The topic sentence
The topic sentence explains what the writer is going to say about the topic of the paragraph. This explanation is called the controlling idea.
e.g. My friend is an honest person
Controlling idea
This means that the supporting sentences of the paragraph will tackle the friend‘s main aspects which make him an honest person.
Characteristics of the Topic Sentence
- A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; that is, it is usually the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph. It should be general and without details.
- A good topic sentence provides an accurate indication of what will follow in the rest of the paragraph.
- A good topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea or opinion.
- A good topic sentence is clear and easy to follow.
- A good topic sentence does not include supporting details.
- A good topic sentence engages the reader by using interesting vocabulary.
Thus, it helps your reader to understand what the topic of your paragraph is going to be. The purpose of the topic sentence is to state the main point of the paragraph and to give the paragraph a sense of direction.
Notice that the topic sentence is not a title but a complete sentence.
Compare:
- Differences between school and university.
- School and university are different in many ways.
Compare:
- Advantages of staying at home.
- Staying at home has taught me to communicate with my family better.
Topic controlling idea
- You can think of the topic sentence as having two parts, a topic and a controlling idea. The controlling idea states the writer's point of view or attitude about the topic. The controlling idea helps you focus on just one aspect or point.
Not only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph, but, more importantly, it is the most general sentence in a paragraph. What does "most general" mean? It means that there are not many details in the sentence, but that the sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph.
For example, suppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmarks of your hometown. The first part of your paragraph might look like this:
My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing natural features. First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is unusual because it is very steep.
*(Notice how the first sentence begins with "My hometown..." a few spaces to the right of the paragraph edge. This is an indentation. All paragraphs in English MUST begin with an indentation.)
*Note how the first sentence, My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing geographical features, is the most general statement. This sentence is different from the two sentences that follow it, since the second and third sentences mention specific details about the town's geography, and are not general statements.
Here are some examples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences. Can you figure out why they are inappropriate?
1- My hometown is famous because it is located by Wheaton River, which is very wide, and because it is built near an unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill.
2-There are two reasons why some people like to buy cars with automatic transmission and two reasons why others like cars with manual transmission.
3-Clouds are white.
Applications on Topic Sentence