Topic Sentences:
Show Your Readers the Way

What are topic sentences?

Topic sentences map out the direction of a paper and allow the reader to see where each paragraph is heading. They show the reader how the paragraph will relate to the thesis and specifically what topic within the thesis will be detailed, argued or explained.

Where can I find topic sentences?

Topic sentences are generally the first or second sentence in a paragraph. If the topic sentence is the second sentence, the first sentence will be a transitional sentence, a statement that bridges the previous paragraph’s idea to the idea in the paragraph at hand. Occasionally the topic sentence is at the end of the paragraph, when a paragraph moves from a specific to a general conclusion.

What do topic sentences do?

Topic sentences announce to the reader what part of the argument posed in your thesis will be discussed in the paragraph and limit the scope of the paragraph to that part of the argument. It is important to stay within these boundaries because they control the content and the main idea of the paragraph.

What is the structure of a topic sentence?

A topic sentence can be broken into two parts: the topic and the limiting idea. The topic lets the readers know the general domain of the paragraph. While the limiting idea narrows the domain to the specific idea, the paragraph will fully develop and discuss. The following sentence is an example of a topic sentence without a limiting idea: “Chocolate ice cream is the best!” This sentence, by contrast, contains a limiting idea: “Chocolate ice cream sparks hormones in the human brain which make people feel content.” The second sentence explains more fully the paragraph’s direction.

How do I know if I have written a good topic sentence?

Here are some key indicators that may help:

• summarizes the entirety of the subject discussed in the paragraph
• formed as one sentence
• has a clear, direct relationship to the thesis
• contains a specific limiting idea, a part of the thesis argument
• does not introduce a subject that is too complex or too simple to be covered

in a paragraph

• remaining sentences are subordinate to, and support, the topic sentence
• the reader can distinguish the topic sentence from the rest of the paragraph