Welcome to
ESL Printables,
the website where English Language teachers exchange resources:
worksheets, lesson plans, activities, etc.
Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. If
you want to download you have to send your own contributions.
The main
idea, or call it the general idea, is used in comprehension (written or oral)
You will ask your students after reading a text, a press article, or after
listening to a podcast "what is the main idea of the article /
extract" that is the general, global idea
The two other concepts are particularly used in essay writing. We ask our
students to write well structured essays, where the three main parts are
clearly distinguished: introduction, development and conclusion
It is the introduction which requires a thesis statement, a kind of complete
statement which summarizes what the essay is about
The development consists of different paragraphs, each of which needs a topic
sentence, which has the same function (as the thesis statement in the essay), it should summarize what the paragraph
is about.
It can be placed at the beginning, in the middle or even at the end of
the paragraph. Sometimes it is only implied
As far argumentative (=persuasive) essays are concerned,�the writer�will take�a�side�of�a�controversial�issue�and�try�to�prove�that�his�or�her�opinion�is the right one.�Their opinion,�which�they�want�to convince their readers of, is�expressed�in�the�"thesis�statement",�placed�in�the�intro�of�the�essay.
To prove his�or�her point, the�writer�needs�some sort of evidence,�basically�facts.�Each piece of evidence ("argument") is�separated�into�paragraphs and discussed in more depth.�A�topic�sentence�is�the�code�name�for�the�first�sentence�of�any�evidence�(or argument)�paragraph.�You�could�ask what makes the first sentence so special to give it its own name? Well, the first sentence is supposed to be basically a summary sentence, which is important so that you can prepare your reader for what the paragraph is gonna be about. This way, the readers will have an easier time understanding your logic, and hopefully if they can understand it more, they �ll more�easily�see�how�logical�that�arguument�is.
This principle of summarizing is part of what �s often referred to as "the communication principle, " which says that you shouldn �t just start off by saying your message, but summarize it first,�cuz communication is most effective when you first prepare readers of what to expect, and in case of longer stretches of communication, give a reminder of what �s been said. In short:
1. Say what you �re gonna say (summary of message) 2. Say it (the message) 3. Say what you �ve said (summary of message as reminder)
I am afraid but I will have to disagree on one single point: the placement of the topic sentence... Its not always"the first sentence" as you wrote
While it �s common to have it at the very beginning of the paragraph, it can also be perfectly placed in the midle or at the end As I wrote in my post, sometimes it is only implied... It is not explicitly stated at all
I �ve recently designed and uploaded a multi-page, unit-style worksheet (you can separate it into sections if needed) about titles,main ideas, topic sentences and supporting details. Check it out on my printables page! Sorry, I don �t know how to include the link here...
Overall, a main idea is the general concept of the piece of writing, such as:"The Relationship of Dogs to Humans". It is not usually a complete sentence, just a general idea.
The topic sentence is what you want to say in a particular (usually single) paragraph, such as: "Dogs help humans in many ways." This would naturally be followed by several supporting details and examples.
A thesis statement is the main message of a multi-paragraph essay. It�s usually found in the introductory paragraph of a longer essay. A thesis statement is usually a much more opinionated or argued point, such as: "Without the domestication of dogs, humans would not have been able to advance to the extent they have." This stronger statement would be followed by paragraphs each containing topic sentences (which would each have supporting details following), all working to prove the point of the thesis statement.
I agree with the others� previous comments, too--but if you �ve got beginners just learning about the basic concepts, it �s best to start with general rules.
