TOPIC SENTENCE CHECK 1

(Informative Essay)

A topic sentence should summarize the main idea of the paragraph in a single sentence. It should have
the following qualities:

1. It should support the thesis. It should provide one reason / explanation that the thesis is true.

2. It should be a conclusion. It should not be a factual sentence. If it is a fact (i.e., something

directly observable), you will have nothing else to write about. It should not be an opinion.
Opinions are judgments based on personal preference. If honestly expressed, they are always
true. Therefore, they are of no value to anybody else except yourself and your close
friends/family.

3. It should contain a single idea. If your topic sentence has more than a single idea, the reader's
attention will be divided between the ideas. This makes it more difficult for the reader to focus.
The reader will be more likely to forget what the writer is trying to say.

4. It should NOT be a value judgment / moral judgment. A value judgment is an evaluation of

something in terms of good/bad, right/wrong, or should/shouldn't. The purpose of an
informative essay is inform the reader about what is, not what should be, not what is
right/wrong, or good/bad. (Value judgments are fine for argumentative/persuasive essays, but
not informative essays).

5. It should NOT have a vague subject. If the subject of the sentence is vague, then the reader and
writer will likely not be picturing the same thing in their minds. For example, if the subject of
the sentence is something vague such as "technology ", the writer might be imagining electric
cars, but the reader might associate "technology" with nuclear fusion or computers. Vague
subjects make it very likely that the reader and writer will not be thinking about the same thing.

6. It should NOT have a vague verb. If the verb of the sentence is vague, then the reader will not
find it useful. Vague verbs are those that do not contain any clear information. For example, the
sentence "Social media has an effect on public opinion" does not tell the reader what kind of
effect it is.
 Test Topic Sentences:
Choose and write a topic below. Then write a "test thesis" for that topic. Then write two "test topic
sentence" for that thesis.

Example
Topic: Starship (SpaceX's new rocket)
Thesis: Starship will likely be the first spacecraft to send humans to mars and back.
Topic Sentence 1: Starship's Engines are suited to a Mars mission.
Topic Sentence 2: The cheaper launch costs of Starship make a mission to Mars more feasible.

Topic 1: ________
Thesis: ___________________________.
Topic Sentence 1: ___________________________.
Topic Sentence 2: ___________________________.

Topic 2: ________
Thesis: ___________________________.
Topic Sentence 1: ___________________________.
Topic Sentence 2: ___________________________.

Thesis check questions:

1. Is the thesis a complete sentence? (Yes)
2. Does the thesis contain a single idea? (Yes)
3. Is the thesis a fact, conclusion, or opinion? (It should be a conclusion)
4. Does the thesis contain a moral/value judgment? (No. There should be no value judgment)
5. Is the subject of the sentence vague? (No. The subject should not be vague)
6. Is the verb of the sentence vague? (No. The verb should not be vague)

Topic Sentence check questions:

1. Does this topic sentence support the thesis? (Yes)
2. Is this topic sentence a complete sentence? (Yes)
3. Does this topic sentence contain a single idea? (Yes)
4. Is this topic sentence a fact, conclusion, or opinion? (It should be a conclusion)
5. Does this topic sentence contain a moral/value judgment? (No. There should be no value
judgment)
6. Is the subject of the sentence vague? (No. The subject should not be vague)
7. Is the verb of the sentence vague? (No. The verb should not be vague)