Topic Sentences
essay writing basics
What is a topic
•
sentence?
A topic sentence communicates to the
reader the main idea of the paragraph
in which it occurs; it is typically the
very first sentence of a body
paragraph.
• Every paragraph in the body of the
essay must begin with a topic
sentence! This helps organize your
essay and gives readers an idea of
what to expect in the paragraph.
Parts of a Topic
Sentence
• Topic sentences must include these 3 things:
1. Introduce the topic of the paragraph to the reader.
2. Show how the topic of that paragraph relates back to/supports
your thesis.
3. Include a transition word or phrase (to connect all of your
paragraphs/main points together).
Transition Words +
• phrases
A transition is a word or phrase that shows the relationship
between different parts or paragraphs in an essay. They are used
to signal to readers that you are moving on to a new topic. They
are crucial in essays because they make essays feel more
organized and cohesive.
- example transitions -
• consequentiall
• similarly • furthermore • as a result
y
• in contrast to • additionally • next
• lastly
• first • secondly • thirdly
• finally
what other transitions can you think of?
Here’s an example using an essay
prompt…
- example essay prompt -
“Should students be required to study a foreign
language? Explain why or why not.”
Thesis:
“Students should be required to study foreign
languages because it improves memory, teaches
them about different parts of the world, and brings
people from different cultures together.”
another tip…
If you are writing a classic 5-paragraph essay,
your essay should have 1 topic sentence for
each of your body paragraphs. This means, a 5-
paragraph-essay would have a total of 3 topic
sentences in the essay (one for each body
paragraph).
Purple=Topic of the paragraph
Orange=How it relates to your thesis’ main idea / claim
Red: Transition word/phrase
Topic Sentence 1:
One reason students should be required to study foreign
languages is because it improves memory.
Topic Sentence 2:
Another reason students should be required to study
foreign languages is because it teaches them about
different parts of the world.
Topic Sentence 3:
The third reason students should be required to study
foreign languages is because it widens vocabulary.
example topic sentences
watch this video
clip to understand
more!
click here for video