The goal of an argument essay is to convince readers. Triple Crown is the special title given to racehorses who win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. All rights reserved. In these cases the topic-sentence follows the transition, and it may come as late as the middle of the paragraph. And just as the tour guide stands before the audience to explain, the topic sentence generally stands at the start of the paragraph. Topic Sentence #8: Even though the players can, of course, take some credit for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ success, it is the coaches who truly deserve the credit. In our example paragraph, this sentence appears to be the very first one: 'I started gymnastics when I was four and it has been my favorite hobby ever since.' The other sentences in the paragraph provide support for the main idea. All rights reserved. It briefly conveys the essential idea of the paragraph. After being introduced during the K-12 years of a student's education, academic writing is a mainstay in college and higher education. {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}} lessons All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. To choose an appropriate topic sentence, read the paragraph and think about its main idea and point. Know your HNGs from your FWBs? Absentee Ballot vs. Mail-In Ballot: Is There A Difference? To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. The racehorse Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe... Do you know what languages these words come from? The rest of the sentences are more specific and work to support the general topic sentence. Because your topic sentence is likely the first sentence of the paragraph, it needs to clearly state the subject matter of your paragraph without being wordy or difficult to understand. Take the sentence, 'Dogs are nice.' The supporting details in the paragraph (the sentences other than the topic sentence) will develop or explain the topic sentence. The topic sentence is the sentence in the paragraph that gives the reader not only the general topic, but also the main idea, or what the paragraph says about the topic. Send us feedback. She has a master's degree in education. The importance of topic sentences. As we know, a topic sentence should have two parts: a topic and a main idea. Here, our topic sentence is 'Exercising can make you feel happy.' Let's write a topic sentence about exercising. study The main sentence in a paragraph, often the first sentence. imaginable degree, area of While Fowler will occasionally work with small groups of students on discrete skills—like coming up with the, For emails and other short things, the old college favorite of a, Oracle has a different metaphor: Declarations are like, Post the Definition of topic sentence to Facebook, Share the Definition of topic sentence on Twitter. The main idea of a paragraph can be found by looking for _____ words and a sentence that communicates the _____ point of the paragraph. Starting a new paragraph can be hard, but it's easier if you know how to craft a topic sentence. “Topic sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/topic%20sentence. first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Delivered to your inbox! Keep in mind that when writing topic sentences, you don't want to be too general, or you could lose your reader's attention. Why not try: 'Dogs are loyal companions.'. Keep in mind that sometimes pronouns like 'it' will refer to the topic. They're in desperate need of focus, something to guide their conversation. “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time. The following activities help students to continue learning about topic sentences: their function and their associated concepts. That takes a bit of thought on your part. just create an account. 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In other words, the topic sentence tells the reader about the main idea of the paragraph itself and it is usually the first or last sentence in a paragraph. A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a specific paragraph and tells your target audience what the rest of it is all about. What made you want to look up topic sentence? “Democrat” vs. “Republican”: Where Did The Parties Get Their Names? Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? But how do we come up with these? Topic sentence is the opening sentence of the body paragraph of your essay that summarizes the main idea being discussed in the rest of the paragraph. Learn a new word every day. Because it tells the reader about what topics are discussed in a paragraph. In narration and in a short paragraph of description this paragraph of details is frequently without a topic-sentence. © copyright 2003-2020 Study.com. Imagine you're on a museum tour. However, sometimes the topic sentence is not the first sentence in a paragraph. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Services. courses that prepare you to earn These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'topic sentence.' That’s why other sentences that follow it must provide more information, prove it by giving interesting facts, or describe its topic in detail. ''. 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The most important sentence in a paragraph is the topic sentence. Anyone can earn Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree, Topic Sentences: Identification & Analysis, Teaching Paragraph Structure to ESL Students, What is a Topic Sentence?