The Topic Sentence Outline



Higgins/Kovacs The Topic Sentence Outline – Fear Exploratory Essay

The purpose of the topic sentence outline is to help keep you on track by forcing you to map out the ideas related to your thesis. Here are some points to keep in mind:

▪ Your TSO should begin with your thesis statement, which should be one sentence. Beginning the outline with your thesis statement will assist you in ensuring that every topic sentence is related to your thesis statement. At this point, your thesis statement should be well developed and strike the appropriate balance (between being specific enough so the ideas you present relate to your text and you don’t feel you have to prove EVERYTHING and broad enough to allow you to find evidence with ease).

▪ Every topic sentence should be an actual sentence, not a word such as “fear” or a phrase such as “cause of hysteria.” You will need to find your textual evidence that will help to support your topic sentence. Include these quotations/examples beneath your topic sentences.

▪ Because topic sentences (and the discussion that follows) are meant to support your thesis statement, each topic sentence should be a point related to your thesis. To get a sense of how many of these you need to accomplish the discussion, first write your thesis statement, and then bullet the subcategories of discussion that would be relevant. For instance:

Ex. 1—Thesis: Hysteria results when people allow their irrational fears to influence how they think and act.

Points I would need to discuss to support the thesis statement above:

✓ Definition of hysteria

✓ Irrational fears present in American life

✓ Examples of hysterical behavior

✓ Analysis of how hysteria influences American’s thoughts and actions

The ideas for each of the thesis statements above are just ideas—not complete sentences. Turning these ideas into complete sentences will yield a TSO.

▪ The purpose of the topic sentence is to state the main point of your paragraph. The topic sentence therefore directs the discussion in the paragraph. In other words, the discussion in the paragraph should match the thrust of the claim in the topic sentence. Everything in your paragraph must fit under the “umbrella” of the topic sentence. Think of the topic sentence as a mini-road map to the paragraph. For your planning purposes, it will be helpful to decide where your passages fit in terms of the topic sentences.

▪ Each topic sentence in the TSO should include a transition to the previous paragraph. Avoid one- or two-word transitions such as “also” or “in addition.” Instead, refer to the point you made in the previous paragraph, and then provide your new point. Use phrases like, “Not only did…but…” or “Although fear can lead people to hysteria, it can also…” The idea is for the reader to be able to keep track of your prior point and relate it to your new one.

▪ Your TSO should end with a rephrased thesis statement, which should begin the final paragraph. Do not use exactly the same words. You will not use the conclusion to summarize all the points you made in the paper. The rephrased thesis at the end of the paper should reflect a synthesis of the ideas and a newfound clarity about the subject gained over the course of discussion. In other words, the rephrased thesis statement is the idea from your thesis statement, differently phrased.

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