The Topic Sentence

The Topic Sentence
         Every paragraph has a topic sentence, which clearly states the topic and the controlling idea of the paragraph. It is a complete sentence. It is usually (but not always) the first sentence in the paragraph.
         A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. It briefly indicates what the paragraph is going to disscuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful guide to both the writer and the reader. The writer can see what information to include (and what information to exclude). The reader can see what the paragraph is going to be about and is, there fore, better prepared to understand it.

There are three important points to remember about a topic sentence

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1. A topic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, it contains a subject, a verb, and (usually) a complement. The following are not complete sentence:

         Driving on freeways
         The importance of gold
          How to register for college

2. A topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea. It name the topic and then limits the topic to a specific area to be discussed in the space of a single paragraph. The following examples show how a topic sentence states both the topic and the controlling idea in a complete sentence.

            Driving on freeways requires skill and alertness.
             Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics.
              Registering for college classes can be a frustrating experience for new students.

3. A topic sentence is the most general statement in the paragraph because it gives only the main idea. It does not give any specific details.
              The following is an example of a general statement that could serve as a topic sentence:
              The Arabic origin of many English words is not always obvious.

The following, on the other hand, is too specific :
    The slang expression so long (meaning "good bye") is probably a corruption of the Arabic Salaam.

Sentence such as the following may be too general:
    English is a difficult language to learn.

Generlly, an effective sentence must (1) identify what the paragraph is about (the topic) and (2) make a point (an idea) about the topic.

    II. Writing Topic Sentence

When you write a topic sentence, remember these two points.   1. A topic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific. If it is too general, the reader cannot tell exactly what the paragraph is going to discuss. If it is too specific, the writer may not have anything left to about in the rest of the paragraph. Too General   : American food is terrible.Too Specific   : American food is tasteless and greasy because    Americans use too many canned,                                frozen, and    prepackaged foods and because everything is fried    in oil or butter.Good               : American food is tasteless and greasy.

 2. Do not include too many unrelated ideas in your topic sentence; if you do, your paragraph will not be unified.

Too many ideas   : San Francisco is famous for its temperate climate, its many tourist attractions, and its cosmopolitan atmosphere.

  The three parts of this controlling idea are too unrelated for a single paragraph. They would require three separate paragraphs.

Good: San Francisco is famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere

III. The position of Topic Sentence

      The topic sentence may be the first or the last sentence in a paragraph. The topic sentence may also be the first and the last sentence of the paragraph-“a sandwich style.” A sandwich-style paragraph is especially helpful to your reader if the paragraph is very long. The second topic sentence in the sandwich-style paragraph also serves as a concluding sentence. 

IV. The two parts of a Topic Sentence

        A good topic sentence gas two essential parts: the topic and the controlling idea. The topic is the subject of your paragraph. It is what you are writing about. The controlling idea makes a specific comment about the topic, which indicates what the rest of the paragraph will say about the topic. It limits or controls the topic to a specific aspect of the topic to be discussed in the space of a single paragraph. 

Look at these examples:

1. New York is a fun place to be on New Year’s Eve.

        topic                         controlling idea

2. New York has great entertainment.

       topic                controlling idea

3. New York is the world’s most famous city.

       topic                    controlling idea