What is a thesis statement?

1 Answer
Feb 2, 2018

A statement of the main idea of the following discussion.

Explanation:

The thesis is a simple statement of the primary idea position that will be explained in more detail in the subsequent written work or oral discussion.

A thesis focuses the attention on the desired outcomes of the communication. It is usually a single sentence, but may be a short paragraph.

For example, the statement: "The War Between the States was about State's rights, not slavery." is a thesis statement. The evidence and arguments for the statement are expected to follow, but now the reader knows what the topic will be, and can continue the discussion or reading if so desired.