Module 1 — Effective
writing: Strategies
and principles
| Course Guide | Module 1 | Module 2a | Module 2b |
Controlling ideas
Good topic sentences contain a generalization and a controlling, or defining, idea. This idea tells the reader how the paragraph is held together. It indicates the structure of the paragraph in order to help the reader comprehend the relationship between the various sentences in the paragraph.
In the paragraph on the previous page about the ILO’s role in the social dimension of globalization, the topic sentence is:
For the ILO to play its full role in building a social dimension of globalization, a policy of strategic alliance building is needed.
The controlling idea is: strategic alliance building.
Look again at the complete paragraph to see how these words control and order the content of the paragraph. You’ll notice right away that the paragraph focuses both on potential allies and on the nature of the proposed alliances.
For the ILO to play its full role in building a social dimension of globalization, a policy of strategic alliance building is needed. Among the Organization’s potential allies are a number of civil society organizations. The ILO’s constituents may therefore wish to consider developing a policy of outreach to selected civil society organizations where there is a shared concern on issues of priority to the Organization. It will prove increasingly useful for the tripartite constituency to find ways to talk and listen to democratic civil society organizations in ways that are consistent with the goals of the Organization and of its constituents.
In the topic sentences provided in the other examples on the previous page, the controlling ideas are:
- The subjection of children to forced labour through trafficking has age and gender dimensions.
- The ILO alone cannot respond to all the recommendations of the Commission’s report.
- Another impact of ICTs on journalists is the fact that for 20 years, technology has been one of the most popular subjects for publishing.