My mother has passed along to me certain rules for getting along with others. Don't argue with parents; they will think you don't love them. Don't argue with children; they will think themselves victimized. Don't argue with spouses; they will think you are a tiresome mate. Don't argue with strangers; they will think you are not friendly. My mother's rules, in fact, can be summed up in two words: Don't argue.
主題句中提出的"certain rules"指的是什么?展開句中通過(guò)四個(gè)"Don't argue --" 逐一加以交代。從結(jié)構(gòu)來(lái)看，這是一個(gè)比較典型的段落，它包括了主題句，推展句和結(jié)論句(即本段中的末句)。
1.1 主題句的位置
主題句通常放在段落的開端，其特點(diǎn)是開門見山地?cái)[出問題，然后加以詳細(xì)說(shuō)明。其作用是使文章的結(jié)構(gòu)更清晰，更具說(shuō)服力，便于讀者迅速地把握主題和想象全段的內(nèi)容。主題句可以放在段中起到承上啟下的作用，或放在段尾起概括全段的作用。但初學(xué)者比較難于掌握，因而在六級(jí)考試中，考生應(yīng)盡量采用將主題句放在段落開頭的寫作手法。
例1: Our life today depends very much on energy. In towns and in villages, on farms and in factories, machines have made life easier than it used to be. The machines use energy, and energy is needed for heating, lighting, communications, carrying goods -- everything. Factories and industrial plants use a great deal of energy to make the things that we use and buy and sell.，
這段文字所講的主要是能源問題。第一句就概括性地提出“我們目前的生活很大程度上依賴于能源”。而隨后出現(xiàn)的三句都是具體事例，對(duì)第一句進(jìn)行說(shuō)明和論述。我們可以斷定第一句為該段的主題句(斜體部分)。
例2: (主題句)No one can avoid being influenced by advertisements. (推展句1)Much as we may pride ourselves on our good taste, we are no longer free to choose the things we want, for advertising exerts a subtle influence on us. (推展句2)In their efforts to persuade us to buy this or that product, advertisers have made a close study of human nature and have classified all our little weakness.
以上這段由三句話組成。第一句是主題句，直截了當(dāng)指出無(wú)人不受廣告影響這個(gè)主題，接著列舉兩個(gè)推展句對(duì)其補(bǔ)充和支持，指出我們已無(wú)法自由選擇所需的商品，理由是廣告商已仔細(xì)研究了我們的心理，并完全掌握了我們的弱點(diǎn)。句子銜接自然，步步緊扣主題。
1.2 如何寫好主題句中的關(guān)鍵詞
段落的主題句對(duì)主題的限定主要是通過(guò)句中的關(guān)鍵詞來(lái)表現(xiàn)的。關(guān)鍵詞要盡量寫得具體些。對(duì)“具體”的要求包括兩個(gè)方面：一是要具體到能控制和限制段落的發(fā)展;二是要具體到能說(shuō)明段落發(fā)展的方法。準(zhǔn)確地把握關(guān)鍵詞是清楚地表達(dá)段落主題、寫好段落主題句的重要前提之一。在上面的例1，例2中，主題句的關(guān)鍵詞分別為：depends very much on energy; no one can avoid being influenced. 我們?cè)倏聪铝欣洌?/p>
原句1: He can fix a bicycle himself.
斜體部分應(yīng)為主題句中的關(guān)鍵詞。但它只是限制了段落發(fā)展的部分內(nèi)容，并沒有告訴讀者該用哪種方法展開，是用因果關(guān)系法還是用分類法?
修正：He can fix a bicycle himself in several simple steps. 的
修正：There are several reasons why he can fix a bicycle himself.
原句2: She tries to improve her looks.
斜體部分應(yīng)為主題句中的關(guān)鍵詞。她試著改變她面容的理由是什么?或者她采取什么方法來(lái)改善呢?我們無(wú)法從關(guān)鍵詞中清楚得知。
修正：She tries many ways to improve her looks. 的
修正：There are some reasons why she tries to improve her looks。
1.3 如何寫好主題句的中心思想
主題句由兩部分組成，即主題(topic)和中心思想(controlling idea)。中心思想的作用是導(dǎo)向(control)和制約(limit)。我們前面談到的關(guān)鍵詞就反映了中心思想。所謂導(dǎo)向就是規(guī)定段落的發(fā)展脈絡(luò)，所謂制約就是限制主題的覆蓋范圍，兩者不可分割。沒有導(dǎo)向，內(nèi)容就會(huì)離題或偏題;沒有制約，內(nèi)容就可能超出一個(gè)段落所能容納的范圍。
對(duì)于初學(xué)寫作的人來(lái)說(shuō)，“導(dǎo)向”的重要性容易理解，但如果由他們自己來(lái)構(gòu)思一個(gè)主題句，就可能忽視“制約”這一面。例如：
There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you establish by paying for it, just as you have made it a part of yourself and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it.
本段的主題句如果沒有in which 引出的定語(yǔ)從句，那么two ways 不僅不能起制約作用，而且也不能起導(dǎo)向作用，句子本身讀起來(lái)也就使人覺得欠缺點(diǎn)什么。
Exercise is beneficial to your heart. A 22-year study was conducted by doctors in California. They found that people who work at physical jobs experience fewer heart attacks than other people. These active people work all the time at moderate speeds, their daily routine gives them an adequate amount of exercise and helps them stay in shape.
"Exercise is beneficial"這是毫無(wú)疑義的。但主題句中如不加上"to your heart"來(lái)加以control和limit，那就流于空泛。
因此，緊緊把握主題句中controlling idea的導(dǎo)向和制約作用，是短文寫作成功關(guān)鍵之一。
