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Argumentative Thesis Statements
Argumentative Thesis Statements
A strong, argumentative thesis statement should take a stance about an issue. It should explain the basics of your argument and help your reader to know what to expect in your essay. This video reviews the necessary components of a thesis statement and walks through some examples.
Key Features of Argumentative Thesis Statements
Key Features of Argumentative Thesis Statements
Below are some of the key features of an argumentative thesis statement. An argumentative thesis is debatable, assertive, reasonable, evidence-based, and focused.
Debatable
Debatable
An argumentative thesis must make a claim about which reasonable people can disagree. Statements of fact or areas of general agreement cannot be argumentative theses because few people disagree about them.
Assertive
Assertive
An argumentative thesis takes a position, asserting the writer’s stance. Questions, vague statements, or quotations from others are not argumentative theses because they do not assert the writer’s viewpoint.
Reasonable
Reasonable
An argumentative thesis must make a claim that is logical and possible. Claims that are outrageous or impossible are not argumentative theses.
Evidence-Based
Evidence-Based
An argumentative thesis must be able to be supported by evidence. Claims that presuppose value systems, morals, or religious beliefs cannot be supported with evidence and therefore are not argumentative theses.
Focused
Focused
An argumentative thesis must be focused and narrow. A focused, narrow claim is clearer, more able to be supported with evidence, and more persuasive than a broad, general claim.
Citations
Citations
CC licensed content, Original
Argumentative Thesis Statements. Provided by: University of Mississippi. License: CC BY: Attribution
CC licensed content, Shared previously
Argumentative Thesis Activity. Provided by: Excelsior College. Located at: http://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/argumentative-thesis/argumentative-thesis-activity/. License: CC BY: Attribution
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Purdue OWL: Thesis Statements. Provided by: OWLPurdue. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKXkemYldmw. License: Other. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
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"Argumentative Thesis Statements" by Lumen Learning. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
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