Thesis
Statements &
Topic Sentences
• What are they?
• How do they look like?
Topic Sentence
Every paragraph needs a topic sentence.
It is a sentence that captures the idea / essence of a paragraph.
Topic Sentence –
cont.
A topic sentence has several important functions:
1) it substantiates or supports an essay’s thesis statement;
2) it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and 3) it advises the reader of the subject to be
discussed and how the paragraph will discuss it.
Topic Sentence –
cont.
Guidelines:
1) There should only be one topic
sentence in each paragraph
2) It should make a general statement
with a wide enough scope to cover the rest of the sentences in the paragraph – It must not be too broad or too
narrow
3) It should give a strong direction to the
Topic Sentence –
cont.
WHY
do we need them? You should have a topic sentence in each paragraph
It helps you to stay focused on your objective, making it a lot easier to write your essay
Example 1
It was a wonderful afternoon. The
birds were singing in the garden. The air was cool and breezy as I ate a
hearty lunch at the courtyard. After I watched my favourite cartoon show, I took a one-hour nap and dreamt of more wonderful things to come.
Example 2
Over 100 years after the formation of
The Football Association, football is the most popular sport in the world, played by nearly 250 million people, including 40 million women. The
numbers of spectators in the stadiums and of television viewers amounts to billions.
Example 3
A little over a third of college students at
any given minute are living with
somebody of the opposite sex. We all know about these sort of arrangements. You have seen them. Perhaps you
know someone. Perhaps you are there. The invisible room mate in a dormitory where the bed is never slept in, the
Example 4
Canada is one of the best countries in the
world. It has an excellent health care system
whereby all Canadians have access to medical services at a reasonable price. The country
also has a high standard of education.
However ..
Sometimes you do not need a topic
sentence in your paragraph
When you are narrating a series of
events and that paragraph continues developing an idea that you
introduced (with a topic sentence) in the previous paragraph
When all your sentences and details
Thesis Statement
A thesis statement should clearly
identify the purpose of an essay or preview its main ideas.
A good thesis statement should be
clear, concise and have only one point.
Usually, we come up with very broad
ideas for a paper. It is very hard to
provide enough evidence to support a broad topic. This means that your
Thesis Statement
General Subject – Marriage
Limited Subject – Honeymoon
Thesis – A honeymoon is perhaps the
worst way to begin a marriage
General Subject – Sports
Limited Subject – Players’ salaries Thesis – Players’ salaries are bad for
the game, for the fans and for the values our children are developing
Narrow
1) A thesis statement is narrow,
rather than broad. If the thesis
statement is sufficiently narrow, it can be fully supported.
Broad: The local music industry has
many problems.
Narrow: The primary problem of the
local music industry is the lack of
Narrow
However, it should not be TOO narrow.
Too narrow: The speed limit on the
paid expressways is 110km/h.
Narrow: The speed limit on the paid
An assertion
2) A thesis statement is an assertion,
not a statement of fact or an observation.
Fact or observation:
People use many lawn chemicals.
Thesis:
People are poisoning the environment with chemicals merely to keep their
A stand
3) A thesis takes a stand rather than
announce a subject. Announcement:
The thesis of this paper is the
difficulty of solving our environmental problems.
Thesis:
Solving our environmental problems is more difficult than many
Specific
A thesis statement is specific rather than vague or general.
Vague:
Hemingway’s war stories are very good.
Specific:
Hemingway’s stories helped create a
The main idea
4) A thesis is the main idea, not the
title. It must be a complete sentence that explains in some detail what
you expect to write about.
Title: Social Security and Old Age. Thesis:
The main idea
Title: Fast food - Convenience food. Thesis:
Fast food has become the ultimate convenience food as it is time
Only one main
point
A thesis statement has one main
point rather than several main points.
When there is more than one point, it may be too difficult for the reader to understand and the writer to
Crack babies
Programs for crack kids
More attention should be paid to the environment crack kids grow up in
Experts estimate that half of crack babies will grow up in home environments
lacking rich cognitive and emotional stimulation
Because half of all crack babies are likely to grow up in homes lacking good cognitive and emotional stimulation, the federal government should finance programs to supplement parental care for crack kids
Revised
Specific language
Assertion
Examples
1) There are some negative and
positive aspects to the Atkins diet.
Examples
2) Companies need to exploit the
marketing potential of the Internet, and web pages can provide both advertising and customer support.
Since the Internet is filled with tremendous marketing potential,
companies should exploit this potential by using web pages that offer both
Examples
3) Teen bullying has many causes and
effects.
Teen bullying occurs in school
because the bully has difficulty with communication and social skills, and thus uses bullying to enhance
Examples
4) More and more young, unmarried
couples are cohabiting.
Living together before marriage increases the risk of breaking up
Examples
– cont.
More than one main point:
Stephen Hawking’s physical disability has not prevented him from becoming a world-renowned physicist, and his book is the subject of a movie.
One Main point:
Stephen Hawking’s physical disability has not prevented him from becoming a world renowned physicist.
Exercise
–
What’s wrong with
these thesis statements?
1) A healthy body is essential for a
productive life and this paper will discuss the three ways in which a healthy lifestyle can be achieved.
2) Shame is one of the most powerful
emotions known to man as it can break him or make him.
3) This paper will discuss the seven
Exercise
– cont.
Sydney, Australia was the site of the 2004 Summer Games more
commonly known as the Olympics.
The ethnic communities within a metropolitan city give it a sense of life, color and mystique.
Today, many people believe that television is harmful.
Additional Work
Read Langan (College Writing
Skills with Readings) page 50 – 53. Complete the activities on page 54
