Reading and Writing Skills

MODULE 7

In writing paragraph or essay, your guides are the thesis statement and the topic sentence,
respectively; the topic sentence in your paragraph in then reinforced by supporting details.
THESIS STATEMENT
- thesis statement is a one-sentence summary that guides, controls, and unifies ideas when writing
a paper. In simple terms, all the other ideas present in an essay revolve around the thesis
statement.
Remember that thesis statement, unlike a usual topic or title,
uses a complete sentence. Consider the following statements: ” Getting a college degree is important
because it will equip a student to become
” College education ” Necessity of a college education” a professional in his/her chosen field and
is important.” it will widen his/her perspective of the
world.”
Among these three examples above can you locate what is
the best example that fit with the Thesis Statement?

” Necessity of a This is more of a title than a thesis

college education” statement.

” College education is Although it is a sentence, this

important.” statement is broad.

” Getting a college degree is

important because it will equip a This is an example of an accurately written
student to become a professional in thesis statement it has one subject and at
his/her chosen field and it will widen least two arguments.
his/her perspective of the world.”

Generating a thesis statement can be done through various methods. Consider the following:
Topic: Jogging
Question: Why is jogging beneficial?
Thesis Statement: Jogging is beneficial because it positively affects physical wellbeing
and mental fitness.
As shown above, one strategy that you can use in writing a thesis statement is asking a question.
After identifying the topic, a question that would entail multiple details. The answer to this question
is most likely your thesis statement.

Example:
Topic: Tagaytay City
Question: (1) Is Tagaytay City an enthralling city of the South?
(2) Why is Tagaytay City considered as an enthralling city of the
South?
Thesis Statement: (1) Tagaytay City is an enthralling city of the South.
(2) Tagaytay City is an enthralling city of the South because of its
beautiful landscape, amazing people, and sumptuous food.

The topic in the example above is “Tagaytay City”. The first question which was generated may be
answered by a thesis statement with implied or abstract details. The second question, on the other
hand, may be answered by a thesis statement with explicit and concrete details.
Note that both versions of thesis statement are acceptable.

How to Write an Effective Thesis Statement

The following are some guidelines you may follow when writing a thesis statement. Make sure to
follow writing conventions alongside these guidelines.
1. It should be written in a complete sentence with a clearly stated subject.
DON’T DO
Computers as helpful tools in teaching Computers can help a teacher effectively
and researching impart the lesson and research information.
Rewrite the following: Answer:
Irrelevance of difference between men
and women in terms of their human
rights.

2. It should not be too narrow nor to broad, and it should contain at least two details.
If the details you generate are already definite examples, then your thesis statement is too
specific.
If you can only write general statements because there are too many details, then it is too broad.
3. Avoid an awkward thesis statement which states the obvious. These statements usually start
with the phrase “I will tell you…” or “I will talk about…”

4. Enumerated details should have the same level of significance. If one of the details can be
classified under another detail, you can omit it.

5. It should not state an absolute fact, because it will not present any central idea that can be
develop further. It should have a point.
DON’T DO
Rizal Park is located in Manila Rizal Park, which is located in Manila, is a
reminder of our nationalism and revolution.
Rewrite the following:
Maria Clara is a character is Jose Rizal’s novel,
Noli Me Tangere.
When we say Topic Sentence, what is it?
It can be either be explicitly or implicitly stated.
An explicitly stated topic sentence can be replace in four different locations: at the beginning,
middle, end of the paragraph, or at the start and start of the paragraph. It is up to the readers to
deduce what to topic sentence is.
The thesis statement and the topic sentence are very much related to each other.
The topic sentence develops the details in the thesis statement; if the thesis statement contains three
details, then the paper will have three topic sentences.
Example:

Topic: Jogging
Question: Why is jogging beneficial?
Thesis Statement: Jogging is beneficial because it positively affects physical wellbeing and mental
fitness.

Topic Sentence 1: Jogging positively impacts one’s physical wellness by preventing hypertension
and other diseases.
Topic Sentence 2: Another benefit of jogging is that it maintains mental fitness

Topic: Tagaytay City

Question: Why is Tagaytay City considered as enthralling city of the South?
Thesis Statement: Tagaytay City is an enthralling city of the South because of its beautiful
landscape, delicious food, and amazing people.
Topic Sentence 1: Tagaytay City attracts tourists with its magnificent landscape.
Topic Sentence 2: People go back to Tagaytay for its magnificent landscape.
Topic Sence 3: The warmth of the city’s amazing people is also another reason why Tagaytay is
alluring.

Tips in Writing an Effective Topic

Sentence
1. It should follow the basics already discussed in the thesis statement.
a. It must be written in a complete sentence and with a clear subject.
b. It should not be phrased awkwardly and it should not state the obvious. An awkward topic
sentence is characterized by sentences that start with “I will tell you….”
2. It should contain one detail which is related to one of the details in the thesis statement.
Sample thesis statement: Rizal Park, which is located in Manila, is a reminder of our
nationalism and revolution.
DON’T DO
Rizal Park features a statue of Jos Rizal Rizal Park, which features a statue of Jose
and is also known as Luneta Park. Rizal, stands as a reminder of the Filipinos who
sparked the revolution and launched our flights
for freedom.
 Try it! Sample Thesis Statement: A person should not be stereotyped, because there are
various factors which make everyone different, such as religion, ethnic background, and
social class.
Rewrite the following topic sentence:
Religion is a major influence in
people’s faith; those who do not have a
religion must be evil.

3. It should vary in structure across paragraphs. If the topic sentences are uniform throughout your
essay, they might seem monotonous to read.
4. If the composition is just one paragraph, the topic sentence should be straightforward.
DON’T DO
Many times, in many places, and across cultures, Language should not be seen as a
language is used as a dividing force and point of dividing force, but as a tool to promote
difference when in fact it is a major factor that can unity in diversity across cultures.
promote unity and diversity.
Rewrite the following topic sentence:
It should be known by everyone that harmful
stereotypes surround every society, every community,
and every city, and they are the worst kinds of epidemic
because when passed on, they trickle to the next
generation and create a vicious cycle.

SUPPORTING DETAILS
A composition is incomplete without the supporting details. These details are pieces of
information necessary to better understand the main idea. They can be facts, reasons, testimonies,
statistics, and experiments that support the topic sentence.
Supporting details are divided into two levels: major details and minor details.
Major Details: directly support the topic sentence
Minor Details: directly support the major topic
Sample Paragraph
Tagaytay is an enthralling city of the South because of its stunning landscape, hospitable
people, and delicious foods. The city has a magnificent scenery that never fails to capture the awe of
its visitors. One major tourist spot that exudes the beauty of Tagaytay is Taal Volcano, the smallest
volcano in the world. The lake which surrounds it is another attraction that cannot be missed. The
city is also characterized by the warmth of its people, the Caviteños. They bring with them their
smiles as they welcome both local and foreign visitors. Aside from these, Tagaytay is also known for
its sumptuous native foods. Tourists who drop by the city make it a point to try Tagaytay's famous
Bulalo and other delicacies.
In the previous paragraph, the supporting details are underlined: major details are underlined once
while the minor details are underlined twice.
APPLICATION

I. Identify the similarities and differences between a thesis statement and a topic sentence
using a Venn Diagram.
Thesis Statement Topic Sentence

II. A. Write a question for this topic. Make sure that the question you formulate will
require details for the answer. Then, answer the question to come up with the thesis
statement then from the thesis statement you have formulated, write topic sentence.

Topic: ABSENTEEISM
Question: _______________________________
Thesis Statement: _________________________
Topic Sentence 1: _________________________

B. Based on the topic Absenteeism, write an essay simply by adding valid and sufficient
supporting details for the topic sentence you provided.
Paragraph 1______________________________________________________________

Goodluck…