We all do our research and put an effort in making a clear and an accurate presentation, but I'd be glad if this could help especially for those who are taking major in English and the like. Good luck! A proper credit would be appreciated. • Jay-ar A. Padernal, BSEd Major in English, University of Mindanao

1. HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE TOPIC
SENTENCES?

2. How do I come up with a topic sentence?
And what makes a good one?

3. • Ask yourself, what's going on in your
paragraph?
• Why have you chosen to include the
information you have?
• Why is the paragraph important in the context
of your argument?
• What point are you trying to make?

5. Perfecting the skill of writing topic sentences
is essential to successful essay writing. Think
of it as the preview for a movie or a headline
in a newspaper, highlighting the main point
that’s to come in that paragraph. Make sure
your topic sentences are up to par, and the
rest of your writing will feel like a breeze.

6. Planning Your
Topic Sentences:

7. 1. Write an essay outline.1. Write an essay outline.

8. Every paragraph of your essay should have a main
idea, point, or goal that you’re trying to get across.
The topic sentence will identify that main idea. For
you to write good topic sentences, you need to know
what your paragraphs are going to be about. An
outline will help you do that. You don’t have to write
a formal outline using Roman numerals and the like.
Even a loose, idea-based outline can help you know
what you want to discuss.

9. 2. Understand the2. Understand the
connectionconnection
between thesisbetween thesis
statements and topicstatements and topic
sentences.sentences.

10. A thesis statement presents the main idea, goal, or
argument of your essay. It may be an analytical thesis,
such as “In King Lear, William Shakespeare uses the
theme of fate to critique the religious beliefs of his
era.” Or, it may be a thesis that attempts to persuade
the reader of something.
Topic sentences are like the mini thesis statements of
each paragraph. A topic sentence, unlike a thesis
statement, doesn’t have to present an argument. It
can present a preview of what the paragraph will
argue or discuss.

11. 3. Look at some3. Look at some
examples.examples.

12. If you are new to writing topic sentences, it can help
to look at some examples. The Purdue OWL has
several pages with sample topic sentences. UNC
Chapel Hill has a helpful online handout on
paragraph development that includes a model
paragraph and explains how to develop your own,
from topic sentence to conclusion.

15. • For example, a topic sentence could look like this: “In
addition, increasing funding for public roads in
Jackson County will improve local residents’ quality of
life.” The rest of the sentences in this paragraph would
relate to the main idea of public roads and how they
will help benefit local residents.
• This is not as successful a topic sentence: “Increased
funding for public roads in Jackson County has
decreased traffic by 20%.” While this is probably an
interesting fact for your argument, it’s too narrow for a
topic sentence. The topic sentence has to direct the
whole paragraph.

16. Writing a
Successful Topic
Sentence:

17. 1. State your main idea1. State your main idea
clearly.clearly.

18. Because your topic sentence is likely the first
sentence in the paragraph, it needs to clearly state
the subject matter of your paragraph without being
wordy or difficult to understand. It must include
your topic and an opinion, or your controlling idea.

19. • Keep in mind that this is not an invitation to simply
announce your topic. "Today I'm going to discuss the
benefits of gardening." is not an effective topic
sentence. You should be able to make your
intentions clear without stating them explicitly.
• The topic sentence in this example states a clear
direction (“health benefits of gardening”) that you
can then elaborate on in your paragraph.

20. 2. Balance the topic2. Balance the topic
sentence betweensentence between
specifics and generalspecifics and general
ideas.ideas.

21. The topic sentence needs to relate the paragraph to
the thesis statement of the essay. However, you
need to make sure that your topic sentence strikes a
good balance between the broad and the narrow.

22. • Don't write too vague or general an idea or you will never
be able to discuss it in a single paragraph. This is too
general: "The United States suffered a lot during the Civil
War.“
• Don't write too narrow of a statement. There's nothing
much to talk about then, because it's probably a fact. This
is too narrow: "Christmas trees are either cedars or firs.“
• Instead, aim for a good balance: “Sherman’s destruction in
the South during the Civil War also caused incredible
suffering.” This is big enough to relate to the broader idea
of an essay, but not so narrow that there’s nothing left to
discuss.

23. 3. Hook your reader.3. Hook your reader.

24. One of the many important roles of a topic sentence
is to draw the readers in. Bring up questions in their
minds that you intend to answer. An effective way to
do this is to drop them straight into the action. This
is possible whether your paper is fiction or
nonfiction, and can be done in a number of ways.

25. • Describe a character. This can be a physical or
emotional description.
• Use dialogue. If there is a relevant conversation that
will attract your reader's attention, consider using
part of it to start your paragraph.
• Portray an emotion. Use the opening sentence to
portray an emotion to your reader.

26. • Use detail. While you don't want to write a run on
sentence by creating too much detail, it's a good idea
to create interest using sensory language in your
topic sentence.
• Avoid rhetorical questions. While you want your
reader to formulate questions in his or her mind, you
do not want to formulate the questions yourself.

27. 4. Keep it short and4. Keep it short and
sweet.sweet.

28. The topic sentence should put forward your
intention without forcing your reader to hunt it
down; keeping it short will help keep your intention
clear. The topic sentence should act as a middle
ground in your paragraph: it should be slightly more
specific than your thesis, but it should not
encompass the information from your entire
paragraph. Keeping the sentence short will also help
the flow of your paragraph.

29. 5. Give a reasonable5. Give a reasonable
opinion.opinion.

30. The body of your paragraph is meant to prove your
topic sentence. Therefore, your topic sentence should
state something that you think or believe that can be
supported by concrete evidence. You can choose to
state an opinion in your topic sentence, but do so only
if you are able to back it up in the following paragraph.
Take, for example, the topic sentence "Growing herbs
will further your appreciation for fresh cooking." The
phrase "further your appreciation" states something
that you believe, and you can now spend the rest of
the paragraph explaining why you believe what you
believe.

31. Avoid presenting only facts in your topic sentence.
While facts may be interesting, they do not introduce
the reader to your paragraph nor do they draw the
reader in.
If you wish to include a fact, also include your own
input. For example, instead of writing "All dogs need
food," try "All dogs need regular care, including
healthy food, and children are the best ones to do it."
Alternatively, save your facts to use as evidence in
the body of your paragraph.

32. 6. Use the topic sentence6. Use the topic sentence
as a transition.as a transition.

33. Topic sentences that also work as transitions can
help guide your readers through your argument,
which can keep them from getting lost. Think of this
sentence as a bridge between the main idea of the
previous paragraph and the main idea of this next
paragraph.

34. • Using transitional elements, such as “In addition” or
“In contrast,” is a good way to show the relationship
between your ideas.
• For example: “Although gardening has many health
benefits, people still need to exercise caution when
outside.” This topic sentence establishes a
connection to the main idea of the previous
paragraph (“health benefits of gardening”) and
points to the direction of the new paragraph (“things
to be cautious of”).

35. Avoiding Common
Problems:

36. 1. Avoid introducing yourself.
2. Make sure your wording is clear.
3. Don’t list off information.
4. Avoid starting with a quote.
5. Don't mention something you don't intend
to examine further.

37. Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Good-Topic-Sentence
(Reviewed by Reviewed by: Megan Morgan, Ph.D. candidate in English)