8 Creating a Thesis to Answer your Research Question
A research paper starts with a research question. The thesis is your one-sentence answer to your research question. It is the single most important sentence in your essay or research paper.
Learning Objectives
After completing the activities in this chapter, you will be able to
- identify the components of a thesis statement
- understand the use of parallel structure in a thesis statement
- evaluate thesis statements
Starting with a Research Question
It’s a good idea to start a writing project with a research question.
Look at these example research questions:
- Is music piracy beneficial or harmful to the music industry?
- What are the benefits of exercise?
- Should the government increase the minimum wage?
- How can people live more environmentally friendly lives?
Now you need to do research to determine your answer to the question.
You need to decide your stance and how you can support your stance with persuasive reasons.
Creating a Thesis Statement
You can write a draft thesis statement after you’ve done some preliminary research to determine your stance and some main reasons for your stance. Your thesis statement is a concise one-sentence answer to your research question.
The thesis statement expresses three things:
- the specific topic of the paper
- your stance (or, “opinion” or “position”) on that topic
- the main reasons for your opinion
The table below shows how a thesis statement evolves from a broad topic.
| Broad Topic | Research Question | Thesis Statement |
| Music piracy | Is music piracy beneficial or harmful to the music industry? | The recording industry fears that so-called music piracy will diminish profits and destroy markets, but it cannot be more wrong; piracy can enable artists to reach larger audiences and make more money. |
| Exercise | What are the benefits of exercise? | Exercise helps people maintain healthy bodies and handle mental pressure. |
| Minimum Wage | Should the government increase the minimum wage? | The minimum wage in Canada should be increased to increase the physical, social, and financial well-being of workers. |
| Environment | How can people live more environmentally friendly lives? | To live more sustainably, people must recycle, buy from local stores, and stop driving unnecessarily. |
Can you identify the three necessary components in each of the thesis statements above?
Parallel Structure in Thesis Statements
Notice that the supporting reasons in each thesis above are given in parallel structure.
Learning Check
Thesis Statement Placement
Your thesis is the single most important sentence in your writing. In academic writing, the thesis statement is placed at the end of the introductory paragraph.
Tip
You will make several attempts before you devise a working thesis statement that you think is effective. Each draft of the thesis statement will bring you closer to the wording that expresses your meaning exactly.
Articles (a, an, the) are often placed before nouns in English. They can be tricky to understand, especially for English as a Second Language learners, because there are a lot of rules, a lot of exceptions to those rules, and this grammar doesn't exist in all languages.
Information from: https://open.lib.umn.edu/writingforsuccess/chapter/5-3-count-and-noncount-nouns-and-articles/ [1]
Nouns are words that name things, places, people, and ideas. Right now, you may be surrounded by desks, computers, and notebooks. These are called count nouns because you can count the exact number of desks, computers, and notebooks—three desks, one computer, and six notebooks, for example.
On the other hand, you may be carrying a small amount of money in your wallet and sitting on a piece of furniture. These are called noncount nouns. Although you can count the pieces of furniture or the amount of money, you cannot add a number in front of money or furniture and simply add –s to the end of the noun. Instead, you must use other words and phrases to indicate the quantity of money and furniture.
Incorrect: five moneys, two furnitures
Correct: some money, two pieces of furniture
By the end of Section 5.3.1 “Count and Noncount Nouns”, you will grasp the difference between the two types of nouns and be able to use them confidently in speaking and writing.
Count and Noncount Nouns
A count noun refers to people, places, and things that are separate units. You make count nouns plural by adding –s.
Table 5.1 Count Nouns
| Count Noun | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Quarter | It takes six quarters to do my laundry. |
| Chair | Make sure to push in your chairs before leaving class. |
| Candidate | The two candidates debated the issue. |
| Adult | The three adults in the room acted like children. |
| Comedian | The two comedians made the audience laugh. |
A noncount noun identifies a whole object that cannot separate and count individually. Noncount nouns may refer to concrete objects or abstract objects. A concrete noun identifies an object you can see, taste, touch, or count. An abstract noun identifies an object that you cannot see, touch, or count. There are some exceptions, but most abstract nouns cannot be made plural, so they are noncount nouns. Examples of abstract nouns include anger, education, melancholy, softness, violence, and conduct.
Table 5.2 Types of Noncount Nouns
| Type of Noncount Noun | Examples | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Food | sugar, salt, pepper, lettuce, rice | Add more sugar to my coffee, please. |
| Solids | concrete, chocolate, silver, soap | The ice cream was covered in creamy chocolate. |
| Abstract Nouns | peace, warmth, hospitality, information | I need more information about the insurance policy. |
Exercise 1
On a separate sheet of paper, label each of the following nouns as count or noncount.
- Electricity ________
- Water ________
- Book ________
- Sculpture ________
- Advice ________
Exercise 2
On a separate sheet of paper, identify whether the italicized noun in the sentence is a count or noncount noun by writing C or NC above the noun.
- The amount of traffic on the way home was terrible.
- Forgiveness is an important part of growing up.
- I made caramel sauce for the organic apples I bought.
- I prefer film cameras instead of digital ones.
- My favorite subject is history.
Definite and Indefinite Articles
The word the is a definite article. It refers to one or more specific things. For example, the woman refers to not any woman but a particular woman. The definite article the is used before singular and plural count nouns.
The words a and an are indefinite articles. They refer to one nonspecific thing. For example, a woman refers to any woman, not a specific, particular woman. The indefinite article a or an is used before a singular count noun.
Definite Articles (The) and Indefinite Articles (A/An) with Count Nouns
I saw the concert. (singular, refers to a specific concert)
I saw the concerts. (plural, refers to more than one specific concert)
I saw the U2 concert last night. (singular, refers to a specific concert)
I saw a concert. (singular, refers to any nonspecific concert)
Exercise 3
On a separate sheet of paper, write the correct article in the blank for each of the following sentences. Write OK if the sentence is correct.
- (A/An/The) camel can live for days without water. ________
- I enjoyed (a/an/the) pastries at the Bar Mitzvah. ________
- (A/An/The) politician spoke of many important issues. ________
- I really enjoyed (a/an/the) actor’s performance in the play. ________
- (A/An/The) goal I have is to run a marathon this year. ________
Exercise 4
Correct the misused or missing articles and rewrite the paragraph.
Stars are large balls of spinning hot gas like our sun. The stars look tiny because they are far away. Many of them are much larger than sun. Did you know that a Milky Way galaxy has between two hundred billion and four hundred billion stars in it? Scientists estimate that there may be as many as five hundred billion galaxies in an entire universe! Just like a human being, the star has a life cycle from birth to death, but its lifespan is billions of years long. The star is born in a cloud of cosmic gas and dust called a nebula. Our sun was born in the nebula nearly five billion years ago. Photographs of the star-forming nebulas are astonishing.
Collaboration
Once you have found all the errors you can, share with a classmate and compare your answers. Did your partner find an error you missed? Did you find an error your partner missed? Compare with your instructor’s answers.
Key Takeaways
- You can make count nouns plural by adding -s.
- Count nouns are individual people, places, or things that can be counted, such as politicians, deserts, or candles.
- Noncount nouns refer to whole things that cannot be made plural, such as salt, peace, or happiness.
- The is a definite article and is used to refer to a specific person, place, or thing, such as the Queen of England.
- A and an are indefinite articles, and they refer to nonspecific people, places, or things, such as an apple or a bicycle.
Writing Application
Write five sentences using the definite article the. Write five sentences using the indefinite article a or an. Exchange papers with a classmate and check each other’s work.
To learn more about articles
- Read Chapter 5.3 of Writing for Success [2].
- Try these online activities from OWL Purdue; complete the exercise and then compare your responses with the answer key:
