Topic Sentence Hot Ideas to Write the Heart of the Paragraph

This blog is about the heart of the paragraph. Yes, that’s true: the topic sentence is what makes each paragraph unique and encourages your audience to proceed with the text. Stay tuned and learn to compose unusual topic sentences!

I’ve been waiting for writing this tutorial for some time already! Surely, the wait was worth it, as anything is less exciting than discussing the heart of things!

   What is a Topic Sentence?

Are you ready to write topic sentences that bring the house down? To write like a boss, you should understand what topic sentence actually is and why it’s important.

The topic sentence is exactly what it sounds: it begins each paragraph by announcing and summarizing the topic.

Let’s consider several examples:

Example 1: “The rates of teen pregnancy may be reduced by improved education.”

This sentence not only announces the paragraph’s topic but also contains the controlling idea of “improved education” that elaborates on the discussion.

Example 2: “Students from low-income families are at increased risk of obesity due to the limited access to nutritious meals.”

The paragraph will examine the access to nutritious foods as the factor for health disparity with regard to obesity.

Example 3: “Remodelling a kitchen requires research and a good eye.”

Apparently, the paragraph will discuss the conditions for the effective remodeling of a kitchen.

   Good vs. Bad Topic Sentences

Now, as you understand what topic sentence is, I’d like to expand your knowledge a little bit by teaching to distinguish between good and bad topic sentences.

Common sense is that no one likes reading bad topic sentences! Awkward topic sentences misinform, so you should avoid them by all means!

      Practice Time!

Below are examples of topic sentences that are commonly found in student essays.

Topic Sentence 1: “I will discuss the Battle of Gettysburg.”

Topic Sentence 2: “I will discuss the Battle of Gettysburg that took place in 1863.”

Topic Sentence 3: “I will discuss the Battle of Gettysburg that took place in 1863 and became the turning point in the Civil War.”

In your opinion, what topic sentence is the best? The worst?

The first sentence is the worst one because it doesn’t explain anything. It leaves your reader with the why-should-I-care impression and you’re likely to lose their interest.

The second sentence is better, but not perfect. It still doesn’t explain why your reader should proceed with reading the paragraph.

The third sentence creates the BINGO effect: your audience knows what battle you’ll discuss when it took place, and why it is important!

      Topic Sentence Exercise

Below you’ll find the list of really horrible topic sentences. Use your logic, imagination, and out-of-box thinking to turn them into the literary pearls:

1. Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.
2. I will write about the Great Depression.
3. We should reduce the rates of teenage pregnancy.
4. Smoking is a bad habit.
5. Cats make good pets.

As usual, you’re welcome to share your ideas with our tutors and peer-students!

   Topic Sentence in a Paragraph

Our geeks unanimously agree that although the topic sentence comes first, you should write it last. The logic is simple: once you arrange your ideas in a paragraph, you can summarize them with a concise, but extremely convincing, topic sentence!

To see how things work, let’s examine the paragraph taken from the student essay:

Experts emphasize that 43% of American children live in low-income families (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2018). It means that about 15 million children have limited access to nutritious foods, and are at increased risk of obesity. There is reason to believe that free or discount school lunches could reduce the rates of obesity among disadvantaged children.

So, what’s this paragraph is about?

• poverty=obesity
• free/discount school lunches=reduced obesity rates

Let’s put these ideas in a neatly organized topic sentence:

“Free or subsidized school lunches can reduce the obesity rates among children living in low-income families.”

   Real Life Examples of a Topic Sentence

You can’t imagine how many students learned to write amazing topic sentences by consulting professional tutors! Our geeks have selected top-10 topic sentences (TS) taken from student essays!

1. Cats are great pets because they make you happier and help you to live longer.
2. Corporate social responsibility is a matter of cooperation between the employer, the employees, and the community.
3. Leadership drives team success by setting the correct direction and shaping the modes of action.
4. Global warming is preconditioned by a number of factors, including swift industrialization.
5. Although social networking has become popular, its limitations require particular consideration.
6. The rates of teenage pregnancy can be reduced by educational efforts.
7. Ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of non-communicable diseases because of health disparities in American society.
8. The American Dream is an immensely powerful idea that reflects the national desire for freedom and high achievements.
9. We can preserve natural diversity by wiser environmental management.
10. School bullying is a serious problem that affects both the victim and the bully.

   Topic Sentence Starters

The icing on the cake is the list of topic starters that will help you to construct the most convincing topic sentences!

      To Introduce:

• “The issue focused on…”
• “The central theme…”
• “The key aspect discussed…”
• “In this essay…”
• “Emphasized is…”

      To Conclude:

• “In summary…”
• “In brief…”
• “It has been shown that…”

      To Compare:

• “Similarly”
• “On the contrary…”
• “Whereas…”
• “While this is the case…”

      To Add Ideas:

• “Furthermore…”
• “Also….”
• “Next…”
• “More importantly…”

      To Present Common/Uncommon Ideas:

• “Rarely…”
• “Seldom…”
• “Most…”

      To Present Background Ideas:

• “Prior to this…”
• “Conventionally…”
• “Initially…”
• “Until now…”

      To Present Someone Else’s Ideas:

• “As explained by…”
• “With regard to….argued that…”
• “According to…”
• “As stated by…”
• “As specified by…”

PS: Equipped with the best ideas, you’re ready to impress everyone with your writing!