Oct 15, · A good topic sentence is specific enough to give a clear sense of what to expect from the paragraph, but general enough that it doesn’t give everything away. You can think of it like a signpost: it should tell the reader which direction your argument is going in Dec 25, · A good topic sentence is a glue that connects the paragraph’s context with concepts which then links to a central idea stated in the thesis statement. Use topic sentence examples to write good topic sentences for your blogger.comted Reading Time: 7 mins May 17, · Answer: Using one of these sentence starters is a good way to write a more interesting sentence for your "hook." It also helps to start with an example or a story which will get your reader involved in your paper. Questions can be a good starting sentence, or a vivid description or startling blogger.com: Virginia Kearney
Examples of Topic Sentences That Make the Purpose Clear
Last Updated: May 6, References Approved. This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has been viewed 2, a good topic sentence for an essay, times. Perfecting the skill of writing topic sentences is essential to successful writing. A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph and lets your reader know what to expect from each paragraph.
If you can, start with a hook, like a detail, character, or emotion that would draw in your readers. For more advice from our reviewer on writing a good topic sentence, like how to make it effective while keeping it short and sweet, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.
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Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Education and Communications Studying Subjects English English Grammar Sentences How to Write a Good Topic Sentence. Download Article Explore this Article parts.
Sample Topic Sentences. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Co-authored by Megan A good topic sentence for an essay, PhD Last Updated: May 6, References Approved. Part 1. State your main idea clearly. 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, a good topic sentence for an essay.
It must include your topic and an opinion, or your controlling idea. Make sure that the following sentences have details related to your topic sentence. You should be able to make your intentions clear without stating them explicitly. Balance the topic sentence between specifics and general ideas. 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. This is too general: "The United States suffered a lot during the Civil War. There's nothing much to talk about then, because it's probably a fact.
A good topic sentence for an essay is too narrow: "Christmas trees are either cedars or firs. Hook your reader. One of the many important roles of a topic sentence is to draw the readers in. 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: [6] X Research source Describe a character, a good topic sentence for an essay.
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. 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.
Keep it short and sweet. 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 a good topic sentence for an essay 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.
Give a reasonable opinion. 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. 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.
Use the topic sentence as a transition. Topic sentences that also work as transitions can help guide your readers through your argument, which can keep them from getting lost. Part 2. Write an essay outline. 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.
Even a loose, idea-based outline can help you know what you want to discuss. Understand the connection between thesis statements and topic sentences. A thesis statement presents the main idea, goal, or argument of your essay. Look at some examples. 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. The topic sentence has to direct the whole paragraph. Part 3. Avoid introducing yourself.
Although topic sentences vary in structure and content from person to person, a good topic sentence for an essay, at least two things can be assumed about your paper: 1 that you have a title and entire paper to introduce a topic, and 2 your personal information is present somewhere on your essay. Make sure your wording is clear. Your reader should be able to tell right away what your paragraph is going to be about.
Keep your sentence clear and clean. Avoid starting with a quote. You may have a fantastic quote in mind that perfectly introduces your topic. The problem is If the quote is opinion-based, substitute it for your own opinion. If the quote is fact-based, save it and introduce it later in your paragraph. Don't mention something you don't intend to examine further. If you make a statement in your topic sentence, you should be doing so because your paragraph will explain it.
Whether you give facts, opinions, or both, a good topic sentence for an essay should be clearly analyzing them in the paragraph attached to the topic sentence.
Don't fill up your topic sentence with filler material that you don't intend to explain further.
How to write a good essay: Paraphrasing the question
, time: 14:39A list of good topic sentences for writing the best essay
May 17, · Answer: Using one of these sentence starters is a good way to write a more interesting sentence for your "hook." It also helps to start with an example or a story which will get your reader involved in your paper. Questions can be a good starting sentence, or a vivid description or startling blogger.com: Virginia Kearney Topic sentences introduce a paragraph and connect to an essay's thesis statement, which is the topic sentence of your entire essay. Every topic sentence has two parts: a topic (what the paragraph is about) and a controlling idea (the direction the paragraph will take). Take a look at these topic sentence examples in which the topic is bold and the controlling idea is in italics. Cats are very good pets for Oct 15, · A good topic sentence is specific enough to give a clear sense of what to expect from the paragraph, but general enough that it doesn’t give everything away. You can think of it like a signpost: it should tell the reader which direction your argument is going in
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