TOPIC SENTENCE

Definition: A topic sentence states the main point of your paragraph. It typically appears at the
beginning of the paragraph.

WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE:

A topic sentence has two parts: TOPIC (SUBJECT) + MAIN IDEA (FOCUS)
TOPIC = SUBJECT MAIN IDEA = POINT YOU WANT TO MAKE ABOUT
THE SUBJECT
TOPIC + POSSIBLE MAIN IDEAS

El Camino College has a beautiful campus

El Camino College offers a wide variety of courses
El Camino College has been impacted by state budget cuts

BASICS OF WRITING A GOOD TOPIC SENTENCE:

1. NOT A FACT: Your topic sentence should NOT be a fact. It should state an idea that can be
developed by reasons and examples and details.
Fact: NLU is located in HCM City. 
Topic Sentence: NLU is easily accessed from its surrounding communities. 
2. NOT TOO BIG: You should be able to illustrate your point in a single paragraph—you’re not
writing a book.
Too Big: NLU has a long and fascinating history spanning over 65 years. 
Topic Sentence: The establishment of NLU makes a fascinating story. 
3. MAKES ONLY A SINGLE POINT: Your topic sentence should stick to only one point; put the
second point in another paragraph.
Too Many Points: NLU has a beautiful campus and offers a wide variety of courses.
Topic Sentence: NLU has a beautiful campus. 

4. AVOIDS STATEMENT OF BELIEF OR INTENT: Leave off statements like “I believe” or “In
my
opinion” or “In this paragraph I will….”
Statement of Intent: This paragraph will describe special programs offered at NLU. 
Topic Sentence: NLU offers a number of special programs. 
Statement of Belief: I think NLU has a beautiful campus.
Topic Sentence: NLU has a beautiful campus. 

TOPIC SENTENCE EXERCISES

Topic Sentence Exercise #1
Instructions: Match each possible topic sentence (1-5) to the description (a-e) that best describes it.
Possible Topic Sentence

1. My family arrived in Yosemite on July 14, 2011.

2. Yosemite is the best national park in America.
3. My family’s visit to Yosemite this summer turned out to be a disaster.
4. Visiting Yosemite with my family was both fun and educational.
5. This paragraph will describe my trip to Yosemite.

Evaluation
a. workable topic sentence
b. more than one main idea
c. too broad
d. includes statement of intent
e. a fact

Topic Sentence Exercise #2

Instructions: In each of the topic sentences below, circle the topic (subject) and underline the
main idea (focus).
Example: My cousin Loretta is a terrible gossip.
1. Andre’s bedroom looks like a bomb hit it.
2. My statistics class was a nightmare.
3. Mardi Gras in New Orleans can be a wild experience.
4. Her stepson is a talented musician.
5. Learning a new language can be a challenge.
6. My dog’s personality resembles mine.
7. There are many reasons why pollution in ABC Town is the worst in the world.
8. To be an effective CEO requires certain characteristics.
9. There are many possible contributing factors to global warming.
10. Fortune hunters encounter many difficulties when exploring a shipwreck.
11. Dogs make wonderful pets because they help you to live longer.
12. Cooking requires a number of different skills.
13. Graduating from high school is important for many different reasons.

Topic Sentence Exercise #3

Instructions: Write a topic sentence for each of the topics below by adding a main idea.
Topic: My history professor
Example:
Topic Sentence: My history professor is a very effective instructor.
1. Topic: My first day of college
Topic Sentence: My first day of college _________________________________________.
2. Topic: Taco Bell
Topic Sentence: Taco Bell ____________________________________________________.
3. Topic: Reality TV
Topic Sentence: Reality TV ___________________________________________________.
4. Topic: Cell phones
Topic Sentence: Cell phones __________________________________________________

Topic Sentence Exercise #4

Now write two or three topic sentences for each of the following topics. You should choose two or
three different controlling ideas for the same topic.
Example:
Topic: Television's effects on children
1. Television is harmful to children because it teaches them violence as a way
Topic sentences:
of solving problems.
2. Television can improve a child's general knowledge.

1. Smoking cigarettes

2. Foreign travel

3. Space exploration

4. Rock music or rock musicians

5. Studying a foreign language

Exercise 5
The following groups of sentences can be rearranged to form paragraphs. Make a note of the order in
which they should be placed (e.g. b., d., c., a., e.) and put a ring around the letter that corresponds to
what you think is the topic sentence.

Paragraph 1
1. Next, add antifreeze to your windshield washer fluid; otherwise, the fluid will freeze and possibly
break the container.
2. First, put on snow tires if you plan to drive on snowy, icy roads very often.
3. Driving in winter, especially on snowy, icy roads, can be less troublesome if you take a few simple
precautions.
4. Finally, it is also a good idea to carry tire chains, a can of spray to unfreeze door locks, and a
windshield scraper in your car when driving in winter weather.
5. Second, check the amount of antifreeze in your radiator and add more if necessary.

Paragraph 2
1. A breakthrough in one of these areas will hopefully provide a means of relieving both the
overstretched oil market and the environment.
2. Researchers in the automobile industry are experimenting with different types of engines and fuels
as alternatives to the conventional gasoline engines.
3. One new type of engine, which burns diesel oil instead of gasoline, has been available for several
years.
4. Finally, several automobile manufacturers are experimenting with methanol, which is a mixture of
gasoline and methyl alcohol, as an automobile fuel.
5. A further type is the gas turbine engine, which can use fuels made from gasoline, diesel oil,
kerosene and other petroleum distillates.
6. The increasing depletion of oil reserves, along with environmental concerns, have prompted some
radical developments in car design over the past few years

Paragraph 3
1. Later on, people began to write on pieces of leather, which were rolled into scrolls.
2. In the earliest times, people carved or painted messages on rocks.
3. In the Middle Ages, heavy paper called parchment was used for writing and books were laboriously
copied by hand.
4. With the invention of the printing press in the middle of the fifteenth century, the modern printing
industry was born.
5. Some form of written communication has been used throughout the centuries.