Thesis Statement

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Thesis Statement
A good thesis often has an essay map or plan of
development to help readers know what the essay
is going to be about.
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Good Thesis Statements do the following

• State the writers clearly defined opinion
• Poor Many people have different opinions about
  motorcycle safety.
• Better Solid training, hours of practice, and
  protective clothing are three sure ways
  motorcycle riders can ensure their safety.
• Are limited to fit the assignment
• Poor The democratic process has many flaws
• Better Voting machines in San Diego are
  unreliable because of unresponsive screens,
  poorly structured pages, and no voter training
  in how to use them.

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Good Thesis Statements also do the following

• Are stated in specific terms
• Poor The online enrollment system is a pain.
• Better The online enrollment system at Bate
  College has several flaws that cause students to
  give up and go elsewhere.
• Are recognizable as the main idea in the 1st and
  2nd paragraph.

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Points can be listed before or after thesis
statement.

• Advantages of listing points
• 1) makes you plan
• 2) shows organization to reader
• 3) aids clarity with road map
• 4) gives you an outline

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Advantages of not listing points

• 1) Makes main idea clear and focused
• 2) When points are long, not listing makes
  point clearer
• 3) Eliminates repetition when topic sentences
  are too similar to thesis
• 4) Makes you show connections in more subtle
  ways.

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Things to avoid

• Announcements
• Poor I am going to talk about Cuyamaca
  College.
• Better Cuyamaca College is an excellent
  choice for many students
• Unreasonable Statements
• Poor Fanatical conspiritors in the bookstore
  constantly cheat students.
• Better To better serve students, the bookstore
  needs to make changes in its policies.

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Things to avoid 2

• Plain Facts
• Poor Cuyamaca is a community college in
  El Cajon.
• Better Cuyamaca College is better than Mesa
  College for 3 important reasons.
• Questions
• Poor Why should you attend Cuyamaca College?
• Better Saving money and time are two good
  reasons to attend Cuyamaca College.

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Two Good Examples

• Cuyamaca college is an excellent choice for
  students who want to save money, get the classes
  they need, and enjoy the benefits of close
  teacher-student relations.
• Science Fiction novels help people plan for the
  future as well as analyze the past