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Pre Thesis Statement

This is the sentence or two you will write before you finish your essay that will help guide you in writing cohesively and persuasively. To write your pre thesis statement, do the following:

  1. Write down your topic sentences.
  2. Read over everything you have written and think about any other points you would like to make in your essay. Keep your focus as narrow as possible, do not try to cover too many ideas in one essay.
  3. Once you are clear about the direction the essay will go and the central idea that you will be presenting, write your one to two sentence pre thesis statement.
  4. Proceed with research and the writing of essay, using it to support your thesis statement.


Post Thesis Statement

The post statement will be an updated version of your original thesis statement. It will be written AFTER your first draft essay is completed. It should still be only one to two sentences in length. To write a post thesis statement, do the following:
  1. Once your essay is completed, and before you have done the final editing process, put it aside for a day or two.
  2. After your short "resting period" read your finished essay thoroughly.
  3. Re-read your pre-thesis statement.
  4. Ask yourself the following questions?
    1. Have I accurately captured the essence of what my essay is about in those few lines?
    2. Is my statement powerful, brief, and to the point?
    3. Does my statement give the audience a clear "map" of what is going to be presented to them with my essay?
  5. If the answer to any of these three questions is no, then you should revise your thesis statement until you can answer yes to all of those questions.

CONCLUSION

This lesson will help you to write a powerful thesis statement. Refer back to it when writing and revising your essays. To keep your thesis strong, keep it short. State a clear argument that others might oppose and then use your essay to convince your reader that your position is sound and supportable. Remember, the point of an essay is to convince your reader that your viewpoint is correct, or at least worthy of their consideration. It helps to think about what it would take for someone to convince you of something that you may disagree with, or make you consider their view on the subject. Use sound, rational arguments with supporting facts and material to sway your audience.

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