 2009.

Remember to look out for:

Vague, weak verbs- use action verbs

Vague, weak, or generalized language
Missing points (3 aspects the paper will cover)
Incorrect format- Use of I or This essay is about
Lack of parallel structure / Inconsistent ordering within the 3prong list
(keep your nouns, adjectives, etc. in similar form)
Facts- remember a thesis needs to be provable, not an already
proven fact
(facts go in the body of your essay)
Disorganized approaches to the topic
remember to stay focused and organized