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A thesis statement achieves the following:
state the main idea in a piece of writingA thesis statement is “a single sentence that formulates both your topic and your point of view toward it” (Gibaldi).
present and limit topics
make assertions that must be supported
often go beyond the facts to express the writer’s attitudes
Gibaldi, Joseph and Walter S. Achtert. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 3rd ed. NY: The Modern Language Association of America, 1988. 26.
Pemberton, Carol. Writing Paragraphs. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994. 253.
| Posted: July 15, 1997 | Bookmark! | Edited: July 10, 1999 |