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Process for Developing the Outline: Step 2

Developing Topic Sentences

Once you have created a list of ideas to support your thesis, you need to qualify these ideas. Ask yourself whether each idea is directly related to and supports the thesis. If any ideas do not directly support the thesis, cross them out --don't use them! If you do include these unrelated ideas, you will destroy the unity of the composition!

Now, take your ideas and structure them into complete sentences. These sentences will become topic sentences for the paragraphs making up the body of your composition. Using the thesis statement, "The managerial form of government needs to be abolished in Middlesex County," you might develop the following ideas. They are structured as complete sentences and will become the topic sentences for the paragraphs comprising the body of the composition. .

1. This type of government is antiquated.
2. The managerial form of government is not responsive to the needs of the people.
3. The expense of maintaining this form of government is excessive.
4. This type of government does not represent all areas of the county .

These topic sentences are directly related to and support the thesis, and they ensure the unity essential to every composition. By creating topic sentences in advance, you also know how many paragraphs will make up the body of the composition before you actually begin to write.

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