topic sentence

(noun)

A statement of the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs.

Related Terms

  • Topic Sentences
  • paragraph
  • claim
  • thesis statement

(noun)

An arguable statement summarizing a claim that supports the thesis.

Related Terms

  • Topic Sentences
  • paragraph
  • claim
  • thesis statement

Examples of topic sentence in the following topics:

  • Topic Sentences

    • Supporting sentences: examples, details, and explanations that support the topic sentence (and claim).
    • Concluding sentence: gives the paragraph closure by relating the claim back to the topic sentence and thesis statement.
    • Topic sentences should always connect back to and support your thesis statement.
    • (Stylistically speaking, if you wanted to include "Cooking is difficult," you could make it the first sentence, followed by the topic sentence.
    • It just shouldn't be the topic sentence.)
  • Approaches to Your Body Paragraphs

    • Each body paragraph will be organized around a claim, which you'll form into a topic sentence.
    • Like your thesis, each topic sentence is an arguable statement, not a fact.
    • Check, too, to see whether the topic sentence is arguable and clear. 
    • Instead, write your topic sentence and look over the evidence you've gathered for that claim.
    • Your concluding sentence will often have an echo of the topic sentence in it while moving the reader forward to the next topic.
  • Varying Your Sentence Structure and Vocabulary

    • So, introduction, conclusion, body paragraphs with topic sentences and transitions—yes to all of these.
    • Length: Longer sentences are better suited for expressing complex thoughts.
    • Here's the rewritten version, with attention paid to sentence variation:
    • Vary the types of sentences you use to keep your paper interesting.
    • Variation is a tool that will help you engage your readers in the topic, so they don't end up slack-jawed and numb.
  • Turning Your Topic Into a Question

    • Once you've found a topic that you're interested in — Humbert Humbert's unreliable narration and its effects on the moral classification of his character — and you've read up on other scholars' views on that topic, you're ready to develop a question about your topic to investigate.
    • These are all possible topics.
    • You cannot introduce your paper by declaring that "Hamlet explores the question of revenge" or "Monet uses purple in many ways in his Water Lilies. " Those sentences are topics, not problem statements, because they offer nothing to argue against.
    • It is a summary of what you hope to find out about your topic.
    • To rephrase your topic as a question, think what you want to say about your topic.
  • Structure of a Sentence

    • Structural classifications for sentences include simple sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound-complex sentences.
    • Simple sentences are often used to introduce a topic or present a new thought in an argument—for example, "Juries are charged with rendering impartial verdicts," or "Income taxes are high in Scandinavian countries."
    • You may notice that with both these examples, the reader is likely to start formulating objections or opinions about the topic right away.
    • A declarative sentence, or declaration, is the most common type of sentence.
    • Helping the reader formulate questions about the topic early can engage readers by accessing their curiosity.
  • Structural Parallelism Within a Sentence

    • An unclear sentence rambles, drifting among unrelated topics in a haphazard and confusing fashion.
    • Parallelism is when elements of a sentence "echo" each other because they have similar form or structure.
    • Simple rewriting can often remedy errors in these types of sentences.
    • It would distort the meaning to change the sentence to this superficially parallel version:
    • The title sentence is a non-parallel statement.
  • Introduction to Commas

    • The first phrase could not stand on its own as a sentence, but when joined to the independent clause by the comma, the sentence is complete.
    • In these situations, say the sentence to yourself.
    • Some modifiers are nonrestrictive, meaning that the sentence would still have essentially the same meaning, topic, and structure without them.
    • In this sentence, "new" and "weird" are nonrestrictive.
    • In other words, if you dropped a restrictive modifier from a sentence, the meaning of the sentence would change.
  • Step 6: Editing and Proofreading

    • Editing looks at your work on a sentence-by-sentence level, considering ways to make everything you say as clear and precise as possible.
    • Defined terms: When using terms specific to your topic, make sure you define them for your readers who may not be familiar with them.
    • If you think a sentence is too complicated, rephrase it so that it is easier to read, or break it into two sentences.
    • Consider the following sentences:
    • Some sentences do read better with them.
  • Structure of a Sentence

  • Abstract

    • While each medium of publication may require different word counts or formats for abstracts, a good general rule is to spend one to two sentences addressing each of the following (do not use headers or use multiple paragraphs; just make sure to address each component):
    • This is where you will introduce and summarize previous work about the topic.
    • Here is where you finally connect your research to the topic, applying your findings to address the hypothesis you started out with.
    • Describe the impact your research will have on the question, problem, or topic, and include a call for specific areas of further research in the field.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.