#SIGNPOST DEFINITION HOW TO#

#SIGNPOST DEFINITION HOW TO#

For example, she could have written something like this: “Marx wrote a critique of capitalism.” While that sentence describes something that happened, it does not give readers information about what will be in the rest of the paragraph-and it would not have helped Connor figure out how to organize the paragraph.

Imagine that, instead of writing “Marx critiques capitalism by identifying its flaws,” Connor had begun that paragraph with a descriptive sentence. In this case, Connor has set up the expectation for readers that by the end of the paragraph, they will understand Marx’s view of the flaws in capitalism. This topic sentence makes a claim that will then need to be supported with evidence: readers can expect that the sentence will be followed by a discussion of what Marx saw as the flaws in capitalism, which will in turn help them understand Connor’s thesis about how these three authors used their rhetoric to effect social change.Ī topic sentence signals to your readers what idea is most important in that paragraph-and it also helps you know if you’ve effectively made your point. In his numerous writings, Marx critiques capitalism by identifying its flaws.

In her paper, Connor argues that Marx’s rhetoric was most effective in driving social change. Second, the topic sentence signals to readers how the paragraph is connected to the larger argument in your paper.īelow is an example of a topic sentence from a paper by Laura Connor ‘23 that analyzes rhetoric used by Frederic Douglass, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Karl Marx. First, a strong topic sentence makes a claim or states a main idea that is then developed in the rest of the paragraph. The topic sentence does double duty for a paragraph. To write strong paragraphs, try to focus each paragraph on one main point-and begin a new paragraph when you are moving to a new point or example.Ī strong paragraph in an academic essay will usually include these three elements: The number of paragraphs in your essay should be determined by the number of steps you need to take to build your argument. When you write strong, clear paragraphs, you are guiding your readers through your argument by showing them how your points fit together to support your thesis.

Signpost definition