Controlling concept A governing notion is the central idea, your attitude, or your assessment of anything. This dominating notion is articulated or presented as a subject sentence. Just as an essay has a thesis phrase that represents the essay's governing concept, a paragraph has a subject sentence that expresses the paragraph's controlling notion. For example, in the following excerpt from a student essay, the subject sentence of each paragraph expresses the same idea: "Fiction allows us to explore many different sides of human nature—the good, the bad, and the ugly."
Now, this isn't exactly a new idea — we've all heard stories about people who have said they want to be controlled by their passions because it would be so exciting to do something else every day. But what most people don't understand is that this type of control is not only possible but also necessary if you want to achieve any level of success in life.
For example, here are two more essay questions with corresponding controlling ideas: "The purpose of art is art" and "All music is beautiful." Both of these subjects can be discussed for hours without getting boring because they're both so broad. And since their topics are so wide-ranging, there's no need to worry about running out of things to say.
In fact, this is why experts recommend writing essays as a way to learn about yourself and the world around you.
The governing notion is the paragraph's principal point or issue. It directs the concepts stated in the paragraph and keeps you on track. Each paragraph's governing notion also refers back to the thesis statement. You will often find that there is a connection between the two, such as "whereas" or "so that." Either the first thing you say in a paragraph supports the thesis statement or it contradicts it.
Paragraphs are usually grouped into sections of approximately 150 words each. Within these sections, paragraphs often carry information about different aspects of the topic under discussion. These different aspects are called topics. The main difference between topics and sentences is that sentences express ideas, while topics outline arguments or positions.
A topic can be identified by its starting phrase (also known as a tag), which indicates the type of argument or position the topic is going to make. For example, if I were discussing how many types of animals exist, I might start with "There are five basic classes of animals": here the topic is understood to be that there are five basic kinds of living organisms. A topic can also be identified by its ending phrase, which tells you what kind of conclusion the writer plans to draw from it. For example, if I were writing an essay on why dogs are awesome, I could conclude with "Because they love us!".
The thesis's governing concept is a word, phrase, or clause that expresses the writer's perspective, attitude, or stance on the subject; it offers the angle from which the writer desires to approach his subject. The thesis statement not only serves as the guide for all the writing that follows, but it also sets the tone for what is to come. A good thesis statement should be concise and clear.
Controlling ideas are the principles or concepts that guide and organize the material within the essay. They provide context and structure where necessary and also help to keep the paper moving along smoothly and effectively. Good essays will often include several different controlling ideas. It is important not to make any of these elements too broad or general, since this can make their application in the essay quite vague. Instead, each one needs to be specific enough to work as an effective tool for guiding analysis and discussion of the topic at hand.
As you write your essay, try to keep in mind how each section relates to the next. This will help you to formulate clear ideas about your topic, and also give your writing a coherent structure. For example, if you were writing about various types of marriage ceremonies, you might start with a brief overview of historical wedding practices before discussing contemporary ceremonies in greater detail.