Let's look at some examples of topic sentences. Imagine that you are writing about perhaps one of the most significant inventions of our age: the cell phone. One of your paragraphs has this topic sentence:
- The cell phone is very useful.
True, this sentence does make it clear that paragraph is going to describe the uses of the cell phone, but do you think this is a strong topic sentence? Does it grab your attention? Do you want to read further? Not really. This is a weak topic sentence. It does not hook your reader. Now read this revised version:
- The cell phone has as many uses as your own two hands.
This is a much better topic sentence. It creates more intrigue by connecting the uses of the cell phone to the thousands of things your own hands do for you every day. But we can take this even further to create an extremely strong topic sentence.
- Imagine suddenly having to live without your right hand; that would be like life without the cell phone.
Although probably an exaggeration, this topic sentence is very strong. It definitely grabs the reader's attention and relates the overall main idea of the paragraph, the uses of the cell phone, to your reader's personal life. This definitely makes the reader want to continue to read the paragraph.
Tips for Writing a Topic Sentence
Now that you have seen some examples of weak and strong topic sentences, let's discuss some tips for writing them. Of course, the first step is to decide what the main idea of the whole paragraph is going to be. Once that is decided, write a general statement of that purpose or main idea. Next, add in details and descriptive words that are interesting and might intrigue your reader. Last, write the rest of the paragraph, and see how your topic sentence fits. Sometimes as you write, the focus of a paragraph might change. So readjust your topic sentence as needed.
Another tip for writing a strong topic sentence includes speaking directly to the reader. In fact, if done in an appropriate way, using the informal 'you' and 'your' can be very effective. Also, try to ask an engaging rhetorical question, which is a question that is not intended to be answered, but instead provokes the thoughts of your reader. Last, you can try to use a real life situation. The topic sentence about the cell phone is an example of this strategy as it related to living without one's right hand.
Lesson Summary
To review, sentences, which are groups of words that express a complete thought, are at the center of our written communications. Sentences that are grouped together that relate to one main idea are called paragraphs. The organization of paragraphs is very important in order to have effective and clear expression of ideas. The first sentence of every paragraph should outline the main idea or purpose of the whole paragraph. This is called the topic sentence.
Everything in the rest of the paragraph should relate to the focus in that topic sentence. It sets the tone for the whole paragraph and needs to grab your reader's attention. You need to make sure your audience is interested enough to continue reading the rest of the paragraph.
To write a strong topic sentence, begin with the main idea of the paragraph. Then add in details and descriptive words to make the sentence more interesting. If you are stuck, try speaking directly to the reader, asking an engaging rhetorical question, or relating the topic to a real life situation. Follow these tips and your topic sentences will be sure to make your written communication clear and engaging.