How to Locate Topic Sentence
Because the topic sentence can be located anywhere, how can you spot the topic sentence and get to the main idea in a paragraph? Here’s how:
Read the first sentence carefully. Three times out of five, the topic sentence is the first sentence.
Consider what basic property or characteristic the paragraph describes. This attribute is the paragraph’s main idea, so the sentence that expresses it is your topic sentence.
Think about the paragraph’s purpose. The paragraph most likely wants to impart a particular piece of information. If you can figure out what that piece is, you know the paragraph’s topic and can find the sentence that presents it.
How to locate a Thesis Statement
Read and understand the title of the text to make assumption and inferences on its purpose.
Read the first few paragraph since thesis statement usually located there.
Browse or check the conclusion where authors sum up and review their main points.