Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the purpose of a thesis statement in academic texts?
What is the purpose of a thesis statement in academic texts?
To present or describe the point of an essay
Where is a thesis statement usually found in academic texts?
Where is a thesis statement usually found in academic texts?
In the abstract, executive summary, or at the end of the introduction
How can you identify the main idea of a paragraph?
How can you identify the main idea of a paragraph?
The ___________ is the sentence that best describes the topic of a paragraph.
The ___________ is the sentence that best describes the topic of a paragraph.
Signup and view all the answers
Authors usually state their topic sentence in the middle of a paragraph.
Authors usually state their topic sentence in the middle of a paragraph.
Signup and view all the answers
Match the following with their descriptions:
Match the following with their descriptions:
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Locating Main Ideas
- Finding the main idea or thesis statement of the text and the topic sentence of the paragraphs can help increase reading speed.
Thesis Statement
- Presents or describes the point of an essay
- Usually presented in the abstract or executive summary or found at the last part of the introduction in Academic texts
- Written in a declarative sentence
- Examples of signal phrases that announce the purpose, scope, or direction of the text:
- "This study examined…"
- "This paper examines…"
- "The aim of this essay is to…"
- "This paper begins with"
- "In this paper, I hope to…"
- "The primary objective of this paper is to…"
- "The purpose of this essay is to…"
Strategies in Locating the Thesis Statement
- Read the title of the text and make inferences on its purpose
- If the text has no abstract or executive summary, read the first few paragraphs as the thesis statement is usually located there
- Check the conclusion where authors sum up and review their main points
Topic Sentence
- Presents or describes the main idea of the paragraph
- Can be located in the beginning, middle, or last part of a paragraph
Strategies in Locating the Topic Sentence
- Read the first sentence of the paragraph very carefully as most authors state their topic sentence in the beginning of the paragraph
- Browse the sentences in the paragraph to identify what they describe
- Find the concept or idea being tackled, which is the “big word” in the paragraph
- Identify the purpose of the paragraph
- Observe the writing style of the author and focus on where he/she usually places his/her topic sentence
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Related Documents
Description
Learn how to increase your reading speed by identifying the main idea or thesis statement of a text and topic sentences of paragraphs in academic texts.
