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THESIS STATEMENTTHETHESIS STATEMENTIS THAT SENTENCE OR TWO IN YOUR TEXTthat contains the focus of your

essay and tells your reader what the essay is going to be about. Although it is certainly possible to

write a good essay without a thesis statement (manynarrative essays,for example, contain only an

implied thesis statement), the lack of a thesis statement may well be a symptom of an essay beset by a

lack of focus. Many writers think of a thesis statement as an umbrella: everything that you carry along

in your essay has to fit under this umbrella, and if you try to take on packages that don't fit, you will

either have to get a bigger umbrella or something's going to get wet.

Most people who bother with the matter at all would admit that the English language is in a

bad way, but it is generally assumed that we cannot by conscious action do anything about it.

Our civilization is decadent, and our languageso the argument runsmust inevitably

share in the general collapse. It follows that any struggle against the abuse of language is asentimental archaism, like preferring candles to electric light or hansom cabs to aeroplanes.

Underneath this lies the half-conscious belief that language is a natural growth and not an

instrument which we shape for our own purposes.

Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic

causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect

can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an

intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to

be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same

thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our

thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have

foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially

written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if

one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more

clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the

fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional

writers. I will come back to this presently, and I hope that by that time the meaning of what I

have said here will have become clearer. Meanwhile, here are five specimens of the English

language as it is now habitually written.

Thesis statement:If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a

necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the fight against bad

English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers.

A thesis statementusually appears near the end of the introductory paragraph of a paper, and it

offers a concise solution to the issue being addressed. It states the claim of the argument presented

in a paper, and sometimes a brief summary of all explained reasons in the paper. A thesis statement

is usually one sentence, though it may occur as more than one

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Topic Sentence

The topic sentenceis a prescriptivegrammaticalterm to describe the sentence in an expository

paragraph which summarizes the main idea of that paragraph.[1][2]

It is usually the first sentence in a

paragraph.

Also known as a focus sentence, it encapsulates or organizes an entire paragraph. Although topic

sentences may appear anywhere in a paragraph, in academic essays they often appear at the

beginning.[2]

The topic sentence acts as a kind ofsummary,and offers the reader an insightful view of the writers

main ideas for the following paragraph.[3]

More than just being a mere summary, however, a topic

sentence often provides a claim or an insight directly or indirectly related to thethesis.It adds

cohesion to a paper and helps organize ideas both within the paragraph and the whole body of work

at large.[4][5][6]

Its use is considered standard in the American educational system and most venues of writing mainly

because it increases reading accessibility.

What is the topic sentence?

The topic sentence is the first sentence in a paragraph.

What does it do?It introduces the main idea of the paragraph.

How do I write one?

Summarize the main idea of your paragraph. Indicate to the reader what yourparagraph will be about.

Example:

There are three reasons why Canada is one of the best countries in theworld.First, Canada has an excellent health care system. All Canadians have

access to medical services at a reasonable price. Second, Canada has a high

standard of education. Students are taught by well-trained teachers and areencouraged to continue studying at university. Finally, Canada's cities are clean

and efficiently managed. Canadian cities have many parks and lots of space forpeople to live. As a result, Canada is a desirable place to live.

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