Topic Sentences 2

							Topic Sentences

The Walden University
 Writing Center Staff
          Topic Sentences
What’s a Topic Sentence Anyway?

 The best way to understand the role of the topic
 sentence in paragraph development is to
 imagine that any given paragraph is a sort of
 ‘mini-essay’ that has its own mini-thesis, mini-
 support, and mini-conclusion. In fact, the parts of
 a paragraph correspond to the parts of an essay
 as follows:
             Topic Sentences
Essay Level         Paragraph Level
Thesis statement*   Topic sentence

Body paragraphs     Supporting details,
                    explanations, analysis

Conclusion          Wrap-up/transition
                    sentence
           Topic Sentences
Just as an effective essay starts off with an
introduction that presents the paper’s thesis statement
and indicates the specific claim or argument that the
essay will develop, so too each paragraph begins with
a topic sentence that indicates the focus of that
paragraph, alerting the reader to the particular
subtopic that the paragraph will illustrate, analyze
and/or explain.
           Topic Sentences
The topic sentence does not have to be the first
sentence in the paragraph; however, it should
come early in the paragraph in order to orient the
reader to the paragraph’s focus right away. For
instance, some paragraphs may begin with a transition
sentence that serves to ease continuity from the
previous paragraph’s topic onto the current
paragraph’s topic. In the case of the first sentence
being a transition, the topic sentence is usually the
second sentence in the paragraph.
            Topic Sentences
What makes an effective topic sentence?

 Just as an effective thesis statement defines the
 paper’s focus as specifically as possible, an effective
 topic sentence states the focus of the paragraph
 clearly and concisely. The remainder of the paragraph
 then functions to develop the point stated in the topic
 sentence. Consider my previous paragraph as an
 example:
            Topic Sentences
The topic sentence does not have to be the first
sentence in the paragraph; however, it should come
early in the paragraph in order to orient the reader to
the paragraph’s focus right away. For instance, some
paragraphs may begin with a transition sentence that
serves to ease continuity from the previous
paragraph’s topic onto the current paragraph’s topic.
In the case of the first sentence being a transition, the
topic sentence is usually the second sentence in the
paragraph.
            Topic Sentences
Notice how the topic sentence (in italics) lets the
reader know exactly what he or she can expect to
read about in the paragraph: it’s going to be a
paragraph about the location of topic sentences.
Moreover, every sentence within the paragraph
connects back to the topic sentence through
illustration, explanation or analysis; every sentence in
the sample paragraph tells us something about the
placement of topic sentences.
        Topic Sentences
Although it may be tempting to begin a
paragraph with a compelling quote, as a general
rule topic sentences should state the main idea
of the paragraph in your own words. Direct
quotes have a place later in the paragraph
where they may be incorporated to support the
topic sentence’s point.
            Topic Sentences
Where can I get more information?

 If you are finding it challenging to create nice, focused
 topic sentences, you might consider outlining before
 beginning to write a paper. The points and subpoints
 of an outline—especially if you put together a formal
 outline written in full sentences—can then become the
 topic sentences for the paper’s paragraphs. To learn
 more about full sentence outlines, see our out handout
 titled Outlining a Paper
            Topic Sentences
Where can I get more information?

 To learn more about the thesis statement (the main
 point of the essay as stated in the essay’s introductory
 paragraph), see our Thesis Construction handout
           Topic Sentences
Where can I get more information?

 You might also consider reading over the paragraph
 length page on the website. It discusses scope and
 organization of a paragraph.
              Resources
• Writing Center website:
  http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/

• Library website:
  http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/
Questions