How to Write a Topic Sentence

How to Write a Topic Sentence

At first, this may seem exceedingly simple. How difficult can it be to learn how to write a topic sentence? The topic sentence is simply the main idea sentence in each paragraph of an essay or paper. It hardly seems worth of a whole blog post. Here’s the truth. Many people believe they know what a topic sentence is, and how to write it. Unfortunately, in many cases they simply don’t. At EssayPenguins.com we receive essays to rewrite, proofread, and edit every day, and an alarming number of them have no discernible topic sentences in any of the body paragraphs. In many cases this occurs because the writer is focused on supporting their points with solid evidence and information that they forget to include the one sentence that clearly states their point. In other situations, the student believes that they are writing topic sentences, but they simply are not doing so. Because we have noticed that so many bright students need help with this, we have decided to write a brief guide on how to write topic sentences. Keep reading to learn how to get this important part of writing papers down pat.

How to Write a Topic Sentence Part 1: Planning

The best to plan your essay is by writing an outline of some type. In your outline you will define your topic and write a rough outline of your thesis statement. Then for each body paragraph you will define a main idea and any supporting ideas that will go along with your main idea. Your main idea will eventually become your topic sentence. So, ask yourself if your main idea is truly the main thought that you want to convey in each paragraph, and whether or not your supporting points will help prove your main idea to your readers.

How to Make a Topic Sentence Part 2: Writing

As you know, once your outline is complete, you should have a good idea of your thesis, topic sentences, and supporting ideas. This means it is time to start writing. Go back to your essay and look at your main ideas. It is now time to turn those into well-written sentences. Then, continue this process by turning your supporting ideas into sentences as well.

Topic Sentence Writing Part 3: Refining

Your topic sentences and supporting ideas should flow together seamlessly. To make sure that this is the case, plan on doing some refinement. This may mean rewording sentences, combing sentences into compound sentences, adding transition words, and editing for clarity and errors. The best way to tackle this task is to read each body paragraph out loud and not in sequential order. In other words, start with the last paragraph. How does each paragraph sound on its own? Can you discern a topic sentence? Is it well-written and easy to understand? If so, you have a great main idea sentence. Once you have done this for each body paragraph, you can be sure that you have written perfect topic sentences.