See more on using a thesis to develop an outline.
Often a good, clear thesis will suggest an organization for your ideas.
| WORKING THESIS | Despite the disadvantages of living in a downtown business district, I wouldn’t live anywhere else. |
| FIRST ¶S | Disadvantages of living in the business district |
| NEXT ¶S | Advantages of living there |
| LAST ¶ | Affirmation of your preference for downtown life |
Just putting your working thesis into words can help organize you and keep you on track. A clear thesis can guide you as you select details and connect sections of the essay.
See more on key terms in college assignments. 336–38.
In addition, your thesis can prepare your readers for the pattern of development or sequence of ideas that you plan to present. As a writer, you look for key words (such as compare, propose, or evaluate) when you size up an assignment. Such words alert you to what’s expected. When you write or revise your thesis, you can use such terms or their equivalents (such as benefit or consequence instead of effect) to preview for readers the likely direction of your paper. Then they, too, will know what to expect.
| WORKING THESIS | Expanding the campus program for energy conservation would bring welcome financial and environmental benefits. |
| FIRST ¶S | Explanation of the campus energy situation |
| NEXT ¶S | Justification of the need for the proposed expansion |
| NEXT ¶S | Financial benefits for the college and students |
| NEXT ¶S | Environmental benefits for the region and beyond |
| LAST ¶ | Concluding assertion of the value of the expansion |
As you write, however, you don’t have to cling to a thesis for dear life. If further investigation changes your thinking, you can change your thesis.
| WORKING THESIS | Because wolves are a menace to people and farm animals, they ought to be exterminated. |
| REVISED THESIS | The wolf, a relatively peaceful animal useful in nature’s scheme of things, ought to be protected. |
You can restate a thesis any time: as you write, revise, or revise again.