Review Chapter 3 in Writing For Life by

D.J. Henry
 1. Begin with a point.

 2. Support the point with specific evidence.

 3. Organize and connect the specific evidence.

 4. Write clear, error free sentences.

 The point is the focus or topic of the paragraph.
All the other information in the paragraph
explains and supports the topic..
.
 The student had several ways of passing time
during the dull lecture.

 What is the topic of this sentence?

 “several ways of passing time”

 What sort of details could support this topic?

 Shielded his eyes with his hand and dozed awhile.

Read the sports magazine he had brought to class.

Made an elaborate drawing on a page of his notebook.

 A topic sentence and a thesis statement are
similar because each makes a point.

 Writing a topic sentence or a thesis statement is

determined by what your are planning to
write: a paragraph or an essay.
 A topic sentence is the main point that opens a
paragraph and tells the reader what the
paragraph is about.
 A topic sentence is the controlling idea of a
paragraph. It is called a controlling idea
because the topic sentence controls all the
supporting evidence that will go in the
paragraph.
 A thesis statement is the main point of an entire
essay and tells the reader what the essay is
going to be about.
 A thesis statement is the controlling idea of an
essay. It is called a controlling idea because the
thesis statement controls all the supporting
evidence that will go in each paragraph in the
body of the essay.
 This also means that each topic sentence that
begins each paragraph somehow refers to
and/or supports the thesis of your essay.
 A topic sentence and thesis statement are each
constructed in a similar way.

 They each have two parts.

 Part one is the general subject that identifies what the

writer is talking about. For example, the writer may
want to discuss the general subject of “marriage.”

 Part two is the limited subject that identifies why the

author wants to talk about the general subject. For
example, the author may want to discuss specifically
the “honeymoon.”
 The limited subject shows the author’s attitude or
dominant impression about a subject.

 This attitude, point of view, or idea is usually

expressed in one or more key words in the topic/thesis
statement.
 “When writing a point, or topic sentence/thesis
statements people sometimes make mistakes
that undermine their chances of producing an
effective paper” (Langan 65).

 Review the following examples from the

textbook of common mistakes you can make
writing topic sentences.
 Announcement –
 My Ford Focus is the concern of this paragraph.
 This is a simple announcement, rather than expressing an
idea or attitude about a topic.

 Statement That is Too Broad –

 Many people have problems with their cars.
 This is so general you would not be able to support it
with specific details.
 Statement that is Too Narrow –
 My car is a Ford Focus.
 This is a dead end statement because it is so narrow it does
not show an idea or attitude. It is a simple fact that needs no
support.
 A topic sentence and a thesis statement needs
to make a point. It makes a point by stating the
“subject” it will discuss. The subject is general.
The “point of view,” “idea,” or “attitude” it
wants to convey limits the subject to a specific
point. This is the dominant impression.

 For example: “My Ford Focus gets great gas mileage

and saves me a lot of money.”
 Topic: Ford Focus
 Dominant impression: good gas mileage
 Topic Sentence: My roommate is messy.
 (topic: “roommate”)
 (dominant impression: “messy”)

 Topic Sentence: Roberta is very aggressive.

 (topic: “Roberta”)
 (dominant impression: “very aggressive”)
 Topic Sentence: Our new kitten causes us lots of
trouble.
 (topic: “our new kitten”)
 (dominant impression: “causes us lots of trouble”)

 Topic Sentence: My landlord is softhearted.

 (topic: “my landlord”)
 (dominant impression “softhearted”)

 The library is a distracting place to try to study.

 (topic: “library”)
 (dominant impresion: “distracting place to try to study”)
 Once you know the general and the limited
subject you will be discussing you can create a
topic/thesis statement that you will discuss
further with supporting evidence in the
paragraph or essay
Write a paragraph with supporting details using
one of the following topic sentences. Your
details can be drawn from your own
experience, or they can be invented. In each
case, the details should show in a specific way
what the point or topic expresses in only a
general way. Your paragraph should be turned
in with TBA1a.
 I could tell I was coming down with the flu.

 The food at the cafeteria was terrible yesterday.

 I had car problems recently.

 When your money gets tight, there are several

ways to economize.

 Some people have dangerous driving habits.

 Transition words are used to organize and
connect the specific evidence used in a
paragraph or between paragraphs in an essay.

The details in your essay must come together

and cohere, so that your reader will be able to
move smoothly from on bit of supporting
evidence to the next. This section gives a list of
words you can use to organize and connect
supporting details by using transition words
and other connecting words.
 Time Order transition words: next, first, second,
third, then, after, finally, before, while, meanwhile,
soon now, during.

 Visual Description transition words: above,

across, behind, below, center, close to, far away, front,
middle, inside, outside, within.

 Illustration transition words: for example, for

instance, specifically, as an illustration, once, such as.

 Conclusion transition words: therefore,

consequently, thus, then, as a result, in summary, to
conclude, last of all, finally, in conclusion.