你的每一个主要论点都是以主题句开始吗？
每个主要论点都需要充分论述。用一个句子阐述主题，这个句子叫做主题句。它把问题灌输进读者的心目中，以确定论述的方向。
假设你读了下面的主题句：
Cheating on a spelling test in fourth grade in Miss Ryan's class made me think about what a teacher is.
你会有什么问题？
你想要了解这位四年级作者的更多情况吗？
你希望知道作者的想法或他所写 “what a teacher is”是什么意思吗？
你是否充分讨论了每一个主题？
好的写作，会使你（作者）和读者都有兴趣并感到满意。请记住，你的读者无法猜测你的想法，因此要充分讨论每一个主题。以下几点建议可使你的主题具有阅读价值。
每个主题自成一段。
真正的大主题需要不止一段，因为这样的主题太复杂，难以用一段文字讨论。
用主题句确定论述方向并把问题灌输到读者心目中。
你可以审视一下你的句子，确定哪些是重要词语。这些词语在你的句子中似乎分量更重。它们提示了什么是读者想更多了解的。
在下面的主题句中，哪些词或短语是重要的？
Teachers don't get paid for every hour that they work.
你会认为"every hour that they work"是重要词语吗？
这一段中还有几个句子：
Teachers take work home on weekends. Sometimes my mother grades papers and projects all day on Sunday. She says that if she divided her salary across all the hours that she spends on schoolwork, she would probably be paid about the same as a person who works at McDonald's! My neighbor spends three weeks of his summer vacation on a ship that does scientific experiments. He doesn't get paid for any of that work, but he says the things that he learns help him be a better teacher.
用主题句构架两个段落或两个主题之间的桥梁。
下例是一个以主题句开头的段落：
Teachers get many rewards in their careers. My neighbor has kids and likes having the summer off when his kids are home. Some teachers say their work is like play. At least that's what my mom says when she mixes up her magic bubble formula for science class. My mom also says that one of the rewards of teaching is that she is using her college education every day. She also gets paid to take refresher courses. But she works hard.
你能看出下面的主题句是如何起桥梁作用的吗？
In fact, teachers don't get paid for every hour that they work, but the teachers that I know say that they love their work.
你预计作者在这一段中会讲述什么样的内容？
你已经按条理安排好了你的主题吗？
你可以用多种方法安排你的主题：
你可以按时间的先后顺序安排主题。你可以先叙述最早发生的情况，在下面的段落中讨论随后发生的事情。
下面是两个主题， 它们将被分段展开：
Idea #1
I have wanted to be a teacher since I cheated on a spelling test in Miss Ryan's class in fourth grade.
Idea #2
Then in eighth grade I had an assignment to teach a science lesson to a class in my former elementary school, and that experience showed me how good I felt when the kids didn't want the class to be over.
你可以根据问题的重要性安排你的主题 --- 从最重要的到最不重要的，或者相反。
提示：假如你的写作任务要在短时间内完成，例如写作考试时，你也许需要首先列出最重要的特点或原因。
下面是两位作者表达的他们认为最重要的论点：
作者1
The most important reason to be a science teacher is to help the next generation learn about the earth.
作者2
Getting to play with bubbles is the reason why I want to be a science teacher.
如果是描述某件事情，在谋划主题时你可以先确定描述方向。下面是两个例子：
从上到下：
The crown of a tree is the upper part with branches and leaves or needles. The crown is supported by the trunk, below which are the roots.
从外到内：
A tree trunk contains a number of layers. The bark on the outside helps to protect the inner layers, which include the new cells growing inside the tree. At the center of the trunk — the innermost layer — is the rigid heartwood that strengthens the tree trunk.
Does each of your main ideas begin with a topic sentence?
Each main idea needs to be discussed fully. The main idea appears in a sentence that announces the idea. This sentence is called the topic sentence, and it sets a direction by planting questions in the reader's mind.
Pretend that you're the reader of this topic sentence:
Cheating on a spelling test in fourth grade in Miss Ryan's class made me think about what a teacher is.
What questions do you have?
Do you want to know more about what happened to this writer in fourth grade?
Do you expect to learn what the writer thought or means by the words "what a teacher is"?
Have you discussed each main idea completely?
In good writing, you (the writer) and the reader feel interested and satisfied. Remember that your reader is not a mind reader, so discuss each idea completely. Here are a few suggestions for making your main ideas worth reading about:
Give each main idea its own paragraph.
Really large main ideas will need more than one paragraph because they are too complicated to be discussed in one paragraph.
Use your topic sentence to set a direction and to plant questions in the reader's mind.
You can look at your sentences to see which words are the important words. They are the words that seem heavier in your sentence. They are clues to what the reader will want to know more about.
In this topic sentence, which words or phrases are important?
Teachers don't get paid for every hour that they work.
Would you say that "every hour that they work" are the important words?
Here are the other sentences in this paragraph:
Teachers take work home on weekends. Sometimes my mother grades papers and projects all day on Sunday. She says that if she divided her salary across all the hours that she spends on schoolwork, she would probably be paid about the same as a person who works at McDonald's! My neighbor spends three weeks of his summer vacation on a ship that does scientific experiments. He doesn't get paid for any of that work, but he says the things that he learns help him be a better teacher.
Use topic sentences to make a bridge between two paragraphs or two main ideas.
Here's a sample paragraph that begins with a topic sentence:
Teachers get many rewards in their careers. My neighbor has kids and likes having the summer off when his kids are home. Some teachers say their work is like play. At least that's what my mom says when she mixes up her magic bubble formula for science class. My mom also says that one of the rewards of teaching is that she is using her college education every day. She also gets paid to take refresher courses. But she works hard.
Can you see how the next topic sentence is a bridge?
In fact, teachers don't get paid for every hour that they work, but the teachers that I know say that they love their work.
What do you expect the writer to tell you about in this paragraph?
Have you arranged your ideas in an effective order?
You can arrange your ideas in many different ways:
You can organize your ideas in chronological order or by time.You can begin with the oldest point first and then use paragraphs to discuss what happened next or later.
Here are two main ideas that will be developed into paragraphs:
Idea #1
I have wanted to be a teacher since I cheated on a spelling test in Miss Ryan's class in fourth grade.
Idea #2
Then in eighth grade I had an assignment to teach a science lesson to a class in my former elementary school, and that experience showed me how good I felt when the kids didn't want the class to be over.
You can organize your ideas by importance, either most important to least important or the other way around.
Tip: If your writing assignment has to be completed in a short time, as in an essay test, you probably want to begin with the most important features or reasons first.
Here are what two different writers think is their most important idea:
Writer #1
The most important reason to be a science teacher is to help the next generation learn about the earth.
Writer #2
Getting to play with bubbles is the reason why I want to be a science teacher.
You can organize your ideas by making a decision about what direction you want to start from, if you are describing something. Here are two examples:
Top to Bottom:
The crown of a tree is the upper part with branches and leaves or needles. The crown is supported by the trunk, below which are the roots.
Outside to Inside:
A tree trunk contains a number of layers. The bark on the outside helps to protect the inner layers, which include the new cells growing inside the tree. At the center of the trunk — the innermost layer — is the rigid heartwood that strengthens the tree trunk.