A.

TOPIC SENTENCE

A topic sentence is the most important sentence in a paragraph. If briefly indicates what the
paragraph is going to discuss. For this reason, the topic sentence is a helpful guide to both write and the
reader. The write 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 therefore better prepared to understand it.

A very good 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
of the paragraph.

A topic sentence is a complete sentence; that is, it contains a subject, a verb, and (usually) a
complement.

1. COMPARING TWO TOPIC SENTENCES

A topic sentence must have a subject and an attitude. In other words, it consists of a topic or
subject matter and a restricting statement. The subject tell us what to write while the attitude shows or
gives reasons for writing; the subject claims what we write about and the attitude implies why we write.
Let us compare the topic sentences below:
a. Newsweek is a magazine.
This is not a good topic sentence. The sentence has no attitude. What shall we say about the
magazine? It may cover a lot of aspects of the magazine. As writers, we surely find it difficult
to finish an interesting paragraph based on the topic sentence. Supposing we informed others
“Newsweek is a magazine”, the hearers or interlocutors might simply respond, “Yes, so it is.”
Our conversation the stops immediately; it is like a dead dialogue.

b. Newsweek is an objective magazine

This sentence contains an attitude, that is objective. Reading or hearing the sentence, the
audience will very like react, “Really?” Are you sure? Could you please give us evidence?”
Next, we might reply, “Well, firstly, we believe that the correspondents always report the facts,
such as the massacre in Tiananmen Square, that trial of bomber suspects in Kuwait, and …” It is
obvious then that we should clarify, defend the statement in the topic sentence, or persuade the
reader to follow the flow of our logic. To conclude, we can write an enjoyable paragraph based
on the second topic sentence, but not on the first one.

2. POSITION OF TOPIC SENTENCE

The topic sentence may be the first or last sentence in a paragraph. The topic sentence may also
be the first and last sentence of the paragraph – “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.
Study the following three paragraphs. Notice the different position for the topic sentence in
each. The topic sentence is underlined.
 Position of topic sentence
Hurricanes
Hurricanes, which are also called cyclone, exert tremendous power. These violent storms are
often a hundred miles in diameter, and their winds can reach velocities of seventy-five miles per
hour or more. Furthermore, the strong wind and heavy rainfall that accompany them can completely
destroy a small town in a couple of hours. The energy that is released by a hurricane in one day
exceeds the total energy consumed by humankind throughout the world in one year.
Medical miracles to Come
By the year 2009, a vaccine against the common cold will have been developed. By the same
year, the first human will have been successfully cloned. By the year 2014, parents will be able to
create designer children. Genetic therapy will be able to manipulate genes for abilities, intelligence,
and hair, eye, and skin color. By 2020, most diseases will be able to be diagnosed and treated at
home, and by 2030, cancer and heart disease will have been wiped out. These are just a few
examples of medical miracles that are expected in the next decades.
Synonyms
Synonyms, words that have the same basic meaning, do not always have the same emotional
meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both mean “careful with money.” However, to
call a person stingy is an insult, while the word frugal has a much more positive connotation.
Similarly, a person wants to be slender but not skinny, and aggressive but not pussy. Therefore, you
should be careful in choosing words because many so-called synonyms are not really synonymous at
all.

3. THE TWO PARTS OF A TOPIC SENTENCE

A topic sentence has two essential parts: the topic and the controlling idea, the topic names the
subject, or main idea, of the paragraph. 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.

Topic controlling idea

Convenience foods are easy to prepare.

In this example, the topic named: convenience foods. A specific comment is then made about
the topic: they are easy to prepare. From this sentence, the reader immediately knows that the
supporting sentences in the remainder of the paragraph will explain or prove how quick and easy it is to
prepare convenience foods and perhaps give some examples (frozen dinners, canned soups, etc).

Topic Controlling Idea

The average American teenager consumes enormous quantities of junk food.
 In this example, the topic is the average teenager. The controlling idea about the topic states that
the American teenager eats junk food. Thus, the rest of the paragraph should discuss the quantities and
types of junk food that American teenagers eat (soft drinks, potato chips, candy bars, etc).

4. WRITING TOPIC SENTENCE

Two Reminders
a. A topic sentence should be neither too general nor too specific. If it is 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 write about in the rest of the paragraph.
Think of a topic sentence like the name of a particular course on a restaurant
menu. When you order food in a restaurant, you want to know more about a particular
course than just “meat” or “soup” or “salad.” You want to know generally what kind
of salad it is. Potato salad? Mixed green salad? Fruit salad? You do not necessarily
want to know all of its ingredients.
Similarly, the reader of a paragraph wants to know generally what to expect in a paragraph;
the reader does not want to learn all of the learn all of the specific details in the first sentence,.

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

b. 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.
Good San Francisco is famous for its many tourist attractions.

.
 B. SUPPORTING SENTENCES
The next part of the paragraph is the supporting sentences. They develop the topic sentence by
giving specific details about the topic. In order to choose details to support the topic sentence, rephrase
it as a question, and then answer that question with your supporting sentence.

1. CONTROLLING IDEA
Controlling ideas are words or phrases in a topic sentence that need further explanation. For
writing students who have difficulty finding adequate detail for their paragraphs, asking questions
about controlling ideas can help provide the reader with interesting and valuable information. Asking
and answering questions is another form of prewriting, another way to gather information for writing.
For example, read the following short paragraph:
In Saudi Arabia, parents have separate responsibilities for raising their children. It is
the father duty to financially support his family and to make family decision. The mother in
Saudi Arabia must care for the children and give them her love and guidance.
By answering the following questions, the author was able to expand (that is, to develop) his
paragraph and make it more interesting for the reader:
a. How does the father support his family?
b. What decision does he make?
c. In what ways does the mother care for the children?
d. Are there other responsibilities that each parent has?

Here is the revised paragraph:

In Saudi Arabia, parents have separate responsibilities for raising their children. The
father, for example, has the duty to provide complete financial support for his family. He,
therefore works at a job to earn money, and he buys the clothing and food for his family. He
also has the authority to make all decision concerning his children: what schools they should
attend, what friends they should have, and whom they should marry. The mother’s most
important responsibility for the children is o stay home and takes care of them. She cares for
their everyday needs, like cleaning the house and preparing meals for them, and she provides
love and friendship for them. She also teaches her children moral virtues such as friendship,
generosity, and courtesy. With the authority of the father and the love of their mother, the
children grow to maturity.
Ahmed Al-Himadi (Saudi Arabia)

2. TECHNIQUES OF SUPPORT
In order to communicate successfully, a paragraph must be about a single idea. In order for the
paragraph to be complete, the topic sentence must be supported: That is the controlling ideas in the
topic sentence must be explained, described and / or proven with specific supporting detail.
The four basic techniques of support are facts, examples, physical description and/or personal
experience. One or more techniques of support must be used in any paragraph that you construct.
a. Facts
 The use of factual evidence in academic writing is expected by the U.S. audience. Any
piece of information that can be easily verified can serve as factual support. Included are
numbers (percentages, number of miles, etc) and statistics as well as facts that can be found in
books, newspaper, and magazines.

b. Examples
Another technique of support is the use of examples. Examples can explain or define a
controlling idea, or they can prove an idea or a point made in the topic sentence. Sometimes a
series of short examples is effective evidence for a topic sentence. Other times, a single
extended example can serve as solid support in a paragraph.

c. Physical Description
Still another way to support a topic sentence is by using physical description, that is,
words and phrases that appeal to the five senses.

- Sight (what I can see) : shape – round, square, flat

- Sound (what I can hear)
- Smell (what I can smell)
- Touch (what I can touch)
- Taste (what I can taste)
color – red, blue, green
light – bright dark
: quality – clear or muffed, loud or soft
: quality – sharp, sweet, clean, fresh
: texture – smooth, rough, sharp, dull
temperature – hot, cold, lukewarm
weight – heavy
: quality – bitter, flat, sweet, sour

Physical description support is often used to explain or describe controlling ideas in the topic
sentence.

d. Personal Experience
The final technique of support is personal experience. While personal experience is not often
used in formal academic papers, it can serves as a valuable support too in paragraphs,
particularly when an ESL student can connect personal experience about an academic topic
from her/his own country. Sometimes a paragraph will contain a series of small personal
experiences. Other time a paragraph will have a single, extended personal experience to
support the controlling ideas in the topic sentence.
 C. THE CONCLUDING SENTENCE

People like things to end, or to be finished. We turn off the television; we close books’ we wash
dishes. These actions make us feel complete and satisfied. In like manner, writing needs to be finished.
It is not good to write something that is incomplete. Good conclusions help make writing complete.
They remind readers another time about the most important points in their reading. In other words,
conclusions can summarize, restate the main ideas and topic, or come to a result. In short, they
punctuate writing in much the same way that periods (.) punctuate sentence.

LAST SENTENCE
After you have finished writing the last sentence supporting the main point of a paragraph, you
must end the paragraph with a concluding sentence. This sentence tells the reader that the paragraph is
finished and it completes the development of the subject of the paragraph.
The concluding sentence is like the topic sentence because both are general statements. It reminds
the reader of the topic sentence. In fact, the concluding sentence can be written like the topic sentence
but in different words.
A concluding sentence serves three purposes:
a. It signals the end of the paragraph.
b. It summarizes the main points of the paragraph.
c. If gives a final comment on the topic and leaves the reader with the most important ideas to
think about.

END-OF-PARAGRAPH SIGNALS
These are followed by a comma (,) These are not followed by a comma (,)
Finally, As a result, We can see that ….
In conclusion, Indeed, It is clear that …..
In summary, In brief, These examples show that …..
Therefore, In short, These can be no doubt that …..
Thus, The evidence suggests that …..

The examples that follow demonstrate two different types of concluding sentences. The first
one paraphrases the topic sentence; that is, the concluding sentence repeats the main idea of the topic
sentence in different words. The second example summarizes the two main points of the paragraph,
which were not specifically stated in the topic sentence.
 Concluding sentences

Synonyms
Synonyms, words that have the same basic meaning, do not always have the same
emotional meaning. For example, the words stingy and frugal both mean “careful with
money.” However, to call a person stingy is an insult, while the word frugal has a much more
positive connotation. Similarly, a person wants to be slender but not skinny, and aggressive but
not pussy. Therefore, you should be careful in choosing words because many so-called
synonyms are not really synonymous at all.

Gold
Gold, a precious metal, is prized for two important characteristics. First of all, gold has
a lustrous beauty that is resistant to corrosion. Therefore it is suitable for jewelry, coins, and
ornamental purposes. Gold newer needs to be polished and will remain beautiful forever. For
example, a Macedonian coin remains as untarnished today as the day it was minted twenty-
three centuries ago. Another important characteristic of gold is its usefulness to industry and
science. For many years, it has been used in hundreds of industrial applications. The most
recent use of gold is in astronauts’ suits. Astronauts wear gold-plated heat shields for
protection outside spaceship. In conclusion, gold is treasured not only for its beauty but also
for its utility.