Thesis Statements Topic Sentences The thesis is your

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Thesis Statements & Topic Sentences

Thesis Statements & Topic Sentences

* The thesis is your statement of purpose. • The thesis should be one

* The thesis is your statement of purpose. • The thesis should be one sentence in length. • This is the foundation of your essay and it will serve to guide you in writing the entire paper. There are three objectives of a thesis statement: 1. It tells the reader the specific topic of your essay. 2. It imposes manageable limits on that topic. 3. It suggests the organization of your paper. Through thesis, you should say to the reader: "I've thought about this topic, I know what I believe about it, and I know how to organize it. ”

Cleary Defined Argument Poor: A controversial issue is whether elderly people should have driver’s

Cleary Defined Argument Poor: A controversial issue is whether elderly people should have driver’s licenses. Poor: Some people think that elderly people should take a driver’s test in order to keep their driver’s licenses. Poor: I want to give my opinion about elderly people and driver’s licenses and all the controversy surrounding this issue. Good: People over the age of 65 should be required to take a driver’s test every year to determine whether they are fit to hold a driver’s license.

Contains One Main Idea Poor: Alcohol can impair people’s decision-making skills, sometimes leading to

Contains One Main Idea Poor: Alcohol can impair people’s decision-making skills, sometimes leading to disastrous consequences, and it is also bad for your liver and other organs, so the drinking age should not be lowered. Poor: Studies show that crime rates increase when alcohol is involved, so young people should not have access to alcohol, and also gun laws should be more restrictive. Good: Since alcohol impairs decision-making skills, young people, whose brains are not yet fully formed, should not have access to it before they are 21 years old.

Uses Specific Terms Poor: Diversity is good for our country. Poor: The workplace should

Uses Specific Terms Poor: Diversity is good for our country. Poor: The workplace should embrace diversity and value what people can learn from differences. Good: Employers with a broad customer base should strive to employ people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds in order to better understand meet their customers’ needs.

Interesting and Engaging (avoids the “so-what” problem) Poor: There are many similarities and differences

Interesting and Engaging (avoids the “so-what” problem) Poor: There are many similarities and differences between siblings. Poor: Birth order can affect personality. Good: First-born children display better leadership skills and have greater financial success than their siblings.

Can be supported by research Poor: Media images are the reason girls develop eating

Can be supported by research Poor: Media images are the reason girls develop eating disorders. Poor: Any girl who has body issues will develop an eating disorder. Good: Although researchers believe that the cause of eating disorders is complicated, media images of ultra-thin, perfect-looking women are one of the contributing factors.

Tips: - Make sure your thesis fits the scope of your paper. If you

Tips: - Make sure your thesis fits the scope of your paper. If you have two or three pages, you’ll want a narrow topic that you can cover adequately. - Do not start your thesis statement with “I believe. . ” or “In my opinion. . ” This weakens your writing. - Do not “announce” your topic, for example, “In this paper I will be discussing. . ” - Make sure your thesis is not just a statement of fact, for example, “An eating disorder is a serious illness. ”

 • A topic sentence organizes and focuses the entire paragraph. -A topic sentence

• A topic sentence organizes and focuses the entire paragraph. -A topic sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph. • Every sentence in the paragraph must relate to the topic sentence. -There is no announcing in a topic sentence. • Topic sentences are the first sentence of a body paragraph • If it helps, think of the topic sentence as a wide-view on the idea, then the rest of the paragraph is “zooming in” on the specifics

Topic Sentence Practice As the river filled with water, its banks over-flowed. The water

Topic Sentence Practice As the river filled with water, its banks over-flowed. The water rushed over roads and pastures. John watched the river swallow everything in its path. Trees fell, and outbuildings were swept away. The liquid rushed downstream faster than a speeding car. There was no way to stop the river from flooding the countryside!

Topic Sentence Practice The rain fell in sheets across the countryside. The droplets fell

Topic Sentence Practice The rain fell in sheets across the countryside. The droplets fell so fast John could not see the family’s car parked in the driveway. Large raindrops struck the glass panes. John peered out the living room window. “I don’t think it will ever stop raining!” he said to his parents, who were off work due to bad weather.

Topic Sentence Practice The weather affected the crops. Fields of corn and oats stood

Topic Sentence Practice The weather affected the crops. Fields of corn and oats stood knee-deep in water. Mud covered the tires of tractors and other farming equipment. John’s dad shook his head in despair. The family’s crops were doomed.

Topic Sentence Practice The rain slowed, but the forecast remained bleak. The weatherman predicted

Topic Sentence Practice The rain slowed, but the forecast remained bleak. The weatherman predicted rain for the next three days. There was no chance for sunshine. Black clouds swirled angrily above the town. Streaks of lightning lit the dark sky. John found a flashlight in case of blackouts.

Topic Sentence Practice Some children wore their raincoats and carried their umbrellas. John laughed

Topic Sentence Practice Some children wore their raincoats and carried their umbrellas. John laughed because the bad weather did not dampen the children’s spirits. He decided to join his neighbors. John grabbed his umbrella and raincoat and headed outdoors. After all, being with friends beat watching the rain alone from indoors.