Topic Thesis | Grammar Quizzes

SHOULD
– focus and direct the essay
– include the topic and your attitude or opinion about it
– include a statement (not a question)
– appear at the end of the introduction (usually, but may be anywhere within the introduction)

NEVER
– announces itself "I'm going to talk about …"
– personalizes "I think …" or " I believe…"
– questions "Is English hard to learn?"

A SUBJECT
A subject is very general. It is not limited in time, location or kind.
immigration
alcoholism
astronomy
free speech
archaeology

A TOPIC
A topic is focused. It is limited in time, location and kind.
illegal immigration in the United States (with a later reference to present day)
teen alcoholism in Finland
theoretical astrophysics
free speech on the Internet
archaeological digs in eastern Crete

FACT
A fact reports data.
affects the economy of the country
is associated with high suicide rates
uses government funds
is unlimited
have revealed new finds

OPINION
An opinion includes words and phrases expressing attitude and opinion: good, bad, surprising, unlikely, may, might, must have been, etc.
adversely affects the economy of the country
is caused by sub-standard family support
is a waste of government funds
is virtually unlimited
have revealed shocking new reasons for the disappearance of the ancient civilization

TOPIC	CONTROLLING IDEA
IMMIGRATION	Illegal immigration in the United states adversely affects the economy of the country.
ALCOHOLISM	Binge-drinking by teens has a significant economic impact on the healthcare system in California.
ASTRONOMY	Astrophysicists' latest findings about the origins of the universe may be just speculations.
FREE SPEECH	The government wastes resources censoring pornography on the Internet.
ARCHAEOLOGY	Lord Elgin's removal of the friezes of the Parthenon from Greece was a crime.

In my country, street crimes are commonplace. Almost everyone has a story to tell about having a purse or a wallet stolen. In the U.S., where street crimes appear in the news headlines every day, people may think they have a serious problem with street crimes; however, they usually only occur in the big cities, where there are homeless street-people.
THESIS:

While we often have non-violent crimes, we rarely have murders. If someone gets murdered, it is usually because of a disagreement, in which someone gets mad and seeks revenge. In the U.S., we often hear about someone getting killed randomly. The victim doesn't even know the murderer. He or she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In both countries, there are revenge murders. Recently, a woman in California murdered a man whom she suspected of sexually abusing her child. In my country, we often hear of jealous husbands or wives killing their spouse's lover. These are 'crimes of passion' that occur in both the U.S. and my country.

While the assassination of President Kennedy is a well-known crime in the U.S., in fact, political crimes rarely happen in the U.S. In my country, assassinations are planned by the Mafia or by terrorist groups. Terrorist attacks occur a lot more in my country than in the U.S. Frequently, in both countries, these attacks are executed by aliens who want political influence.

CONCLUSION:

Topic and Thesis

Create your thesis sentence

Your thesis sentence:

Topic

Subject vs. Topic

Controlling Idea

Fact & Opinion

Thesis

Topic + Controlling Idea

Topic + Controlling Idea

Practice 1

Analyzing an Essay

Read

Answer the questions about the essay above.

Additional Resource