Page 121 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Advantages of a Thesis with Points Listed

1. Listing thesis points forces you to plan your essay carefully. If

you habitually skim over the prewriting and planning stages,
then listing points forces you to think through your topic before

you write the essay.

2. Listing thesis points conveys an impression of careful

organization. Your reader sees concrete evidence that you

planned before you wrote.

3. Listing thesis points aids clarity by giving the reader a road map
to the development of your essay.

4. Listing thesis points keeps you on track. Your thesis serves as

a mini-outline for you to follow as you write.

Making Your Thesis Points Parallel

When you list thesis points, the points should be written in parallel
structure; that is, each point needs to be written in the same

grammatical structure. This is easier than it sounds, and parallel

structure makes your thesis points sound like exactly what they are:

different points that form a single unit.

Look at the difference in the two example thesis statements that
follow.

Examples of Nonparallel and Parallel Thesis

Statements