Remember that each paragraph needs to have a theme that is being discussed. (The theme with support your thesis.) Like I have modeled in class my themes are the following:
My thesis: The Gods are tormentors of Mankind.
Paragraph 1: The Gods are too easily provoked.
Paragraph 2: The Gods' punishment is often unjust.
Paragraph 3: The end result is often bad for humanity.
I found a great site that breaks it down into small pieces: English for University Blog posts:
A good topic sentence will:
1. put forth an argument
2. it uses some words from the title (which means you are hopefully answering the question!)
3. it tells you what the rest of the sentence is going to be about.
After this sentence you need to support what you have said. That means giving evidence which justifies what you said in your topic sentence. Often this is when you will bring in your sources from your wider reading. (Hence, the supporting detail homework I gave you earlier this week)Some examples of Topic sentences are:
1. One of the strongest arguments in favor of a relaxed approach to immigration is that the UK benefits economically from immigrant labour. (This topic sentence makes clear that the thesis is about immigration benefiting the U.K. Specifically, this topic sentence also lets the reader know that the paragraph supports the thesis by arguing immigrant labor will benefit the U.K. economically.)
2. One of the most important factors leading to the outbreak of World War One was the arms race between Britain and Germany. (Again, the readers know the paper is about the outbreak of WWI. More specifically this paragraph addresses the arms race between Britain and Germany as being a key factor.)
Generally speaking, topic sentences are:
• Short
• Simple
• Clear
• Give a strong idea
• Often use phrases such as:
One of the main reasons for …..
One of the major factors in ………… is…………….
Generally speaking, ………
One of the strongest arguments against/ in favour of………is ….
One of the main advantages / disadvantages of ………….is ……
Resources for this post:"Topic Sentences: How to Write Good Topic Sentences." English For University. Web. <http://englishforuniversity.com/?page_id=1126>.