For example, if a student declares in her thesis that "Parents of gang members should not tolerate their children's involvement in violent gangs," she must go on to provide several reasons WHY she thinks parents should not tolerate their children's involvement in violent gangs.

The first reason might be this: "By tolerating their children's involvement in violent gangs, parents send a signal to their children that they no longer care about their children's future."

Another reason might be this: "By tolerating their children's involvement in violent gangs, parents are admitting their loss of control as parents."

A third reason might be as follows: "By tolerating one child's involvement in violent gangs, parents make it more acceptable for other children in the family to become involved with violent gangs."

NOTE: Each main point is expressed as a complete sentence. In the writer's paper, each main point will be developed as a separate section of the paper--anywhere from one paragraph to several paragraphs long.