A thesis sentence is one, complete sentence that is precise in its statement of the main idea of the paper, concrete in its language, and correct grammatically. A thesis sentence should not be formulated until the main points of the essay have been thought through.

A good thesis sentence should:

State the focused topic of the paper.
State the purpose of the paper.
Indicate the method of development of the paper (classification, comparison-contrast, cause and effect, definition . . .).

A good thesis sentence should not be:

Only a title (My high school football team).
An announcement (In this paper I am going to discuss my high school football team.).
A statement of fact ( My high school football team won the 1996 state championship.).

Bad Thesis Sentences

1. A reasonable foundation is necessary in order for a teenage marriage to survive.


2. Teenage drinking is becoming a problem in our society.


3. Within the world of superstition, one of the most believed is that of the evil eye.


4. In this essay I will discuss some of the many problems a girl may face when living in a dorm.


5. Unidentified flying objects have been reported for more than forty years, and some reports still remain unexplained.


6. Astrology is a popular superstition today because of its various aspects.

Better Thesis Sentences

1. Of all the bugs, snakes, and spiders in this vast universe, the appearance, feel, and behavior of the tree roach can induce a panic as intense as a heart attack.


2. Dieters assume various disguises, but the noteworthy ones are the "bandwagoneer," the "promiser," and the "lethal loser."


3. My father and my older brother always assume diametrically different viewpoints.


4. The people who do the volunteer work are varied, but the PTA seems to act as a magnet for three types of personalities: the power seeker, the eager beaver, and the dependable worker.


5. Although they both serve wonderful, fresh seafood, the differences in the menu, the service, and the overall atmosphere set Pappadeux and Joe's Crab Shack apart.


6. I decided to teach because I love children and enjoy working with them and because I wanted to make learning a more positive experience for them than it had been for me.


7. Because many couples marry for the wrong reasons, a breakdown in communication results, leading to their growing apart and, all too often, to divorce.


8. Although humans are often helped by successful animal research, the pain, the suffering, and the death of animals are not worth the possible human benefits; therefore animals should not be used in research.