Five Kinds of Weak Thesis Statements
This is an abridged handout with language taken from Writing Analytically, pp. 255-64. Be sure to check the text
book for extended explanations and examples.
1. A thesis that makes no claim (“This paper examines the pros and cons of…”)
Problem: these theses “name a subject,” but make no claim about it. Thus “there is… nothing at stake,
no issue to be resolved.”
Solution: “Raise specific issues for the essay to explore.”
2. A thesis that is obviously true or a statement of fact (“Exercise is good for you.”)
Problem: “A thesis needs to be an assertion with which it is possible for readers to disagree.”
Solution: “Find some avenue of inquiry – a question about the facts or an issue raised by them. Make an
assertion with which it would be possible to disagree.”
3. A thesis that restates conventional wisdom (“Love conquers all”)
Problem: These are cultural clichés, not claims. You reader won’t learn anything from your essay.
Solution: Complicate the claim… “avoid conventional wisdom unless you can qualify it or introduce a
fresh perspective on it.”
4. A thesis that offers personal conviction as the basis for the claim (“Shopping malls are
wonderful places”)
Problem: These claims assume that your opinion must be right, and that any reader must agree with
you, regardless of evidence.
Solution: “Treat your ideas as hypothesis to be tested rather than obvious truths.”
5. A thesis that makes an overly broad claim (“Individualism is good.”)
Problem: “Overly generalized theses avoid complexity… [and] usually lead to either say-nothing theses
or to reductive either/or thinking. [They] say nothing in particular about the subject…”
Solution: “Convert broad categories and generic claims to more specific, more qualified assertions; find
ways to bring out the complexity of your subject.”
Rephrasing Weak Thesis Statements
In addition to the strategies above, you can address many of these issues by paying close attention to
the structure and syntax of your thesis statement. Complicated ideas usually need complicated forms.
1. Specify
Verbs: Replace “is” and “are” with stronger verbs that express your claim more exactly.
Key Terms: Replace general and abstract terms (like “positive” or “justice”) with a more exact
term.
2. Subordinate: Rank one of the two items in your thesis underneath the other by using
“although,” “while,” or “though” (e.g. “Although violent revolutions begin to redress long-
standing social inequities, they often do so at the cost of long-term economic dysfunction and
the suffering that attends it.”)
