In the course of composing an academic essay, you may come across what is commonly called a thesis statement. This term refers to the first paragraph of your essay. The thesis statement contains the main idea of your essay. In short, it is a short sentence that articulates the central idea of a research report or an essay. It is usually written for a particular specialized audience and explicitly states the topic under discussion.
Let us take an example to get a better understanding of what is a thesis statement. Assume that you are writing a paper on “flation.” You have already researched this topic and prepared an elaborate argument about its cause and effects. Your main argument rests in the first sentence of your essay. This sentence states, “Inflation is a general process that causes prices to rise.” Your next paragraphs then elaborate the details of your main argument, starting with the second sentence, which mentions the third law of demand.
Your thesis statement will prove to be quite lengthy if you use it in the context of your essay. As mentioned, you only write it when you think it is necessary. In this example, assume that your argument is, “Inflation causes rising prices.” In the first paragraph you state the first law of demand-the more products that are purchased, the lower the prices. In the second paragraph you elaborate on the effect of inflation on the purchasing power of the dollar.
What is a thesis statement might sound easy but there are some limitations of it in the academic world. The reason why many professors discourage their students from writing a thesis statement is because it might be too long. If it is too lengthy, students will not want to read it. In addition, it can be confusing for the reader. If they have to read through your essay just to find out what the thesis statement is, the sentence might seem very choppy and drab.
You can avoid such problems by writing your own expository essay. For example, if your thesis statement consists of “The cost of college tuition has reached an all time high,” you can write in your own language that “The cost of college tuition has reached an all time low because students are taking fewer loans and finding more efficient means of funding their college tuition.” This makes your statement sound clear and concise. Your expository essay will be a lot shorter and much easier to understand.
You may also find it useful to use thesis statements after you have already formed your main argument. For example, in your first paragraph you might describe what you are attempting to achieve with your research. Then, as your second paragraph describes what you did to achieve your results, you can include “and the findings are currently being tested on human subjects in a laboratory.”
The thesis statement in your second paragraph gives readers a quick idea of what you are doing. Then, in your third paragraph you can explain what the research paper is about. But if you have used your thesis statement in the previous two sentences, don’t forget about it. Don’t stop adding it to your second, third, or fourth sentences. That way you can reference it throughout your paper without having to write a new essay altogether.
Using the what is a thesis statement in an expository essay is a great way to keep your reader’s attention. You can easily use this tool to help you organize your thoughts, develop your argument, and prove your point in an easy to read manner. This formulaic approach is an effective way to make sure that your expository essay is easy to read and proofread as well!