Limiting a Topic

After choosing a topic and gathering any necessary information, you must limit the topic you have chosen to develop it adequately. What does this mean?

A limited topic is a topic of manageable size. If a topic is too large, you can write only in generalizations and won't be able to use adequate description, examples, illustrations, or other forms of support that are necessary for good paragraphs. A paper with more depth and detail is much more interesting to a reader than a paper written in general terms.

Suppose you have decided to write about the general topic "Olympic Games." How could you limit this topic?

Here is an example:

Ø Olympic Games

Ø Summer Games/Winter Games

Ø Events in the summer Olympic Games

Ø Track as one event in the summer Olympic Games Track as one event in the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

Ineach case the topic is more and more limited, until a topic of man­ageable size is found. In the last item, the topic is limited to one event, in one season, and in one place.

Look at the following pairs of sentences to see how sentences 1 and 2 differ. One sentence in each pair clearly deals with a more limited topic. Which one is it?

A. Topic: food

1. Food additives are harmful.

2. Sodium nitrate, a food additive, is harmful to one's health.

B. Topic: pets

1. Pets need supervision, frequent health check-ups, and vaccinations.

2. Pets need care.

C. Topic: computers

1. Computers are used effectively for college registration.

2. Computers are used effectively for registration at Hilldale College.

D. Topic: war

1. War is destructive.

2. The war in Vietnam killed thousands of people, ruined the land for agriculture, and destroyed the economy of the country.

E. Topic: television

1. The National Geographic specials on TV are educational.

2. TV is educational.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-12