stated in essay

10 Other Ways to Say “The Text States” (With Examples)

When analyzing a text or writing about reading, it’s easy to fall into repetitive language like “the text states” over and over. While this phrase isn’t technically wrong, it can make your writing boring for the reader.

Instead, mix it up by using a variety of different phrases to introduce evidence and quotes from the text. This keeps your writing fresh and engaging.

In this blog post, I’ll share different ways to say “the text states” when integrating evidence from reading into your writing. I’ll provide a quick definition and example sentence for each phrase so you can see it in context.

Whether you’re writing an essay for class or analyzing a text as part of a book club or literature discussion, these alternatives to “the text states” will help you smoothly quote the text more dynamically.

Is It Professional to Say “the Text States”?

No, it is not considered professional to overuse the phrase “the text states” in academic writing . While this phrase is direct and clear for introducing a quote or evidence from a text, relying on it too much can make your writing seem repetitive and unsophisticated.

Instead, it is more professional to use a variety of alternative phrases to smoothly integrate quotes and references to the text in your academic work. Phrases like “according to the author” or “as the passage indicates” demonstrate more complex writing skills and make your points flow well.

Varying your language also keeps the reader engaged in your analysis rather than growing tired of seeing the same sentence structure repeated. The occasional use of “the text states” is just fine for clarity.

However academic writing is strengthened when writers use a range of sentence structures and vocabulary , enabling them to express concepts fluidly.

So be sure to break up repetitive phrasing with some of the diverse options available for introducing textual evidence. Your writing will come across more professionally and thoughtfully.

Here is an example text that repetitively uses “the text states”:

In the passage about sea turtles, the text states that these creatures have existed for over 100 million years. The text states that sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and the beaches where they nest. The text states that sea turtles face many threats from humans, including pollution, habitat loss, and hunting. The text states that six of the seven sea turtle species are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.

• Using “ the text states” clearly attributes information to the source text.
• Repeating this phrase creates consistency in introducing quotes and evidence.
• The repetitive use of “the text states” is monotonous and unsophisticated.
• The writing sounds boring and lacks fluidity due to overusing the same phrase structure.

What to Say Instead of “the text states”

• The document asserts
• The passage claims
• The article articulates
• The writing specifies
• The section mentions
• The manuscript declares
• The narrative describes
• The content reveals
• The excerpt indicates
• The piece conveys

1. The document asserts

“The document asserts” is a formal way to convey that the text presents a clear statement or position on a topic. It implies a level of authority and confidence in the information presented.

This expression is particularly useful in academic or professional writing when referring to official reports, research findings, or authoritative sources.

In her groundbreaking research on climate change, the document asserts that global temperatures have risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius over the past century, highlighting the urgent need for action.

2. The passage claims

“The passage claims” suggests that a specific section of text makes a statement or argument , possibly open to interpretation or debate.

It’s a useful phrase when discussing literary works, essays, or articles that present a particular viewpoint or hypothesis.

In the debate on renewable energy sources, the passage claims that solar power could potentially meet the world’s energy needs, underscoring the importance of investing in solar technology.

3. The article articulates

“The article articulates” indicates that the piece of writing clearly and effectively expresses an idea, opinion, or fact. This expression is ideal for discussing well-written articles that convey their points persuasively and coherently.

The article articulates the need for more inclusive policies in the workplace, arguing that diversity and inclusion are not just moral imperatives but also key drivers of innovation.

4. The writing specifies

“The writing specifies” is used when the text clearly defines or details particular information or instructions. It’s particularly relevant in technical writing , legal documents, or any context where precision and clarity are paramount.

Example: In the instruction manual, the writing specifies the exact steps to safely operate the machinery, ensuring that users can follow the procedures without ambiguity.

5. The section mentions

“The section mentions” is a more casual way to refer to a part of the text that briefly refers to or acknowledges a piece of information without going into extensive detail. It’s useful for pointing out where an idea or topic is introduced in a broader context.

In the discussion on sustainable agriculture, the section mentions the role of organic farming in promoting soil health and biodiversity, though it does not delve deeply into the subject.

6. The manuscript declares

“The manuscript declares” conveys a formal and somewhat grandiose announcement or statement within a document, often used in the context of significant findings, declarations, or proclamations in a scholarly or literary work.

In his latest novel, the manuscript declares the protagonist’s unwavering resolve to overcome adversity, setting the stage for a dramatic narrative of resilience and determination.

7. The narrative describes

“The narrative describes” suggests that the story or account provides detailed descriptions , offering vivid imagery or a thorough explanation of events , settings, or characters. It’s especially fitting for literary analysis or discussions about storytelling.

The narrative describes the bustling streets of Paris in the 1920s with such detail that readers feel as though they are walking alongside the characters, experiencing the city’s vibrant culture and energy.

8. The content reveals

“The content reveals” implies that the text uncovers or discloses information, often something not immediately apparent or previously unknown. It’s a compelling way to discuss texts that provide insights, expose truths, or unveil new findings.

The documentary’s script the content reveals the hidden impacts of plastic pollution on marine life, offering a stark depiction of the environmental crisis facing our oceans.

9. The excerpt indicates

“The excerpt indicates” is used when a particular portion of the text suggests or points to a broader idea, trend, or conclusion. It’s useful for drawing attention to evidence or hints within a text that supports a larger argument or theory.

The excerpt indicates that the author’s views on democracy were heavily influenced by his experiences abroad, hinting at a deeper exploration of political ideologies throughout the book.

10. The piece conveys

“The piece conveys” refers to the overall message or emotion that a piece of writing communicates to its readers. It’s an effective expression for discussing the impact, tone, or underlying themes of a work.

Through its poignant storytelling, the piece conveys a deep sense of longing and nostalgia, evoking strong emotional responses from its audience.

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The writer of the academic essay aims to persuade readers of an idea based on evidence. The beginning of the essay is a crucial first step in this process. In order to engage readers and establish your authority, the beginning of your essay has to accomplish certain business. Your beginning should introduce the essay, focus it, and orient readers.

Introduce the Essay.  The beginning lets your readers know what the essay is about, the  topic . The essay's topic does not exist in a vacuum, however; part of letting readers know what your essay is about means establishing the essay's  context , the frame within which you will approach your topic. For instance, in an essay about the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech, the context may be a particular legal theory about the speech right; it may be historical information concerning the writing of the amendment; it may be a contemporary dispute over flag burning; or it may be a question raised by the text itself. The point here is that, in establishing the essay's context, you are also limiting your topic. That is, you are framing an approach to your topic that necessarily eliminates other approaches. Thus, when you determine your context, you simultaneously narrow your topic and take a big step toward focusing your essay. Here's an example.

The paragraph goes on. But as you can see, Chopin's novel (the topic) is introduced in the context of the critical and moral controversy its publication engendered.

Focus the Essay.  Beyond introducing your topic, your beginning must also let readers know what the central issue is. What question or problem will you be thinking about? You can pose a question that will lead to your idea (in which case, your idea will be the answer to your question), or you can make a thesis statement. Or you can do both: you can ask a question and immediately suggest the answer that your essay will argue. Here's an example from an essay about Memorial Hall.

The fullness of your idea will not emerge until your conclusion, but your beginning must clearly indicate the direction your idea will take, must set your essay on that road. And whether you focus your essay by posing a question, stating a thesis, or combining these approaches, by the end of your beginning, readers should know what you're writing about, and  why —and why they might want to read on.

Orient Readers.  Orienting readers, locating them in your discussion, means providing information and explanations wherever necessary for your readers' understanding. Orienting is important throughout your essay, but it is crucial in the beginning. Readers who don't have the information they need to follow your discussion will get lost and quit reading. (Your teachers, of course, will trudge on.) Supplying the necessary information to orient your readers may be as simple as answering the journalist's questions of who, what, where, when, how, and why. It may mean providing a brief overview of events or a summary of the text you'll be analyzing. If the source text is brief, such as the First Amendment, you might just quote it. If the text is well known, your summary, for most audiences, won't need to be more than an identifying phrase or two:

Often, however, you will want to summarize your source more fully so that readers can follow your analysis of it.

Questions of Length and Order.  How long should the beginning be? The length should be proportionate to the length and complexity of the whole essay. For instance, if you're writing a five-page essay analyzing a single text, your beginning should be brief, no more than one or two paragraphs. On the other hand, it may take a couple of pages to set up a ten-page essay.

Does the business of the beginning have to be addressed in a particular order? No, but the order should be logical. Usually, for instance, the question or statement that focuses the essay comes at the end of the beginning, where it serves as the jumping-off point for the middle, or main body, of the essay. Topic and context are often intertwined, but the context may be established before the particular topic is introduced. In other words, the order in which you accomplish the business of the beginning is flexible and should be determined by your purpose.

Opening Strategies.  There is still the further question of how to start. What makes a good opening? You can start with specific facts and information, a keynote quotation, a question, an anecdote, or an image. But whatever sort of opening you choose, it should be directly related to your focus. A snappy quotation that doesn't help establish the context for your essay or that later plays no part in your thinking will only mislead readers and blur your focus. Be as direct and specific as you can be. This means you should avoid two types of openings:

• The history-of-the-world (or long-distance) opening, which aims to establish a context for the essay by getting a long running start: "Ever since the dawn of civilized life, societies have struggled to reconcile the need for change with the need for order." What are we talking about here, political revolution or a new brand of soft drink? Get to it.
• The funnel opening (a variation on the same theme), which starts with something broad and general and "funnels" its way down to a specific topic. If your essay is an argument about state-mandated prayer in public schools, don't start by generalizing about religion; start with the specific topic at hand.

Remember.  After working your way through the whole draft, testing your thinking against the evidence, perhaps changing direction or modifying the idea you started with, go back to your beginning and make sure it still provides a clear focus for the essay. Then clarify and sharpen your focus as needed. Clear, direct beginnings rarely present themselves ready-made; they must be written, and rewritten, into the sort of sharp-eyed clarity that engages readers and establishes your authority.

Copyright 1999, Patricia Kain, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

Developing a Thesis Statement

Many papers you write require developing a thesis statement. In this section you’ll learn what a thesis statement is and how to write one.

Keep in mind that not all papers require thesis statements . If in doubt, please consult your instructor for assistance.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement . . .

• Makes an argumentative assertion about a topic; it states the conclusions that you have reached about your topic.
• Makes a promise to the reader about the scope, purpose, and direction of your paper.
• Is focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper.
• Is generally located near the end of the introduction ; sometimes, in a long paper, the thesis will be expressed in several sentences or in an entire paragraph.
• Identifies the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are using to support your argument.

Not all papers require thesis statements! Ask your instructor if you’re in doubt whether you need one.

Identify a topic

Your topic is the subject about which you will write. Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic; or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper.

Consider what your assignment asks you to do

Inform yourself about your topic, focus on one aspect of your topic, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts, generate a topic from an assignment.

Below are some possible topics based on sample assignments.

Sample assignment 1

Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II.

Identified topic

Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis

This topic avoids generalities such as “Spain” and “World War II,” addressing instead on Franco’s role (a specific aspect of “Spain”) and the diplomatic relations between the Allies and Axis (a specific aspect of World War II).

Sample assignment 2

Analyze one of Homer’s epic similes in the Iliad.

The relationship between the portrayal of warfare and the epic simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64.

This topic focuses on a single simile and relates it to a single aspect of the Iliad ( warfare being a major theme in that work).

Developing a Thesis Statement–Additional information

Your assignment may suggest several ways of looking at a topic, or it may name a fairly general concept that you will explore or analyze in your paper. You’ll want to read your assignment carefully, looking for key terms that you can use to focus your topic.

Sample assignment: Analyze Spain’s neutrality in World War II Key terms: analyze, Spain’s neutrality, World War II

After you’ve identified the key words in your topic, the next step is to read about them in several sources, or generate as much information as possible through an analysis of your topic. Obviously, the more material or knowledge you have, the more possibilities will be available for a strong argument. For the sample assignment above, you’ll want to look at books and articles on World War II in general, and Spain’s neutrality in particular.

As you consider your options, you must decide to focus on one aspect of your topic. This means that you cannot include everything you’ve learned about your topic, nor should you go off in several directions. If you end up covering too many different aspects of a topic, your paper will sprawl and be unconvincing in its argument, and it most likely will not fulfull the assignment requirements.

For the sample assignment above, both Spain’s neutrality and World War II are topics far too broad to explore in a paper. You may instead decide to focus on Franco’s role in the diplomatic relationships between the Allies and the Axis , which narrows down what aspects of Spain’s neutrality and World War II you want to discuss, as well as establishes a specific link between those two aspects.

Before you go too far, however, ask yourself whether your topic is worthy of your efforts. Try to avoid topics that already have too much written about them (i.e., “eating disorders and body image among adolescent women”) or that simply are not important (i.e. “why I like ice cream”). These topics may lead to a thesis that is either dry fact or a weird claim that cannot be supported. A good thesis falls somewhere between the two extremes. To arrive at this point, ask yourself what is new, interesting, contestable, or controversial about your topic.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times . Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Derive a main point from topic

Once you have a topic, you will have to decide what the main point of your paper will be. This point, the “controlling idea,” becomes the core of your argument (thesis statement) and it is the unifying idea to which you will relate all your sub-theses. You can then turn this “controlling idea” into a purpose statement about what you intend to do in your paper.

Look for patterns in your evidence

Compose a purpose statement.

Consult the examples below for suggestions on how to look for patterns in your evidence and construct a purpose statement.

• Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis
• Franco turned to the Allies when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from the Axis

Possible conclusion:

Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: Franco’s desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power.

Purpose statement

This paper will analyze Franco’s diplomacy during World War II to see how it contributed to Spain’s neutrality.

• The simile compares Simoisius to a tree, which is a peaceful, natural image.
• The tree in the simile is chopped down to make wheels for a chariot, which is an object used in warfare.

At first, the simile seems to take the reader away from the world of warfare, but we end up back in that world by the end.

This paper will analyze the way the simile about Simoisius at 4.547-64 moves in and out of the world of warfare.

Derive purpose statement from topic

To find out what your “controlling idea” is, you have to examine and evaluate your evidence . As you consider your evidence, you may notice patterns emerging, data repeated in more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. These patterns or data may then lead you to some conclusions about your topic and suggest that you can successfully argue for one idea better than another.

For instance, you might find out that Franco first tried to negotiate with the Axis, but when he couldn’t get some concessions that he wanted from them, he turned to the Allies. As you read more about Franco’s decisions, you may conclude that Spain’s neutrality in WWII occurred for an entirely personal reason: his desire to preserve his own (and Spain’s) power. Based on this conclusion, you can then write a trial thesis statement to help you decide what material belongs in your paper.

Sometimes you won’t be able to find a focus or identify your “spin” or specific argument immediately. Like some writers, you might begin with a purpose statement just to get yourself going. A purpose statement is one or more sentences that announce your topic and indicate the structure of the paper but do not state the conclusions you have drawn . Thus, you might begin with something like this:

• This paper will look at modern language to see if it reflects male dominance or female oppression.
• I plan to analyze anger and derision in offensive language to see if they represent a challenge of society’s authority.

At some point, you can turn a purpose statement into a thesis statement. As you think and write about your topic, you can restrict, clarify, and refine your argument, crafting your thesis statement to reflect your thinking.

As you work on your thesis, remember to keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Sometimes your thesis needs to evolve as you develop new insights, find new evidence, or take a different approach to your topic.

Compose a draft thesis statement

If you are writing a paper that will have an argumentative thesis and are having trouble getting started, the techniques in the table below may help you develop a temporary or “working” thesis statement.

Begin with a purpose statement that you will later turn into a thesis statement.

Assignment: Discuss the history of the Reform Party and explain its influence on the 1990 presidential and Congressional election.

Purpose Statement: This paper briefly sketches the history of the grassroots, conservative, Perot-led Reform Party and analyzes how it influenced the economic and social ideologies of the two mainstream parties.

Question-to-Assertion

If your assignment asks a specific question(s), turn the question(s) into an assertion and give reasons why it is true or reasons for your opinion.

Assignment : What do Aylmer and Rappaccini have to be proud of? Why aren’t they satisfied with these things? How does pride, as demonstrated in “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” lead to unexpected problems?

Beginning thesis statement: Alymer and Rappaccinni are proud of their great knowledge; however, they are also very greedy and are driven to use their knowledge to alter some aspect of nature as a test of their ability. Evil results when they try to “play God.”

Write a sentence that summarizes the main idea of the essay you plan to write.

Main idea: The reason some toys succeed in the market is that they appeal to the consumers’ sense of the ridiculous and their basic desire to laugh at themselves.

Make a list of the ideas that you want to include; consider the ideas and try to group them.

• nature = peaceful
• war matériel = violent (competes with 1?)
• need for time and space to mourn the dead
• war is inescapable (competes with 3?)

Use a formula to arrive at a working thesis statement (you will revise this later).

• although most readers of _______ have argued that _______, closer examination shows that _______.
• _______ uses _______ and _____ to prove that ________.
• phenomenon x is a result of the combination of __________, __________, and _________.

What to keep in mind as you draft an initial thesis statement

Beginning statements obtained through the methods illustrated above can serve as a framework for planning or drafting your paper, but remember they’re not yet the specific, argumentative thesis you want for the final version of your paper. In fact, in its first stages, a thesis statement usually is ill-formed or rough and serves only as a planning tool.

As you write, you may discover evidence that does not fit your temporary or “working” thesis. Or you may reach deeper insights about your topic as you do more research, and you will find that your thesis statement has to be more complicated to match the evidence that you want to use.

You must be willing to reject or omit some evidence in order to keep your paper cohesive and your reader focused. Or you may have to revise your thesis to match the evidence and insights that you want to discuss. Read your draft carefully, noting the conclusions you have drawn and the major ideas which support or prove those conclusions. These will be the elements of your final thesis statement.

Sometimes you will not be able to identify these elements in your early drafts, but as you consider how your argument is developing and how your evidence supports your main idea, ask yourself, “ What is the main point that I want to prove/discuss? ” and “ How will I convince the reader that this is true? ” When you can answer these questions, then you can begin to refine the thesis statement.

Refine and polish the thesis statement

To get to your final thesis, you’ll need to refine your draft thesis so that it’s specific and arguable.

• Ask if your draft thesis addresses the assignment
• Question each part of your draft thesis
• Clarify vague phrases and assertions
• Investigate alternatives to your draft thesis

Consult the example below for suggestions on how to refine your draft thesis statement.

Sample Assignment

Choose an activity and define it as a symbol of American culture. Your essay should cause the reader to think critically about the society which produces and enjoys that activity.

• Ask The phenomenon of drive-in facilities is an interesting symbol of american culture, and these facilities demonstrate significant characteristics of our society.This statement does not fulfill the assignment because it does not require the reader to think critically about society.

Drive-ins are an interesting symbol of American culture because they represent Americans’ significant creativity and business ingenuity.

Among the types of drive-in facilities familiar during the twentieth century, drive-in movie theaters best represent American creativity, not merely because they were the forerunner of later drive-ins and drive-throughs, but because of their impact on our culture: they changed our relationship to the automobile, changed the way people experienced movies, and changed movie-going into a family activity.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast-food establishments, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize America’s economic ingenuity, they also have affected our personal standards.

While drive-in facilities such as those at fast- food restaurants, banks, pharmacies, and dry cleaners symbolize (1) Americans’ business ingenuity, they also have contributed (2) to an increasing homogenization of our culture, (3) a willingness to depersonalize relationships with others, and (4) a tendency to sacrifice quality for convenience.

This statement is now specific and fulfills all parts of the assignment. This version, like any good thesis, is not self-evident; its points, 1-4, will have to be proven with evidence in the body of the paper. The numbers in this statement indicate the order in which the points will be presented. Depending on the length of the paper, there could be one paragraph for each numbered item or there could be blocks of paragraph for even pages for each one.

Complete the final thesis statement

The bottom line.

As you move through the process of crafting a thesis, you’ll need to remember four things:

• Context matters! Think about your course materials and lectures. Try to relate your thesis to the ideas your instructor is discussing.
• As you go through the process described in this section, always keep your assignment in mind . You will be more successful when your thesis (and paper) responds to the assignment than if it argues a semi-related idea.
• Your thesis statement should be precise, focused, and contestable ; it should predict the sub-theses or blocks of information that you will use to prove your argument.
• Make sure that you keep the rest of your paper in mind at all times. Change your thesis as your paper evolves, because you do not want your thesis to promise more than your paper actually delivers.

In the beginning, the thesis statement was a tool to help you sharpen your focus, limit material and establish the paper’s purpose. When your paper is finished, however, the thesis statement becomes a tool for your reader. It tells the reader what you have learned about your topic and what evidence led you to your conclusion. It keeps the reader on track–well able to understand and appreciate your argument.

Writing Process and Structure

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Getting Started with Your Paper

Interpreting Writing Assignments from Your Courses

Generating Ideas for

Creating an Argument

Thesis vs. Purpose Statements

Architecture of Arguments

Working with Sources

Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources

Using Literary Quotations

Citing Sources in Your Paper

Drafting Your Paper

Generating Ideas for Your Paper

Introductions

Paragraphing

Developing Strategic Transitions

Conclusions

Revising Your Paper

Peer Reviews

Reverse Outlines

Revising an Argumentative Paper

Revision Strategies for Longer Projects

Finishing Your Paper

Twelve Common Errors: An Editing Checklist

How to Proofread your Paper

Writing Collaboratively

Collaborative and Group Writing

14 Other Words for “Said” in an Essay

You want to sound as engaging and interesting as possible when writing an essay, and using words like “said” might prevent that.

So, if you’re about to use “said” for the umpteenth time, you’re in luck!

We have gathered some alternatives to show you other ways to say “said” in an essay that are bound to keep the reader entertained.

Other Ways to Say “Said”

Key takeaways.

• “Stated” is a great essay word that shows you are quoting a specific statement from a trustworthy source.
• “Declared” is a great way to describe an announcement or official quote.
• “Mentioned” is a bit simpler and allows you to highlight a quote that’s relevant to your essay.

Keep reading to find out how to quote what someone said in an essay. We’ll go over the three most effective terms to help spice up your academic writing.

One of the most common ways to replace “said” in an essay is “stated.” It’s a great formal synonym that helps to keep things direct and clear for the reader.

It works well before a quote. You should write “stated” to clarify that you’re about to run a quote by the reader.

Of course, you can’t claim that someone “stated” something without backing it up with evidence.

The last thing you’ll want is for the reader to look into the quote and find out it was never actually said.

But, as long as you’ve done your research, this works well. Good academic phrases that start with “stated” help you to establish a clear quote relating to the bulk of your essay.

These essay samples will also help you understand it:

It’s clear that he stated “time is the killer of all things.” However, nobody really understood the prophetic meaning behind it.

She stated that “it’s time to make the changes you want to see in the world.” That’s what led most people to join the revolution.

For a more impactful alternative, you can use “declared.”

You won’t find “declared” quite as often as “said,” but it’s still an incredibly good term to include.

It’s a formal synonym. It also shows that someone announced something important .

Generally, “declared” comes before compelling quotes. It might be more suitable to use it when quoting a famous politician or monarch of some kind.

It’s a surefire way to engage the reader and spark their imagination.

We highly recommend it when you’re certain that it belongs before a quote and will allow you to establish a more powerful meaning behind it.

Perhaps these essay samples will also help you with it:

The king declared “good things will come to those who ask me for them.” He was a very proud man.

She declared that “this was going to be the only time she offered her services to those in need.”

Feel free to use “mentioned,” too. It’s another word you can use instead of “said” in an essay that’ll keep things engaging for the reader.

It’s much subtler than the other phrases. It suggests that someone has made a brief comment about something, and you’d like to quote it for the reader.

Don’t worry; it’s still a good formal synonym. However, you should use it when the quote isn’t the most important part of your essay.

Quotes are there to add a bit of context for the reader. So, they’re not always needed to improve an essay.

“Mentioned” is a simple word that allows you to include a short but interesting quote . However, it usually isn’t as impactful as saying something like “declared” or “exclaimed.”

You can also refer to these essay examples:

The politician mentioned that “we cannot know what we haven’t already experienced.” That resonated with me.

It was clear that he mentioned “things were bound to change soon,” so they had to figure out what he meant.

• 11 Other Ways to Say “Thank You for Your Time”
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We are a team of experienced communication specialists.

Our mission is to help you choose the right phrase or word for your emails and texts.

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Writing Tutorial Services

How to write a thesis statement, what is a thesis statement.

Almost all of us—even if we don’t do it consciously—look early in an essay for a one- or two-sentence condensation of the argument or analysis that is to follow. We refer to that condensation as a thesis statement.

Why Should Your Essay Contain a Thesis Statement?

• to test your ideas by distilling them into a sentence or two
• to better organize and develop your argument
• to provide your reader with a “guide” to your argument

In general, your thesis statement will accomplish these goals if you think of the thesis as the answer to the question your paper explores.

How Can You Write a Good Thesis Statement?

Here are some helpful hints to get you started. You can either scroll down or select a link to a specific topic.

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is Assigned

Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. Your first step, then, is to distill the assignment into a specific question. For example, if your assignment is, “Write a report to the local school board explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class,” turn the request into a question like, “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” After you’ve chosen the question your essay will answer, compose one or two complete sentences answering that question.

Q: “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?” A: “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . .”

A: “Using computers in a fourth-grade class promises to improve . . .”

The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the essay.

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How to Generate a Thesis Statement if the Topic is not Assigned

Even if your assignment doesn’t ask a specific question, your thesis statement still needs to answer a question about the issue you’d like to explore. In this situation, your job is to figure out what question you’d like to write about.

A good thesis statement will usually include the following four attributes:

• take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree
• deal with a subject that can be adequately treated given the nature of the assignment
• express one main idea
• assert your conclusions about a subject

Let’s see how to generate a thesis statement for a social policy paper.

Brainstorm the topic . Let’s say that your class focuses upon the problems posed by changes in the dietary habits of Americans. You find that you are interested in the amount of sugar Americans consume.

You start out with a thesis statement like this:

Sugar consumption.

This fragment isn’t a thesis statement. Instead, it simply indicates a general subject. Furthermore, your reader doesn’t know what you want to say about sugar consumption.

Narrow the topic . Your readings about the topic, however, have led you to the conclusion that elementary school children are consuming far more sugar than is healthy.

You change your thesis to look like this:

Reducing sugar consumption by elementary school children.

This fragment not only announces your subject, but it focuses on one segment of the population: elementary school children. Furthermore, it raises a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree, because while most people might agree that children consume more sugar than they used to, not everyone would agree on what should be done or who should do it. You should note that this fragment is not a thesis statement because your reader doesn’t know your conclusions on the topic.

Take a position on the topic. After reflecting on the topic a little while longer, you decide that what you really want to say about this topic is that something should be done to reduce the amount of sugar these children consume.

You revise your thesis statement to look like this:

More attention should be paid to the food and beverage choices available to elementary school children.

This statement asserts your position, but the terms more attention and food and beverage choices are vague.

Use specific language . You decide to explain what you mean about food and beverage choices , so you write:

Experts estimate that half of elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar.

This statement is specific, but it isn’t a thesis. It merely reports a statistic instead of making an assertion.

Make an assertion based on clearly stated support. You finally revise your thesis statement one more time to look like this:

Because half of all American elementary school children consume nine times the recommended daily allowance of sugar, schools should be required to replace the beverages in soda machines with healthy alternatives.

Notice how the thesis answers the question, “What should be done to reduce sugar consumption by children, and who should do it?” When you started thinking about the paper, you may not have had a specific question in mind, but as you became more involved in the topic, your ideas became more specific. Your thesis changed to reflect your new insights.

How to Tell a Strong Thesis Statement from a Weak One

1. a strong thesis statement takes some sort of stand..

Remember that your thesis needs to show your conclusions about a subject. For example, if you are writing a paper for a class on fitness, you might be asked to choose a popular weight-loss product to evaluate. Here are two thesis statements:

There are some negative and positive aspects to the Banana Herb Tea Supplement.

This is a weak thesis statement. First, it fails to take a stand. Second, the phrase negative and positive aspects is vague.

Because Banana Herb Tea Supplement promotes rapid weight loss that results in the loss of muscle and lean body mass, it poses a potential danger to customers.

This is a strong thesis because it takes a stand, and because it's specific.

2. A strong thesis statement justifies discussion.

Your thesis should indicate the point of the discussion. If your assignment is to write a paper on kinship systems, using your own family as an example, you might come up with either of these two thesis statements:

My family is an extended family.

This is a weak thesis because it merely states an observation. Your reader won’t be able to tell the point of the statement, and will probably stop reading.

While most American families would view consanguineal marriage as a threat to the nuclear family structure, many Iranian families, like my own, believe that these marriages help reinforce kinship ties in an extended family.

This is a strong thesis because it shows how your experience contradicts a widely-accepted view. A good strategy for creating a strong thesis is to show that the topic is controversial. Readers will be interested in reading the rest of the essay to see how you support your point.

3. A strong thesis statement expresses one main idea.

Readers need to be able to see that your paper has one main point. If your thesis statement expresses more than one idea, then you might confuse your readers about the subject of your paper. For example:

Companies need to exploit the marketing potential of the Internet, and Web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.

This is a weak thesis statement because the reader can’t decide whether the paper is about marketing on the Internet or Web pages. To revise the thesis, the relationship between the two ideas needs to become more clear. One way to revise the thesis would be to write:

Because the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential, companies should exploit this potential by using Web pages that offer both advertising and customer support.

This is a strong thesis because it shows that the two ideas are related. Hint: a great many clear and engaging thesis statements contain words like because , since , so , although , unless , and however .

4. A strong thesis statement is specific.

A thesis statement should show exactly what your paper will be about, and will help you keep your paper to a manageable topic. For example, if you're writing a seven-to-ten page paper on hunger, you might say:

World hunger has many causes and effects.

This is a weak thesis statement for two major reasons. First, world hunger can’t be discussed thoroughly in seven to ten pages. Second, many causes and effects is vague. You should be able to identify specific causes and effects. A revised thesis might look like this:

Hunger persists in Glandelinia because jobs are scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.

This is a strong thesis statement because it narrows the subject to a more specific and manageable topic, and it also identifies the specific causes for the existence of hunger.

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Thesis Statements

What this handout is about.

This handout describes what a thesis statement is, how thesis statements work in your writing, and how you can craft or refine one for your draft.

Introduction

Writing in college often takes the form of persuasion—convincing others that you have an interesting, logical point of view on the subject you are studying. Persuasion is a skill you practice regularly in your daily life. You persuade your roommate to clean up, your parents to let you borrow the car, your friend to vote for your favorite candidate or policy. In college, course assignments often ask you to make a persuasive case in writing. You are asked to convince your reader of your point of view. This form of persuasion, often called academic argument, follows a predictable pattern in writing. After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic directly and often in one sentence. This sentence is the thesis statement, and it serves as a summary of the argument you’ll make in the rest of your paper.

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement:

• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
• makes a claim that others might dispute.
• is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively. (Check out our handout on understanding assignments for more information.)

How do I create a thesis?

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis” that presents a basic or main idea and an argument that you think you can support with evidence. Both the argument and your thesis are likely to need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming .

How do I know if my thesis is strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following :

• Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question. If the prompt isn’t phrased as a question, try to rephrase it. For example, “Discuss the effect of X on Y” can be rephrased as “What is the effect of X on Y?”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is likely to  be “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

Suppose you are taking a course on contemporary communication, and the instructor hands out the following essay assignment: “Discuss the impact of social media on public awareness.” Looking back at your notes, you might start with this working thesis:

Social media impacts public awareness in both positive and negative ways.

You can use the questions above to help you revise this general statement into a stronger thesis.

• Do I answer the question? You can analyze this if you rephrase “discuss the impact” as “what is the impact?” This way, you can see that you’ve answered the question only very generally with the vague “positive and negative ways.”
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not likely. Only people who maintain that social media has a solely positive or solely negative impact could disagree.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? No. What are the positive effects? What are the negative effects?
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? No. Why are they positive? How are they positive? What are their causes? Why are they negative? How are they negative? What are their causes?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? No. Why should anyone care about the positive and/or negative impact of social media?

After thinking about your answers to these questions, you decide to focus on the one impact you feel strongly about and have strong evidence for:

Because not every voice on social media is reliable, people have become much more critical consumers of information, and thus, more informed voters.

This version is a much stronger thesis! It answers the question, takes a specific position that others can challenge, and it gives a sense of why it matters.

Let’s try another. Suppose your literature professor hands out the following assignment in a class on the American novel: Write an analysis of some aspect of Mark Twain’s novel Huckleberry Finn. “This will be easy,” you think. “I loved Huckleberry Finn!” You grab a pad of paper and write:

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.

You begin to analyze your thesis:

• Do I answer the question? No. The prompt asks you to analyze some aspect of the novel. Your working thesis is a statement of general appreciation for the entire novel.

Think about aspects of the novel that are important to its structure or meaning—for example, the role of storytelling, the contrasting scenes between the shore and the river, or the relationships between adults and children. Now you write:

In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.

• Do I answer the question? Yes!
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? Not really. This contrast is well-known and accepted.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? It’s getting there–you have highlighted an important aspect of the novel for investigation. However, it’s still not clear what your analysis will reveal.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? Not yet. Compare scenes from the book and see what you discover. Free write, make lists, jot down Huck’s actions and reactions and anything else that seems interesting.
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? What’s the point of this contrast? What does it signify?”

After examining the evidence and considering your own insights, you write:

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave “civilized” society and go back to nature.

This final thesis statement presents an interpretation of a literary work based on an analysis of its content. Of course, for the essay itself to be successful, you must now present evidence from the novel that will convince the reader of your interpretation.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Anson, Chris M., and Robert A. Schwegler. 2010. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers , 6th ed. New York: Longman.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 2018. The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing , 8th ed. New York: Pearson.

Ruszkiewicz, John J., Christy Friend, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston. 2010. The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers , 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Words to Use in an Essay: 300 Essay Words

Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

Words to use in the essay introduction, words to use in the body of the essay, words to use in your essay conclusion, how to improve your essay writing vocabulary.

It’s not easy to write an academic essay .

Many students struggle to word their arguments in a logical and concise way.

To make matters worse, academic essays need to adhere to a certain level of formality, so we can’t always use the same word choices in essay writing that we would use in daily life.

If you’re struggling to choose the right words for your essay, don’t worry—you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of over 300 words and phrases to use in the introduction, body, and conclusion of your essay.

The introduction is one of the hardest parts of an essay to write.

You have only one chance to make a first impression, and you want to hook your reader. If the introduction isn’t effective, the reader might not even bother to read the rest of the essay.

That’s why it’s important to be thoughtful and deliberate with the words you choose at the beginning of your essay.

Many students use a quote in the introductory paragraph to establish credibility and set the tone for the rest of the essay.

When you’re referencing another author or speaker, try using some of these phrases:

To use the words of X

According to X

As X states

Example: To use the words of Hillary Clinton, “You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health.”

Near the end of the introduction, you should state the thesis to explain the central point of your paper.

If you’re not sure how to introduce your thesis, try using some of these phrases:

In this essay, I will…

The purpose of this essay…

This essay discusses…

In this paper, I put forward the claim that…

There are three main arguments for…

Example: In this essay, I will explain why dress codes in public schools are detrimental to students.

After you’ve stated your thesis, it’s time to start presenting the arguments you’ll use to back up that central idea.

When you’re introducing the first of a series of arguments, you can use the following words:

First and foremost

First of all

To begin with

Example: First , consider the effects that this new social security policy would have on low-income taxpayers.

All these words and phrases will help you create a more successful introduction and convince your audience to read on.

The body of your essay is where you’ll explain your core arguments and present your evidence.

It’s important to choose words and phrases for the body of your essay that will help the reader understand your position and convince them you’ve done your research.

Let’s look at some different types of words and phrases that you can use in the body of your essay, as well as some examples of what these words look like in a sentence.

Transition Words and Phrases

Transitioning from one argument to another is crucial for a good essay.

It’s important to guide your reader from one idea to the next so they don’t get lost or feel like you’re jumping around at random.

Transition phrases and linking words show your reader you’re about to move from one argument to the next, smoothing out their reading experience. They also make your writing look more professional.

The simplest transition involves moving from one idea to a separate one that supports the same overall argument. Try using these phrases when you want to introduce a second correlating idea:

Additionally

In addition

Furthermore

Another key thing to remember

In the same way

Correspondingly

Example: Additionally , public parks increase property value because home buyers prefer houses that are located close to green, open spaces.

Another type of transition involves restating. It’s often useful to restate complex ideas in simpler terms to help the reader digest them. When you’re restating an idea, you can use the following words:

In other words

To put it another way

That is to say

To put it more simply

Example: “The research showed that 53% of students surveyed expressed a mild or strong preference for more on-campus housing. In other words , over half the students wanted more dormitory options.”

Often, you’ll need to provide examples to illustrate your point more clearly for the reader. When you’re about to give an example of something you just said, you can use the following words:

For instance

To give an illustration of

To exemplify

To demonstrate

As evidence

Example: Humans have long tried to exert control over our natural environment. For instance , engineers reversed the Chicago River in 1900, causing it to permanently flow backward.

Sometimes, you’ll need to explain the impact or consequence of something you’ve just said.

When you’re drawing a conclusion from evidence you’ve presented, try using the following words:

As a result

Accordingly

As you can see

This suggests that

It follows that

It can be seen that

For this reason

For all of those reasons

Consequently

Example: “There wasn’t enough government funding to support the rest of the physics experiment. Thus , the team was forced to shut down their experiment in 1996.”

When introducing an idea that bolsters one you’ve already stated, or adds another important aspect to that same argument, you can use the following words:

What’s more

Not only…but also

Not to mention

To say nothing of

Another key point

Example: The volcanic eruption disrupted hundreds of thousands of people. Moreover , it impacted the local flora and fauna as well, causing nearly a hundred species to go extinct.

Often, you'll want to present two sides of the same argument. When you need to compare and contrast ideas, you can use the following words:

On the one hand / on the other hand

Alternatively

In contrast to

On the contrary

By contrast

In comparison

Example: On the one hand , the Black Death was undoubtedly a tragedy because it killed millions of Europeans. On the other hand , it created better living conditions for the peasants who survived.

Finally, when you’re introducing a new angle that contradicts your previous idea, you can use the following phrases:

Having said that

Differing from

In spite of

With this in mind

Provided that

Nevertheless

Nonetheless

Notwithstanding

Example: Shakespearean plays are classic works of literature that have stood the test of time. Having said that , I would argue that Shakespeare isn’t the most accessible form of literature to teach students in the twenty-first century.

Good essays include multiple types of logic. You can use a combination of the transitions above to create a strong, clear structure throughout the body of your essay.

Strong Verbs for Academic Writing

Verbs are especially important for writing clear essays. Often, you can convey a nuanced meaning simply by choosing the right verb.

You should use strong verbs that are precise and dynamic. Whenever possible, you should use an unambiguous verb, rather than a generic verb.

For example, alter and fluctuate are stronger verbs than change , because they give the reader more descriptive detail.

Here are some useful verbs that will help make your essay shine.

Verbs that show change:

Accommodate

Verbs that relate to causing or impacting something:

Verbs that show increase:

Verbs that show decrease:

Deteriorate

Verbs that relate to parts of a whole:

Comprises of

Is composed of

Constitutes

Encompasses

Incorporates

Verbs that show a negative stance:

Misconstrue

Verbs that show a positive stance:

Substantiate

Verbs that relate to drawing conclusions from evidence:

Corroborate

Demonstrate

Verbs that relate to thinking and analysis:

Contemplate

Hypothesize

Investigate

Verbs that relate to showing information in a visual format:

Useful Adjectives and Adverbs for Academic Essays

You should use adjectives and adverbs more sparingly than verbs when writing essays, since they sometimes add unnecessary fluff to sentences.

However, choosing the right adjectives and adverbs can help add detail and sophistication to your essay.

Sometimes you'll need to use an adjective to show that a finding or argument is useful and should be taken seriously. Here are some adjectives that create positive emphasis:

Significant

Other times, you'll need to use an adjective to show that a finding or argument is harmful or ineffective. Here are some adjectives that create a negative emphasis:

Controversial

Insignificant

Questionable

Unnecessary

Unrealistic

Finally, you might need to use an adverb to lend nuance to a sentence, or to express a specific degree of certainty. Here are some examples of adverbs that are often used in essays:

Comprehensively

Exhaustively

Extensively

Respectively

Surprisingly

Using these words will help you successfully convey the key points you want to express. Once you’ve nailed the body of your essay, it’s time to move on to the conclusion.

The conclusion of your paper is important for synthesizing the arguments you’ve laid out and restating your thesis.

In your concluding paragraph, try using some of these essay words:

In conclusion

To summarize

In a nutshell

Given the above

As described

All things considered

Example: In conclusion , it’s imperative that we take action to address climate change before we lose our coral reefs forever.

In addition to simply summarizing the key points from the body of your essay, you should also add some final takeaways. Give the reader your final opinion and a bit of a food for thought.

To place emphasis on a certain point or a key fact, use these essay words:

Unquestionably

Undoubtedly

Particularly

Importantly

Conclusively

It should be noted

On the whole

Example: Ada Lovelace is unquestionably a powerful role model for young girls around the world, and more of our public school curricula should include her as a historical figure.

These concluding phrases will help you finish writing your essay in a strong, confident way.

There are many useful essay words out there that we didn't include in this article, because they are specific to certain topics.

If you're writing about biology, for example, you will need to use different terminology than if you're writing about literature.

So how do you improve your vocabulary skills?

The vocabulary you use in your academic writing is a toolkit you can build up over time, as long as you take the time to learn new words.

One way to increase your vocabulary is by looking up words you don’t know when you’re reading.

Try reading more books and academic articles in the field you’re writing about and jotting down all the new words you find. You can use these words to bolster your own essays.

You can also consult a dictionary or a thesaurus. When you’re using a word you’re not confident about, researching its meaning and common synonyms can help you make sure it belongs in your essay.

Don't be afraid of using simpler words. Good essay writing boils down to choosing the best word to convey what you need to say, not the fanciest word possible.

Finally, you can use ProWritingAid’s synonym tool or essay checker to find more precise and sophisticated vocabulary. Click on weak words in your essay to find stronger alternatives.

There you have it: our compilation of the best words and phrases to use in your next essay . Good luck!

Good writing = better grades

ProWritingAid will help you improve the style, strength, and clarity of all your assignments.

Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.

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How to Write a Strong Thesis Statement: 4 Steps + Examples

What’s Covered:

What is the purpose of a thesis statement, writing a good thesis statement: 4 steps, common pitfalls to avoid, where to get your essay edited for free.

When you set out to write an essay, there has to be some kind of point to it, right? Otherwise, your essay would just be a big jumble of word salad that makes absolutely no sense. An essay needs a central point that ties into everything else. That main point is called a thesis statement, and it’s the core of any essay or research paper.

You may hear about Master degree candidates writing a thesis, and that is an entire paper–not to be confused with the thesis statement, which is typically one sentence that contains your paper’s focus. 

Read on to learn more about thesis statements and how to write them. We’ve also included some solid examples for you to reference.

Typically the last sentence of your introductory paragraph, the thesis statement serves as the roadmap for your essay. When your reader gets to the thesis statement, they should have a clear outline of your main point, as well as the information you’ll be presenting in order to either prove or support your point. 

The thesis statement should not be confused for a topic sentence , which is the first sentence of every paragraph in your essay. If you need help writing topic sentences, numerous resources are available. Topic sentences should go along with your thesis statement, though.

Since the thesis statement is the most important sentence of your entire essay or paper, it’s imperative that you get this part right. Otherwise, your paper will not have a good flow and will seem disjointed. That’s why it’s vital not to rush through developing one. It’s a methodical process with steps that you need to follow in order to create the best thesis statement possible.

Step 1: Decide what kind of paper you’re writing

When you’re assigned an essay, there are several different types you may get. Argumentative essays are designed to get the reader to agree with you on a topic. Informative or expository essays present information to the reader. Analytical essays offer up a point and then expand on it by analyzing relevant information. Thesis statements can look and sound different based on the type of paper you’re writing. For example:

• Argumentative: The United States needs a viable third political party to decrease bipartisanship, increase options, and help reduce corruption in government.
• Informative: The Libertarian party has thrown off elections before by gaining enough support in states to get on the ballot and by taking away crucial votes from candidates.
• Analytical: An analysis of past presidential elections shows that while third party votes may have been the minority, they did affect the outcome of the elections in 2020, 2016, and beyond.

Step 2: Figure out what point you want to make

Once you know what type of paper you’re writing, you then need to figure out the point you want to make with your thesis statement, and subsequently, your paper. In other words, you need to decide to answer a question about something, such as:

• What impact did reality TV have on American society?
• How has the musical Hamilton affected perception of American history?
• Why do I want to major in [chosen major here]?

If you have an argumentative essay, then you will be writing about an opinion. To make it easier, you may want to choose an opinion that you feel passionate about so that you’re writing about something that interests you. For example, if you have an interest in preserving the environment, you may want to choose a topic that relates to that. 

If you’re writing your college essay and they ask why you want to attend that school, you may want to have a main point and back it up with information, something along the lines of:

“Attending Harvard University would benefit me both academically and professionally, as it would give me a strong knowledge base upon which to build my career, develop my network, and hopefully give me an advantage in my chosen field.”

Step 3: Determine what information you’ll use to back up your point

Once you have the point you want to make, you need to figure out how you plan to back it up throughout the rest of your essay. Without this information, it will be hard to either prove or argue the main point of your thesis statement. If you decide to write about the Hamilton example, you may decide to address any falsehoods that the writer put into the musical, such as:

“The musical Hamilton, while accurate in many ways, leaves out key parts of American history, presents a nationalist view of founding fathers, and downplays the racism of the times.”

Once you’ve written your initial working thesis statement, you’ll then need to get information to back that up. For example, the musical completely leaves out Benjamin Franklin, portrays the founding fathers in a nationalist way that is too complimentary, and shows Hamilton as a staunch abolitionist despite the fact that his family likely did own slaves. 

Step 4: Revise and refine your thesis statement before you start writing

Read through your thesis statement several times before you begin to compose your full essay. You need to make sure the statement is ironclad, since it is the foundation of the entire paper. Edit it or have a peer review it for you to make sure everything makes sense and that you feel like you can truly write a paper on the topic. Once you’ve done that, you can then begin writing your paper.

When writing a thesis statement, there are some common pitfalls you should avoid so that your paper can be as solid as possible. Make sure you always edit the thesis statement before you do anything else. You also want to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Don’t make your reader hunt for your point. Finally, put your thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph and have your introduction flow toward that statement. Your reader will expect to find your statement in its traditional spot.

If you’re having trouble getting started, or need some guidance on your essay, there are tools available that can help you. CollegeVine offers a free peer essay review tool where one of your peers can read through your essay and provide you with valuable feedback. Getting essay feedback from a peer can help you wow your instructor or college admissions officer with an impactful essay that effectively illustrates your point.

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Alternatives to Using “Said” When Quoting a Source

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• 24th July 2014

When discussing the arguments of other thinkers, as we often have to do when writing a paper , you might find yourself writing “so and so says…” quite often. While this is good enough most of the time, you may also want to vary your word choice.

Moreover, in academic writing , “says” or “said” might not fully communicate what you intend. It may therefore be better to use a more precise alternative.

Alternatives to “Said”

There are plenty of synonyms for “said” that can be used in academic writing. For instance, if we imagine quoting an author called Johnson, instead of “Johnson says that,” we could write:

• States (“Johnson states that the results are consistent with past studies…”)
• Asserts (“Johnson asserts that the technique is flawed…”)
• Argues (“Johnson argues that the test should be revised…”)
• Claims (“Johnson claims that the conclusion is valid…”)
• Believes (“Johnson believes that modern science should be trusted…”)

However, it should be noted that most of these words are more specific than “said.” As such, you’ll need to check that the word you pick fits the situation.

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Saying that “Johnson argues such and such,” for instance, only makes sense if you are quoting an argument. As such, it wouldn’t make sense to say “Johnson argues that his favorite ice-cream is vanilla,” since this is an opinion, not an argument.

Likewise, some terms have connotations that you need to understand before you use them. The word “alleges,” for instance, can be a synonym for “says,” but it implies that the claim is unproven, controversial or doubtful. It therefore has quite a specific use.

Nor should you avoid using the word “says” in your work. It’s simply a case of being aware of how often you use particular terms and trying to find a suitable alternative if you are using any single term (including “said”) too much.

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Synonyms of stated

• as in declared
• as in expressed
• as in voiced
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Thesaurus Definition of stated

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• unequivocal
• unambiguous
• categorical
• comprehensive
• clear - cut
• unmistakable
• understandable
• well - defined
• intelligible
• straightforward
• comprehensible

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• incomprehensible
• unintelligible
• enigmatical
• articulated
• nuncupative
• word - of - mouth

Thesaurus Definition of stated  (Entry 2 of 2)

• communicated
• paraphrased
• brought out
• put into words
• promulgated
• broadcasted
• ripped (out)
• piped up (with)
• gave air to
• disseminated
• sounded off

Thesaurus Entries Near stated

Cite this entry.

“Stated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stated. Accessed 15 May. 2024.

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Guest Essay

The Simple Math That Could Swing the Election to Biden

By Mark Penn

Mr. Penn was a pollster and an adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton from 1995 to 2008. He is chairman of the Harris Poll and chief executive of Stagwell Inc.

President Biden appears behind in all the swing states, and his campaign appears all too focused on firming up his political base on the left with his new shift on Israel , a $7 trillion budget and massive tax increases and is failing to connect on the basic issues of inflation , immigration and energy . By pitching too much to the base, he is leaving behind the centrist voters who shift between parties from election to election and, I believe, will be the key factor deciding the 2024 race.

I’ve spent decades looking at the behavior of swing voters and how candidates appeal to them, including for Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign in 1996. If Mr. Biden wants to serve another four years, he has to stop being dragged to the left and chart a different course closer to the center that appeals to those voters who favor bipartisan compromises to our core issues, fiscal discipline and a strong America.

People usually assume that turning out so-called base voters in an election matters most, since swing voters are fewer in number. And it’s true that in today’s polarized environment, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump have about 40 percent of voters each and nothing will change those people’s minds. But in that remaining 20 percent of the electorate, voters have disproportionate power because of their potential to switch. It’s simple math: Take a race tied in the run-up 5 to 5. If one voter swings, the tally becomes 6 to 4. Two voters would then need to be turned out just to tie it up, and a third one would be needed to win.

The simple power of this math — which drove the campaigns of Mr. Clinton (with his message about “building a bridge to the 21st century”), George W. Bush (“compassionate conservatism”) and Barack Obama (“hope and change”) — has been obscured, undoubtedly by base groups like unions or PACs that have a vested interest in maintaining their sway and power. Take Michigan, a battleground state where Mr. Trump has led Mr. Biden by as many as three percentage points in the past month. To overcome that gap, Mr. Biden would need to bring out nearly 250,000 additional voters (3 percent of more than eight million registered voters) just to tie it up in a state that has already achieved a record of over 70 percent turnout in a presidential year. Or Mr. Biden could switch just 125,000 swing voters and win.

Despite this math, scared candidates are, in my experience, easily sold the idea that the Democratic base or Republican base is going to stay home in November unless they are constantly fed what they want to hear. One call from the head of a religious group, a civil rights group, a labor group and others (often called the groups), and fear runs through a campaign. A New York Times article this winter about Black pastors warning the Biden White House that his Gaza war policy could imperil re-election is a good example. Maybe if Mr. Biden were running against a well-liked centrist opponent, concern could be justified. But during a fall election against Mr. Trump, the final month of this campaign is going to see a frenzy of get-out-the-vote efforts, and I doubt the Democratic base is going to sit idly by at the thought of the Trump limo cruising up Pennsylvania Avenue. The reality is that swing voters in battleground states who are upset about immigration, inflation and what they see as extreme climate policies and weakness in foreign affairs are likely to put Mr. Trump back in office if they are not blunted.

Consider some Democratic electoral history. Mr. Biden got 81 percent of the vote in the Michigan Democratic presidential primary in February. He got roughly similar percentages in the Colorado, Texas and Massachusetts primaries — not too far below other incumbent presidents with a weak job rating. And yet for months, liberal commentators and activists pointed to the Michigan protest vote as proof that he is doomed in November over his Israel stance. But Michigan was hardly a repeat of the 1968 New Hampshire primary that effectively ended Lyndon Johnson’s re-election bid; Eugene McCarthy got 42 percent, and that was a truly sizable protest.

I believe most of the 101,000 uncommitted votes that Mr. Biden lost in Michigan will come home in the end because they have nowhere else to go and the threat Mr. Trump poses will become clearer and scarier in the next six months. But regardless, there’s a much bigger opportunity for Mr. Biden if he looks in the other direction. Mr. Trump lost nearly 300,000 votes to Nikki Haley in the Michigan Republican primary. These people are in the moderate center, and many of them could be persuaded to vote for Mr. Biden if he fine-tuned his message to bring them in. And remember to multiply by two: Persuading those 300,000 Republicans to cross party lines would have the equivalent force of turning out 600,000 Democrats. The same math applies to other battleground states, like Pennsylvania, where 158,000 people voted for Ms. Haley instead of Mr. Trump in the Republican primary, even though she dropped out seven weeks earlier.

Unfortunately, Mr. Biden is not reaching out to moderate voters with policy ideas or a strong campaign message. He is not showing clear evidence of bringing in large numbers of swing voters in the battleground states at this point. Those swing voters look for fiscal restraint without tax increases, climate policies that still give people a choice of cars and fuels and immigration policies that are compassionate to those who are here but close the borders. The balanced budget remains one of the single strongest measures that swing and other voters want. Mr. Clinton’s efforts to balance the budget set off the revolution that resulted in an eight-point win, even with third-party candidates in 1996, and catapulted his job approval ratings to above 70 percent. Instead of pivoting to the center when talking to 32 million people tuned in to his State of the Union address, Mr. Biden doubled down on his base strategy with hits like class warfare attacks on the rich and big corporations, big tax increases, student loan giveaways and further expansions of social programs despite a deficit of more than $1.1 trillion. The results quickly dissipated.

Mr. Biden’s campaign has fundamentally miscalculated on Israel. Those Haley voters are strong defense voters who would back our ally Israel unreservedly and, I believe, want to see a president who would put maximum pressure on Hamas to release hostages. By pandering to base voters with no choice, Biden is pushing the Haley vote to Mr. Trump, and so his first instincts on Israel were both good policy and good politics. Eighty-four percent of independents surveyed said they supported Israel more than Hamas in the conflict, and 63 percent said they believed a cease-fire should occur only after the hostages have been released. The more Mr. Biden has pandered to the left by softening his support of Israel, the weaker he looks, and the more his foreign policy ratings have declined. Rather than pull decisively away from Israel, Mr. Biden should instead find a plan that enables Israel to go into Rafah and that has enough precautions for Rafah’s civilians so the American president can back it.

At this point, Mr. Biden also needs to give a serious speech on the issues of crime and immigration and what they are doing to our inner cities. He has to combine policies of fair policing and treatment of DACA recipients with tougher crime and immigration policies. Seventy-eight percent of independents polled said they wanted the Biden administration to make it tougher to get into the United States illegally, but 63 percent said they ultimately wanted compromise legislation that strengthens the border while giving DACA recipients a path to citizenship. On crime, despite many violent crime metrics returning to their pre-Covid levels last year, voters have been more worried than ever. Eighty-three percent of voters said they wanted shoplifting laws to be enforced strictly , and 69 percent said they supported Justice Department intervention against city district attorneys who are pulling back prosecution of violent offenders. Mr. Biden has to be more responsive to these concerns.

Mr. Biden’s energy policies, especially his push for more electric vehicles, are not popular, either. Fifty-nine percent of Americans said they opposed the mandate that half of cars sold in the United States by 2030 be electric. In Michigan, Mr. Trump has identified a potentially killer strategy by going around telling autoworkers that electric vehicles will destroy their jobs. Unlike foreign policy issues, threats concerning the loss of auto industry jobs could directly affect hundreds of thousands of voters in Michigan.

The 2024 election is a rematch, but Mr. Biden should not assume that he will get the same result as he did in 2020 in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and other battleground states by running the same playbook. This time around, he is seen as older, and the assessment of the job that he has done is in negative territory. While he won’t get any younger, he could still move more to the center, vacuum up swing voters who desperately want to reject Mr. Trump, strengthen his image as a leader by destroying Hamas and rally the base at the end. But that means first pushing back against the base rather than pandering to it and remembering that when it comes to the math of elections, swing is king.

Mark Penn was a pollster and an adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton from 1995 to 2008. He is chairman of the Harris Poll and chief executive of Stagwell Inc.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

Harry and Meghan's Archewell charity found delinquent over unpaid fees

LOS ANGELES — The charity founded by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan , has been found delinquent in California and cannot raise money because the state has determined Archewell Foundation has not paid its annual registration fees or submitted an annual report.

A source close to Archewell said that the group’s initial check was lost in the mail but that payment has been resubmitted. The issue is expected to be resolved within days, the source said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a notice of delinquency to Archewell Foundation this month, noting that the organization's renewal information was incomplete. State records show that the foundation's last renewal was in May 2023 and that it has officially been marked "delinquent," meaning the charity cannot raise money.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been in Nigeria bringing attention to causes they have long supported, including wounded veterans. Harry, a founding patron of the Invictus Games, played a game of sitting volleyball with wounded former soldiers.

The couple launched Archewell Foundation in 2020, after they stepped down from their duties as senior members of the royal family and moved out of the United Kingdom . Its mission statement is simply "Show up, do good."

"We consciously partner with key organizations and leaders to identify immediate needs, build meaningful initiatives, and drive long-term change," the foundation's website says.

According to the foundation, it backs programs that involve supporting parents, empowering girls, advocating for mental health and connecting families of Afghan refugees with the communities where they have resettled.

Archewell is also supporting a playground in Uvalde, Texas, in honor of the shooting that killed 19 children at Robb Elementary School.

Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles and Doha Madani from New York.

Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms.

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

Revisit Congress Avenue in 1914, where revelers in cars crowd out horse drawn buggies

You don't have much time before Father's Day, which falls on June 16 this year, to match the magnificent gift given by a Texas man, originally from Marlin, who came close to immortalizing his father.

Jack Robertson, 81, uncovered a treasure trove of old Texas documents, essays, letters, photos and other ephemera in a box of memorabilia that had belonged to his father, Rupert Robertson (1895-1968).

A University of Texas professor emeritus of accounting, Jack recognized the historical value of Rupert's descriptive essays written for his English classes at UT from 1914 to 1916, as well as the evidence from his military service during World War I, when Rupert was a balloonist.

Since the elder Robertson starred on the Marlin high school track team and earned his track letter at UT in Austin, his son Jack wanted to preserve his father's writing at the university's Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, a marvelously eccentric museum and archive tucked into the north end of Royal Memorial Stadium.

Terence "Terry" Todd, the late director of the Stark Center, and his wide, Jan Todd, current director, welcomed Rupert's personal papers, many from more than 100 years ago.

"Terry asked me to include a biography of my father, so independent researchers could add the personhood of the author to the context of the stories," Jack says. "Ten months and 62 pages later, I delivered the biography."

You read that right, the dutiful son produced a biography of his father that weighs in at 62 single-spaced pages, which, while short of being a book, is much more than a bio sketch.

I can't pretend to have read every word of this opus, but combined with Rupert's own writing, the world of Texas in the early 20th century became incrementally clearer to me through this gift from Jack Robertson.

A choice essay on Austin from Rupert Robertson

In 1914, Rupert Robertson wrote the following essay about a night on Congress Avenue, one of many he executed for English classes at UT. Note the keen details as Rupert's attention wanders — through various sentence structures — from one sensation to another. This was a time when most of the city's commercial traffic and entertainment venues were concentrated on Congress, but before the Paramount Theatre opened as the Majestic Theatre in 1915.

This particular personal anecdote — and others like it from all over the state — is available digitally to the public at thestoryoftexas.com through the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum as part of the "Help Us Tell the Story of Texas" project.

"The rain is coming down slowly, and it wets the street so that it glistens under the big arc lights like a large mirror.

"The red and yellow drays are bespattered with mud. The streetcars, automobiles and other vehicles are rumbling down the street with such a terrible drum that I would think I was by myself if I could not see the throng of people moving up and down the street.

"Some are gazing at the beautifully lighted show windows which contain various shades of the latest styles of clothing; some are on the inside of the store purchasing articles, and some are looking at the red, white and green moving picture signs, and debate with themselves whether to go in or stay outside and parade the street with the "mob."

"The crowd is composed mostly of university students, but they are not in a hurry tonight. This is unusual, because as a general rule, these fellows are restless, and always go with push and vim wherever they are. But the college spirit is here, for every now and then I hear the jolly laugh of some young man at the joke or remark of one of his companions.

"Boys and girls in couples, clad in their grey and brown rainproof garments, are present in great numbers. There is an air of happiness and success among them as they go down one side of the street and come up the other; the thought of the green-back English book and the brown cloth-covered mathematic text is left behind and forgotten.

"The crowd is divided into groups which represent different fraternities, clubs and various other organizations. Each individual bunch has a characteristic of its own. The Rusticusses wearing big hats, the Phi Gamma Deltas grey mackinaws with a blue stripe, the Sigma Nu's ties, and the other organizations have some similar distinction.

"The rest of the crowd is compiled of town girls and boys; brown (Mexican American); Negro men and women; and a great part of the Jewish population. Here and there, and at every corner, I see a policeman watching the crowd as a cowboy on horseback watches a herd of cattle.

"The street is as crowded with vehicles as the sidewalks are with people. Along the curbing are many automobiles with their radiators pointing toward the crowd and the rear ends toward the middle of the street. At intervals are found horses and buggies, but not many because automobiles are rapidly taking their place.

"Then there are the candy vendors in their dingy clothing, selling brown peanut and pecan candies. The popcorn man has his wagon driven close to the curbing, and is selling chewing gum, peanuts and pink popcorn. The whole scene has an atmosphere of relaxation and freedom in spite of the gloominess of the weather."

Rupert Robertson the athlete

"After starting the biography," Jack Robertson writes, "I needed to continue to the end."

Rupert Cook Robertson was born March 31, 1895 in the rural town of Kosse, Texas (pop. 500) in southern Limestone County. His father, Charles Onward "C.O." Robertson was born in Alabama in 1867; his mother Martha Adeline "Mattie" Price Robertson, was born in Blue Ridge in Falls County in 1872.

Rupert was known as a "city boy" in Kosse, where his family owned a general store, but he spent much time on his grandfather's Price's farm in Falls County, where "all activity revolved around the fields and seasons."

Even in the early 20th century, rural Texas remained closer to the rhythms of the 19th century. "His transport was shoe-leather and horse-and-buggy," his son writes. "His water came from a well. His sanitation was the outhouse. His entertainment was outdoors with family and friends."

Socially, this was the "segregated South," with scant interaction between the races, other than the employer-worker relationships, Jack reminds readers.

Rupert was not the only Kosse native to make it big in sports. David E. "Kosse" Johnson Jr. starred as a halfback on the Rice Institute team during the 1950s and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.

Another nearby exposure to big-time sports: Pro baseball teams — such as White Sox, Cardinals, Reds, Athletics and Giants — held spring training camps in nearby Marlin, which attracted flocks of tourists because its mineral water that promised reputed healing properties.

Rupert attended Marlin High School from 1912 to 1914. He lived in a boarding house operated by his Aunt Clara Belle Price. Even today, one can walk by blocks and blocks of sizable Victorian and farmhouse-style homes in Marlin.

Since his father disapproved of football, Rupert ran track. State high school track meets were held at UT's Clark Field beginning in 1905. The big four regional teams were Belton, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. According to University of Texas Interscholastic League records, Marlin competed strongly from 1910 to 1915, and the school earned the top spot in 1914. As usual, Rupert won individual and team medals. (Jack's documents on these events are startlingly detailed.)

When Rupert entered UT in 1914, Austin was home to about 30,000 people, and 2,300 of those were members of the university's student body. His freshman class, for which he served as secretary-treasurer, counted 674 members.

Rupert said he wanted to study business in order to take over the family general store in Kosse. Jack always imagined that his father was recruited for his track skills, but he also turns up evidence of family and friends who had attended UT, and would have supported Rupert collegiate aspiration. He belonged to that generation of Texans whose families had survived pioneer life in the country and saw brighter horizons for their children in the cities and through higher education.

Rupert joined an athletic fraternity, Sigma Delta Psi, as well as Kappa Alpha, which includes among its brothers athletes who were Rupert's friends. Sports were already big on campus and getting bigger. Folks like Billy Disch, L. Theo Bellmont and Clyde Littlefield led what was becoming a dominant college power in football, basketball, track, tennis, gymnastics, wrestling and soccer — Rupert played wing on the soccer team. In track, he did well in high hurdles, mile relay and other events.

Life in the military and its aftermath

UT sports hollowed out, however, once the U.S. entered World War I on April 6, 1917. Athletes were among the first to enlist and the campus opened military training centers, which were later badly stricken by the flu epidemic in 1918-1919.

Rupert enlisted in the Army on Aug. 5, 1917 in Houston. Much of what he wrote about his first months is fairly anodyne but still illuminating about Austin and San Antonio, where he trained at Camp Travis, during the war. (For instance, Rupert did not pause his habit of dating campus beauties.) After basic training, he was assigned to Fort Omaha, Nebraska, on March, 26 1918 to enter the balloon school. He qualified to be a spherical balloon pilot.

Rupert's family expressed concern whenever the press reported balloon any accidents and explosions, but young man made it through two years in the corps unscathed. He skipped the flu, too, at a time when the military was among the hardest hit sectors in the U.S. by the pandemic. Aug. 30, 1918, Rupert was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Service. After a series of service flights, he was honorably discharged on Aug. 11, 1919 with bronze victory button.

The rest of Rupert's young adult life was spent working in real estate, insurance and various other Kosse businesses, as well as farming citrus fruit and working for firms in the Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi and California. In the Valley, he met and married widow Lois Lucille Rose Bartlett; they produced Sara Ellen Robertson Moore and Jack Robertson.

Rupert suffered from various medical conditions, including diabetes and depression, some of them traced to his military service. Lois taught school and the family eventually moved to Marlin, where Jack grew up. A good deal of the remaining personal history consists of Jack's childhood memories of his family while growing up there. (We'd need another column or two to do that part justice.)

Rupert died Jan. 10, 1968 at age 72.

Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at [email protected]. Sign up for the free weekly digital newsletter, Think, Texas, at statesman.com/newsletters, or at the newsletter page of your local USA Today Network paper.

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How long are you required to keep your old tax returns.

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DES PLAINES, IL - MARCH 15: Income tax form are seen at the Des Plaines Public Library March 15, ... [+] 2005 in Des Plaines, Illinois. H&R Block, the world's largest tax services company, has served nearly 21.6 million clients in the U.S. and 11 countries at about 11,000 retail offices worldwide during fiscal year 2004. April 15 is the deadline to file federal income taxes with the Internal Revenue Service. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

As you complete your 2023 taxes, you may wonder how long you are required to keep your old tax returns and other paperwork associated with filing your taxes. For those with printed copies of your tax returns, you might wonder if you can scan them. Keep reading as I share how long you should keep your old taxes and how to get them out of your way.

How long do you need to keep old tax records, receipts, and total tax returns (state and federal)? Another common question is how to safely store these tax documents without feeling like a hoarder.

While providing tax-planning guidance over the years, I've met several people with countless boxes full of old receipts, documents, and tax returns. While some tax documents needed to be kept, most could have been shredded and thrown away long ago. A few of you probably have a storage unit full of boxes of old paperwork, which you will likely never look at again.

What Does The IRS Suggest About Keeping Old Tax Returns?

According to the IRS, how long you should keep your tax documents will depend on the type of files you are talking about and what kind of taxable transactions the paperwork relates to. In plainer English (but still vague), you should keep any tax records to support your income, including various tax deductions, tax credits , and exemptions, until at least the period of limitations ends for each tax return. If you aren’t a CPA or a certified financial planner, you are likely wondering what that means for you and your stacks of tax documents. I’ll explain.

What Is The Period Of Limitations?

According to the Internal Revenue Service, the period of limitations is when you can still amend your tax returns to claim a tax credit or refund. The IRS may still assess you with additional tax liabilities during this period. Specific examples of this are listed later in this article. Unless stated otherwise, a period of limitations refers to years after the taxes were filed. Tax returns filed early are considered filed on the deadline, usually around April 15. However, the time period of limitations for returns filed on extension (typically after April 15) will be years from the actual date the taxes were filed.

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I’m a fan of keeping copies of your filed tax returns indefinitely. Access to copies of your older tax returns may help prepare future tax returns and make computations if you need to file an amended return. With the help of easy scanning and cloud storage of old tax docs, I don’t see many reasons to throw out older tax returns. I think we could all save a lifetime of tax returns on our computers without putting a dent in our storage limits.

Period Of Limitations That Apply To Income Tax Returns Via The IRS website

1. Keep records for three years if situations (4), (5), and (6) below do not apply to you.

2. Keep records for three years from the date you filed your original return or 2 years from the date you paid the tax, whichever is later if you file a claim for credit or refund after you file your return.

3. Keep records for seven years if you file a claim for a loss from worthless securities or bad debt deduction.

4. Keep records for six years if you do not report income that you should report and it is more than 25% of the gross income shown on your return.

5. Keep records indefinitely if you do not file a return.

6. Keep records indefinitely if you file a fraudulent return.

7. Keep employment tax records for at least four years after the date that the tax becomes due or is paid, whichever is later.

Generally speaking, you will need to keep your tax records between three and seven years. Remember to keep your tax records for seven years to be on the safe side without needing to recall the fine print. Below, I share a few exceptions to keeping tax returns for “just” seven years.

Rule of thumb: The higher your income and the more complicated your tax returns are, the more likely you should err on the side of caution and keep records longer than the IRS minimum recommendations. If you are owed a tax refund, take the time to file your taxes and get your money.

When Should You Keep Some Tax Records Longer Than Seven Years?

With seemingly unlimited digital storage, keeping old tax records seems easier than manually deleting them each year. I will likely keep my older tax records indefinitely. Also, as a business owner, I have found it interesting to revisit my income and even business expenses throughout my career as a financial planner.

If you do a 1031 exchange you should keep your tax record indefinitely.

Rules For Tax Records Connected To Real Property

When you own real property (house, rental property, cars, collectibles), you should keep all tax records for at least three years after selling that property and filing the corresponding tax returns. This may include but is not limited to, records for depreciation, amortization, or depletion deduction, all of which will determine whether you will realize a capital gain or loss when you sell the property. When selling a home or disposing of property, your taxable gain is not necessarily the same as the difference between the purchase and sale prices.

For those using 1031 exchanges on rental properties you own, you will need to keep your tax records even longer. Since that transaction is a nontaxable exchange, your basis in the new property will be the same as your basis in the property you owned before the 1031 exchange, plus any additional money you paid into the cost basis. In that case, you must keep records from the original property and the new property for at least three years after you sold the newer property and filed the corresponding taxes.

The exception here is if you were to do another 1031 exchange. In that case, you should keep everything forever. All kidding aside, you will need to keep records back to the first property through the current property, which, in many cases, could be decades. I know many people who have owned rental real estate longer than I've been alive, even a few who have owned it since before my parents were born. That is a lot of tax records to keep.

State Tax Documents Retention Requirements

Make your life simple; keep your state tax documents with your federal tax documents. Not surprisingly, the document retention rules can vary from state to state, so take a moment to figure out how long your state expects you to keep tax records. Your state’s tax agency may have a longer timeframe to audit your state tax return than the IRS has to audit your federal returns. For example, I live in Los Angeles, where the California Franchise Tax Board has up to four years to audit state income tax returns. With that timeframe, California residents should keep their state tax records for at least four years.

You don't need a wood chipper to dispose of your old tax documents. There are free services to ... [+] securely schred old tax documents.

How To Securely Dispose Of Old Tax Documents

Please don't just throw your old returns into the garbage. Your tax returns contain so much personal information, such as your Social Security number. You don't want this information to fall into the wrong hands. Once you have scanned your tax documents, dispose of them securely. At the very least, shred them before throwing them in the trash.

Beyond your actual tax returns, check and see if you need any supporting tax documents for other purposes. You should keep contracts for auto loans, home mortgages, insurance documents, medical bills, and warranty information. The list of financial records you should keep is much longer than what the IRS requires.

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What lies beneath Gaza’s rubble and ruin

The hysteria over campus protests in the United States has shifted American attention away from the depth of the ongoing calamity in Gaza.

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In a fit of ideological pique last week, far-right Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) scoffed at protesters agitating against pro-Israel policies on campuses across the United States . “I get a strange inkling that all these Columbia and UCLA students running around yelling ‘Free Palestine’ would not be jumping at the opportunity to do a semester abroad in Gaza,” she wrote on social media , before later journeying to a protest encampment at George Washington University and almost sparring with students when trying to pull down a Palestinian flag.

Boebert’s scorn is shared even by some of her opponents in the Washington establishment, many of whom have cast the student demonstrations as, at best, unproductive far-left agitprop or, more darkly, dangerous antisemitic behavior that must be expunged from the academy. Hundreds of campus protesters have been arrested in recent days in police crackdowns from California to New York.

Boebert’s comment, though, drew derision on two counts: First, that protesters angry about alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza would need to go to the besieged territory itself to justify their anger. And, second, that students could even do “a semester abroad” in Gaza, where Israel has spent the past half year systematically destroying most of its educational institutions, including all of its universities .

For months, Palestinian civil society activists have drawn attention to the steady eradication of Gaza’s cultural patrimony. Israel’s punishing campaign against militant group Hamas has seen much of the territory reduced to ruin. In the process, many libraries, museums and colleges have been ransacked and razed — in some instances, by deliberate Israeli demolition. Thousands of artifacts in various collections, including Roman coins and other materials from Gaza’s pre-Islamic past, have been potentially lost during the war .

The hysteria over campus protests in the United States has shifted American attention away from the depth of the ongoing calamity in Gaza. U.N. officials and aid agencies are still grappling with the scale of the destruction in the territory, where dozens are still dying every day. Since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 terrorist strike on southern Israel, more than 34,500 Palestinians in the territory — many of them women and children — have been killed. Some 5 percent of Gaza’s overall population has been killed or injured, according to a U.N. report that cites local data.

That figure doesn’t include the more than at least 10,000 people that the U.N. estimates are still missing beneath the rubble, citing the Palestinian Civil Defense (PCD). The challenge of finding the missing is growing more dire, given the widespread destruction of heavy machinery and equipment needed to dig through the debris.

“Rising temperatures can accelerate the decomposition of bodies and the spread of disease,” the U.N. humanitarian affairs office said in a statement , adding that the PCD was appealing to “all relevant stakeholders to urgently intervene to allow the entry of needed equipment, including bulldozers and excavators, to avert a public health catastrophe, facilitate dignified burials, and save the lives of injured people.”

Sifting through Gaza’s wreckage will be no simple task. Israel has dumped a huge amount of ordnance on the territory. Mungo Birch, head of the U.N. Mine Action Program in Palestinian territory, said last week that the amount of unexploded missiles and bombs lying in the rubble is “unprecedented” since World War II. He said tiny Gaza is a site of some 37 million tons of rubble — more than what’s been generated across all of Ukraine during Russia’s war — and 800,000 tons of asbestos and other contaminants. He said his agency has only a fraction of the funding it needs to begin clearing operations whenever the war ends.

Over the weekend, U.S. and Egyptian officials attempted to facilitate a last-ditch effort to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas . A delegation from the Palestinian militant group was in Cairo and expressed optimism that a breakthrough could be found. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faced mass protests at home against his continued tenure in office, seemed more wary of the arrangement and remains bent on carrying out a full offensive against the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians already displaced in the territory have taken shelter.

Top U.N. officials say famine has already gripped parts of Gaza. Beyond the desperately insufficient trickle of humanitarian aid into the territory, the war has also “severely hampered” Gaza’s “ability to produce food and clean water,” according to my colleagues . “Israeli airstrikes and bulldozers have razed farms and orchards. Crops abandoned by farmers seeking safety in southern Gaza have withered, and cattle have been left to die.”

The fear surrounding Rafah and the uncertainty over a potential cease-fire sit against the looming reality of how difficult it will be for Gaza to recover. More than 70 percent of all housing in the territory has been destroyed. A report by the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) found that the war has reversed 40 years of development and improvement in social indicators such as life expectancy, health and educational attainment in Gaza.

The agency estimated that reconstruction, at this point, would cost some $40 billion to $50 billion. And if it follows the pace observed after previous conflicts, UNDP estimates that it will take “approximately 80 years to restore all the fully destroyed housing units” in Gaza.

“My very big concern — in addition to the numbers — is the breaking down of communities and families in Gaza,” UNDP regional director Abdallah al-Dardari told The Washington Post . “If you know 60 people in your family have been killed — like our colleague Issam al-Mughrabi who was killed with 60 people in his family during one raid — you will go numb,” Dardari said. “The consequences of this war will stay with us far beyond the end of the war.”

8th Congressional District voters to see same race twice on November ballot

by Brian Kerhin, FOX 11 News

(WLUK) -- Residents in the 8th Congressional District will vote twice in the same election to fill the seat formerly held by U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher -- once to fill the last two months of his term, and once for the next, full, two-year-term in the House of Representatives.

Gallagher resigned from the seat April 19 .

Because of the timing of the resignation, Gov. Tony Evers was required by law to call a special election to fill the seat until the current session ends at noon on Jan. 3, 2025, which he did Tuesday . Additionally, state law prescribes that election will be held concurrently with the usual fall cycle of an Aug. 13 primary and Nov. 5 general election.

The law at issue, as described by Gov. Evers' office:

Wis. Stat. 17.18 specifies that vacancies in the office of U.S. senator or representative in congress shall be filled by election for the remainder of the term as provided in s. 8.50 (4) (b) . Wis. Stat. 8.50(4)(b) provides that vacancies in the office of a U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative occurring between the second Tuesday in April and the second Tuesday in May in the year of a general election shall be filled at the partisan primary and general election, with s. 8.50(2)(b) providing that when the special election is held concurrently with the general election the special primary shall be held on the same day as the partisan primary.

That means someone could run just to serve for the two months at the end of year, or they could run for both. Additionally, there could be different winners for the two different races. But both the special election and regularly scheduled general election will appear on the same ballots.

So far, three Republicans are running : former State Sen. Roger Roth, state Sen. Andre Jacque, and former convenience store owner Tony Wied. The only announced Democrat is Kristin Lyerly .

Nomination papers for the special election are due June 1. Nomination papers for the general election are due June 3.

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Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live Updates | If INDIA bloc comes to power, we will give 10 kg free ration to poor, says Mallikarjun Kharge

Lok sabha election 2024 live updates: kharge reiterated that india bloc is going to form the government in 2024..

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live Updates, May 15, 2024: Making a new poll promise, INDIA bloc leader Mallikarjun Kharge said if the alliance comes to power, they will 10 kg free ration to poor. INDIA bloc leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav are jointly addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. “It’s a battle between those who fight for poor and those who fight for rich,” Kharge said. He reiterated that INDIA bloc is going to form the government in 2024.

Day after filing his nomination in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold rallies in Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituencies on Wednesday. Modi’s visit to Mumbai comes days after an illegal hoarding collapsed in Ghatkopar following a storm killing 14 people and injuring several others. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will take part in a bike rally in Odisha ’s Bolangir and address a public meeting.

Amethi’s poll battle: The constituency which becomes the cynosure of all eyes come elections is aware of its “VVIP” status, right at the heart of the 2024 poll contest, Maulshree Seth writes. There is a sense of disappointment that the fireworks which a repeat Rahul Gandhi vs Smriti Irani contest would have ensured are missing. But there is also resignation that once Amethi votes on May 20, and the cameras turn away, it will return to its state of gentle decay.

Lok Sabha Election 2024 Live Updates: PM Modi in Mumbai, Rahul Gandhi in Odisha, INDIA bloc leaders' join press conference in Lucknow | Follow here for the latest updates on LS polls!

If india bloc comes to power, we will give 10 kg ration, says mallikarjun kharge.

"We will fulfil all the guarantees promised to you. There has been talks on 5 kg ration. Food Security Act was brought by us. I promise that if INDIA alliance government will come to power, we will give 10 kg ration. We have implemented guarantees in Karnataka, Telangana and we will do it when we will come to power," says Mallikarjun Kharge in a press conference.

Lok Sabha Election Live Updates: INDIA bloc to sweep polls in UP, says Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav during INDIA bloc press conference in Lucknow said the party will sweep the polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Lok Sabha Election Live Updates: How much can you lie, Kharge asks Modi

Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks that the Congress party will snatch people's buffaloes and give it to Muslims, Kharge asked how much he can lie. Further, Kharge said that instead of lauding the work done so far, BJP is attacking Opposition.

Lok Sabha Election Live Updates: Scares and holds polls, Kharge at Lucknow

Kharge commenting on viral video showing Hyderabad BJP candidate asking women voters to lift burqa: "They scare us and hold elections."

POLICE ON Monday filed an FIR against the BJP candidate from Hyderabad constituency, K Madhavi Latha, after a video emerged of her at a polling booth, checking the identity documents of women in burqa and asking them to lift their veil.

‘Battle between those who fight for poor and those who fight for rich’: Mallikarjun Kharge addresses INDIA bloc’s press conference

INDIA bloc leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Akhilesh Yadav are jointly addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. “It’s a battle between those who fight for poor and those who fight for rich,” Kharge said. He reiterated that INDIA bloc is going to form the government in 2024.

Congress leader reacts to PM Modi's 'Hindu Muslim' remark. Here's what he said

Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "never did Hindu-Muslim" remark, Congress leader Abhay Dubey told PTI, "PM Modi has done communal polarisation during the elections. He asked for votes on topics like, 'India-Pakistan', 'Hindu-Muslim', and 'mangalsutra'. Now that PM Modi has got self-fulfillment, he is talking about communal polaristaion."

VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Here's what Congress leader Abhay Dubey said on PM Modi's 'never did Hindu-Muslim' remark. "PM Modi has done communal polarisation during the elections. He asked for votes on topics like, 'India-Pakistan', 'Hindu-Muslim', and 'mangalsutra'. Now… pic.twitter.com/fdB1RRoIK7 — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 15, 2024

In Amethi, Modi factor keeps Smriti Irani afloat, Gandhi hand steadies aide’s boat | Political Pulse

“ Amethi ka vikas se kya vasta, aur yahan pratyashi se kya lena dena  (What has Amethi got to do with development or who the candidate is)?”

Raj Murti Singh, 68, an LIC agent, is not being ironic. The constituency which becomes the cynosure of all eyes come elections is aware of its “VVIP” status, right at the heart of the 2024 poll contest. There is a sense of disappointment that the fireworks which a repeat  Rahul Gandhi vs Smriti Irani contest  would have ensured are missing. But there is also resignation that once Amethi votes on May 20, and the cameras turn away, it will return to its state of gentle decay.

At the same time, the contest has a new edge this time: of a fight between a so-called “ chaprasi  (peon)” and a Union minister.

Congress leaders talk about sending Ram Lalla back to tent, says PM Modi in Jharkhand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday hinted at the Congress not being happy about the BJP government's initiative to constructRam Temple in Ayodhya and said that its leaders speak about sending "Ram Lalla back to tent". Addressing a rally in Jharkhand's Giridih, Modi said: "Congress leaders talk about sending Ram Lalla back to tent."

Top parties should set good examples of campaign discourse: EC

The Election Commission Tuesday said top leaders of political parties "should set good examples of campaign discourse expected of them".

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addresses public meeting in Amethi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at a public meeting in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.

#WATCH | Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at a public meeting in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/ONHZ2qBwvR — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

BJP candidate from Mandi Kangana Ranaut holds roadshow ahead of filing nomination

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Kangana Ranaut held a roadshow ahead of filing nominations for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, news agency PTI reported.

VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi Kangana Ranaut ( @KanganaTeam ) holds a roadshow ahead of filing nomination. #LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024 (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/dv5TRARJn4 ) pic.twitter.com/LF47Rgycli — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 14, 2024

Watch | PM Modi offers prayers at Kal Bhairav temple in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers Kashi Kotwal Baba Kal Bhairav temple in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi ahead of filing nominations from the constituency for Lok Sabha elections. 

VIDEO | PM Modi ( @narendramodi ) offered prayers at Kashi Kotwal Baba Kal Bhairav Temple in #Varanasi ahead of filing his nomination from the constituency. #LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024 (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz ) pic.twitter.com/EolzWE233r — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 14, 2024

Watch Live | PM Modi files nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency

Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination papers from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday.

Watch here:

PM Modi arrives at DM's office in Varanasi to file nomination papers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday arrived at the Collectorate's office in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi to file his nomination from the constituency for the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the DM office in Varanasi, to file his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024 PM is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/8QEsR0u6OX — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the DM office in Varanasi, to file his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024 PM is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/Zl2Fl1y932 — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

'We are confident NDA will cross 400 seats': Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, speaking to the reporters, affirmed that the NDA leaders are confident the alliance will cross 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections this year.

"It is a historic day, historic place. We are very happy to be associated with it. He brought stability and sustainability in the country for the last 10 years and now he is planning for Viksit Bharat 2047. NDA will cross 400 seats. We are very confident. It is clear that NDA is 100% sweeping (in Andhra Pradesh)," he told ANI .

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: On PM Modi's nomination filing from Varanasi, former Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu says "It is a historic day, historic place. We are very happy to be associated with it. He brought stability and sustainability in the country for the… pic.twitter.com/4ERn0qDvdL — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

PM Modi arrives at Kal Bhairav temple to offer prayers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Kal Bhairav temple in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi to offer prayers ahead of filing nomination from the constituency, news agency PTI reported.

VIDEO | PM Modi ( @narendramodi ) arrives at Kashi Kotwal Baba Kal Bhairav Temple in #Varanasi to offer prayers ahead of filing his nomination from the constituency. #LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024 (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz ) pic.twitter.com/rEnGDayTwn — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 14, 2024

BJP candidate Dharmendra Pradhan from Sambalpur holds roadshow in Odisha's Angul

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Sambalpur Dharmendra Pradhan held a roadshow in Odisha's Angul on Tuesday, news agency ANI reported.

#WATCH | Union Minister and BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, Dharmendra Pradhan holds a roadshow in Angul, Odisha #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/MV2dbbomyD — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Congress candidate Manish Tewari holds roadshow in Chandigarh

Congress candidate Manish Tewari Tuesday held a roadshow in Chandigarh ahead of filing his nomination for Lok Sabha elections, news agency ANI reported.

BJP has fielded Sanjay Tandon from this seat. Chandigarh will vote on June 1.

#WATCH | Congress candidate from Chandigarh, Manish Tewari holds a roadshow ahead of filing his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024 BJP has fielded Sanjay Tandon from this seat. Chandigarh will vote on June 1. pic.twitter.com/KbyKRMMpBE — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

PM Modi to hold meeting with BJP workers after filing nomination

Following the nomination process in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with BJP workers at the Rudraksha Convention Centre, news agency PTI reported.

Who all are likely to accompany Modi to the collectorate for his nomination filing?

Here's a list of the leaders who are likely to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the DM's office for his nomination filing on Tuesday:

Union Minister Amit Shah Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary Defence Minister Rajnath Singh LJP chief Chirag Paswan Bihar CM Nitish Kumar  Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami  Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Omprakash Rajbhar  Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma  Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini Goa CM Pramod Sawant Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang Tripura CM Manik Saha BJP National President JP Nadda Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai

'It is a matter of pride for us': Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, speaking to the reporters as he sets off for DM's office in Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit to file his nomination papers on Tuesday, said, "We are attending the nomination filing of PM Modi... It is a matter of pride for us as he is the most popular leader in the world...," news agency ANI reported.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: On PM Modi's nomination filing from Varanasi, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde says "We are attending the nomination filing of PM Modi... It is a matter of pride for us as he is the most popular leader in the world..." pic.twitter.com/LnU8Tgavd4 — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

NDA leaders arrive at DM's office ahead of PM Modi's filing of nomination papers in Varanasi

National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, among others arrived at the District Magistrate's office in Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit on Tuesday to file his nomination papers from the constituency.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and NDA leaders arrive at DM office in Varanasi, ahead of PM Modi's nomination filing for Lok Sabha elections pic.twitter.com/4xOezpR8BD — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves from a hotel in Varanasi, to attend the nomination filing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/5OAyIRVRjP — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

'Puja done for the welfare of the country': Priest present with PM Modi

Priest Raaman, who was present with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi on Tuesday, said, '...Ganga puja was performed today. This puja was done for the welfare of the country and that his next term is successful and the country gets recognition globally...,' news agency ANI reported.

Another priest, Santosh Narayan, describing the rituals performed by the PM, said, "...We have given him the blessings of massive victory in all the phases of the ongoing elections."

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: Priest Raaman, who was present with PM Modi, says, '...Ganga puja was performed today. This puja was done for the welfare of the country and that his next term is successful and the country gets recognition globally...' pic.twitter.com/Mh6CuftLXO — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Preparations underway at Kal Bhairav temple ahead of PM Modi's visit

Preparations are underway at Kal Bhairav temple ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on Tuesday.

#WATCH | Visuals from Kal Bhairav ??temple in Varanasi where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit here and offer prayers. PM Modi is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. He will file his nomination for the #LokSabhaElections2024 today. pic.twitter.com/gdTfHShyGp — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

#WATCH | Varanasi, UP: Security tightened at the Kal Bhairav temple ahead of PM Modi's arrival. PM Modi is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. He will file his nomination for the #LokSabhaElections2024 today. pic.twitter.com/Znxy0brIzl — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

PM Modi offers prayers at Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, boards cruise ship

Prime Minister Narendra Modi early Tuesday offered prayers at Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, ahead of filing his nomination papers from the constituency for Lok Sabha elections 2024. 

He also boarded a cruise ship at the ghat.

PM Modi offers prayers at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi ahead of filing Lok Sabha nomination Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/zkIqha9ELc #PMModi #DashashwamedhGhat #Varanasi #LokSabaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/hDSGTKvyxK — ANI Digital (@ani_digital) May 14, 2024

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi boards a cruise ship at Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi. PM Narendra Modi will file his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024 from Varanasi today. pic.twitter.com/eqknZdzY5b — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

PM Modi to file nomination papers in Varanasi today, security tightened

Security was tightened in Varanasi outside the District Magistrate’s office ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to file his nomination papers on Tuesday.

The PM will visit and offer prayers at the Kal Bhariav temple and Dasaswamedh Ghat in the constituency, news agency  ANI reported.

He will also take a dip in the Ganges before filing his nomination papers. The Varanasi seat will go to polls in the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: Security strengthened outside the DM office in Varanasi ahead of PM Narendra Modi's nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024 today. PM Modi is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/g2kldx2mtS — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Good morning!

Welcome to our live blog. Follow here for the latest updates from Lok Sabha elections 2024! 

Sushil Kumar Modi: The man behind BJP’s rise in Bihar, was shaped by JP movement

Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi died Monday night at AIIMS, New Delhi. He was 72.

The veteran leader was battling cancer for the past eight months. Hospital sources said he breathed his last at 9.45 pm.

In his condolence message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sushil Modi played an invaluable role in the rise and success of the BJP in Bihar. “Strongly opposing the Emergency, he made a name for himself in student politics. He was known as a very hardworking and sociable MLA. He had a deep understanding of the issues related to politics. He also did a lot of commendable work as an administrator. His active role in the passage of GST will always be remembered,” the Prime Minister said in a post on X.

Read the Political Pulse here.

Amid BJP rumblings in Rae Bareli, Amit Shah steps in to pacify ‘sulking’ party MLA, SP rebel

Bracing for a formidable fight against top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP’s candidate and state minister Dinesh Pratap Singh is also facing some discontent in the ruling party’s local camp, which has made his challenge tougher.

Sulking due to their own separate issues, BJP MLA from Rae Bareli Sadar, Aditi Singh, and the rebel SP MLA from Unchahar, Manoj Kumar Pandey, are fighting shy of campaigning for Dinesh in the constituency. Both are thus giving a tough time to the BJP in mounting a vigorous campaign in Rae Bareli, which has been a traditional Nehru-Gandhi bastion.

Read more here.

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