Writing

ESL Writing

Thesis statement

Writers commonly revise their

thesis statements.

Don’t expect to think of a perfect thesis at the beginning.

Plan to create a “working thesis” that you can use as you revise your sloppy copy into a draft.

A working thesis need not be elegant or formal; it just needs to get you started.  

Some examples of poor thesis statements and revision:

1. My instructor has an attendance policy.

My instructor should change her attendance policy because it is unreasonable, inflexible, and unfair.

2. Some children show violent behavior.

Conflict-resolution courses should be taught to help prevent violence in America’s schools.

3. Social networking sites such as Facebook can cause problems.

College students should be careful of what they put on their Facebook pages because prospective employees routinely check them.

Some strategies that can help you create a working thesis:

1. Reword the topic question into a statement.

2. Use “I” statements. Writing from your own viewpoint can help you figure out what you are trying to say. If first person is not appropriate for your audience, you can edit the wording later.  

More Strategies

1. Choose a sentence from the last paragraph of your sloppy copy. Writers often figure out what they want to say as they are writing.

2. Choose any sentence from your sloppy copy that meets the criteria. You just need something to get you started; you can change your working thesis as you write.