1. Thesis Statements and topic sentences

2. Thesis Statements
The thesis statement is the most important sentence in an essay. It contains the main idea of the entire paper.

3. Thesis Statements
The thesis statement is __________________. It contains ___________________.

4. topic sentence
A topic sentence contains the main idea of a single paragraph. It contains the main idea of that entire paragraph. An essay may contain many topic sentences, but it will have only one Thesis Statement.

5. topic sentence
A topic sentence contains _________________. It contains ____________________________.

6. What is the difference between a Thesis Statement and a topic sentence?

7. Which is which? Identify the Thesis Statement and the topic sentence.
The general gravitic characteristics of the impeller wedge not prevent its effective use in h-space.
The lower band gravitic frequencies of an impeller wedge also create problems in h-space.

8. Which is which? Identify the Thesis Statement and the topic sentence.
After you have finished the first cycle, the next step is to examine the remaining items closely and determine if you want to keep them.
If you wish to de-clutter your house, the best way to start is with clothing.

9. In summary . . . A Thesis Statement is ______________.
It contains _____________.
A topic sentence is _______________.
It contains __________________.
Explain the difference between a Thesis Statement and a topic sentence.

10. 5 Rules for good Thesis Statements and topic sentences

11. A good thesis statement or topic sentence …..
Is an opinion, not a fact.
Is specific, not general.
Has a topic and a controlling idea.
Uses an action verb, not the be verb.
Doesn’t use “I”

12. A good thesis statement or topic sentence …..

13. A good thesis statement or topic sentence …..
Is an opinion, not a fact.
Is specific, not general.
Has a topic and a controlling idea.
Uses an action verb, not the be verb.
Doesn’t use “I”

14. Opinion, not fact

15. My brother is 23 years old.
b) People love my brother because he has great character. 
Compare (a) and (b). How are they different? Which makes a better main idea for an essay? Why?

16. Opinion, not fact My brother is 23 years old.
b) People love my brother because he has great character. 
In statement (a) we see a fact. It needs no further explanation. And so it is not a good subject to write about.

17. Opinion, not fact My brother is 23 years old.
b) People love my brother because he has great character. 
In statement (b) we see a more interesting idea. It contains an opinion about why people like the author’s brother. You can argue about this opinion, or discuss it, but you cannot argue about or discuss the fact in (a).

18. What are the 5 rules?

19. Specific, not general

20. Dogs are nice.

21. Dogs are nice.
What do you think about this sentence?

22. Dogs are nice.
What do you think about this sentence? Is this a good Thesis Statement? Is this a good topic sentence? Would you want to read this paper, or this paragraph?

23. Comparison
a) Dogs are nice. b) If you want a pet, you should choose a dog.
Which of these two sentences do you prefer? Which one works better as a main idea of a paragraph or an essay?

24. Comparison
a) Dogs are nice. b) If you want a pet, you should choose a dog. c) Three things make dogs the best pets.
Which of the three sentences is the best for a main idea? Why? Which paper or paragraph would you want to read?

25. Comparison
a) Dogs are nice. b) If you want a pet, you should choose a dog. c) Three things make dogs the best pets.
Sentence (c) is the most specific. We know the paper will contain three reasons. These reasons will explain why dogs make the best pets.

26. Comparison
a) Dogs are nice. b) If you want a pet, you should choose a dog. c) Three things make dogs the best pets.
is general.
(b) is better than (a).
(c) is not fantastic.
I do not want to marry this sentence.
It is, however, the most specific sentence of the three.

27. What are the 5 rules?

28. Topic and controlling idea

29. This paper is about hot pot restaurants in Chengdu.
What is the main idea of this sentence?

30. This paper is about hot pot restaurants in Chengdu.
The topic is hot pot restaurants in Chengdu. But it has no controlling idea.

31. Hot pot restaurants in Chengdu have the best chairs in this country.
Does this sentence have a topic? Is the topic different from the previous sentence?

32. Hot pot restaurants in Chengdu have the best chairs in this country.
The topic is the same. This sentence also contains a controlling idea. It tells you something about the topic. What is the controlling idea in the sentence?

33. Which do you prefer, and why
Which do you prefer, and why? Which one will produce a more interesting essay?
1. This paper is about hot pot restaurants in Chengdu. 2. Hot pot restaurants in Chengdu have the best chairs in this country.

34. When you write a topic sentence or a thesis statement, always include a topic and a controlling idea.

35. What are the 5 rules?

36. Action verb, not the “be” verb

37. The corner store is convenient for many reasons.
Look at the “be” verb in this sentence. It is not very helpful and it is dull.

38. The corner store is convenient for many reasons.
This sentence also says: The corner store = convenient for many reasons. The relationship is =.

39. ESL students love the “be” verb, and so does your teacher
ESL students love the “be” verb, and so does your teacher. It is very useful. But it also limits expression. We use it so much that we choke our vocabulary.

40. 1. The corner store is convenient for many reasons.
2. The corner store makes our lives easier in many ways.
Which one is better? Why?

41. 1. The corner store is convenient for many reasons.
2. The corner store makes our lives easier in many ways.
If these are topic sentences, what verb will be used in the second sentence of each paragraph?

42. 2. The corner store makes our lives easier in many ways.
This sentence is better. It has a stronger verb: an action verb. The action verb forces the author to write a better sentence.

43. 2. The corner store makes our lives easier in many ways.
You can also look at it this way. The corner store =/= our lives easier in many ways. The relationship is not equal now. The subject of the sentence performs an action. It has an effect on the second part of the sentence.

44. English language writing loves action verbs.
In general . . .
English language writing loves action verbs.

45. What are the 5 rules?

46. Don’t use “I”

47. I am going to write about academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools.

48. I am going to write about academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools.
What is the topic in this sentence? What is the grammatical subject of this sentence? Does this sentence have a controlling idea?

49. I am going to write about . . . I am going to talk about . . .
These phrases are overused. Although they are effective in speaking, they are not effective in writing.

50. academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools.
I am going to write about academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools.
academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools.

51. academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools
This is our topic. We should begin our sentence with this.

52. I am going to write about academic discrimination against young girls in elementary schools.
In this sentence, “I” is the subject. Is the paper about “I”?

53. Don’t use “I”
In your Thesis Statements and topic sentences, don’t use “I.” It is not effective for writing.

54. Also avoid other troublesome words in your TS and your ts.
People/I/you/we
Nice/good/popular/useful/convenient
Make/give/should/oought to
Removing these words from your TS or your ts will force you to learn new vocabulary. It will also force you to learn new sentence types. And that means you will think in different ways.

55. What are the 5 rules?

56. A good thesis statement or topic sentence …..
Is an opinion, not a fact.
Is specific, not general.
Has a topic and a controlling idea.
Uses an action verb, not the be verb.
Doesn’t use “I”