主题句可以出现在段落的任何地方,如开头、中间和结尾,或同时出现在开头和结尾。也有的主题句并不直接出现,而是隐含在段落的意思中,需要读者根据意思进行推断。
尽管如此,在大多数说明文或议论文英语段落中,主题句出现在段落的开头,因此,学生最好将主题句放在段落的开头,而不是中间或结尾,也不要使用隐含的主题句。
(1) 将主题句放在段落的开头。将主题句放在段首的好处是,作者更容易记住段中应包括哪些信息,读者也更容易提前知道自己将读到什么,并做好准备对即将读到的内容作出评判。
(2) 主题句放在段落的中间。
(3) 主题句放在段落的末尾。将主题句放在段落的末尾,可以创造一种悬念,鼓励读者读到段落的末尾,了解作者的意图。
(4) 主题句放在段落的开头和结尾。段尾的主题句是为了强调段首的主题句所表达的主题思想。
(5) 主题句被嵌入文本中。这种类型的段落通常出现在叙述文或描述性文中,但不常出现在议论文或说明文中。
例如:As the cold winter weakened down, spring came softly and gracefully, with its fragrance of flowers and pleasant rhythm of rains. The river was also awakening after a winter's sleep. It ran and ran in full joy.I liked to feel the cool water flowing through my fin-
gertips;I liked to lie on the tender grassland by the river;I enjoyed my grandma's fairy tales while she was washing clothes or vegetables in the river;I also liked to pick up small flowers which dotted the river side.
虽然上述段落没有明确的主题句,但我们可以从字里行间的描述和叙述中了解到作者想要表达的中心思想是:I enjoyed myself at the river.