Let's learn more about paragraphs and topic sentences

When you write a paragraph for academic purposes (school) it's best to start with a topic sentence. A topic sentence explains the main idea of the whole paragraph in one sentence.

A topic sentence is good because

• it helps the reader understand the paragraph
• it helps the writer stay focused on the main idea
• it makes your paragraph stronger

Not all paragraphs have a topic sentences. Sometimes writers don't use topic sentences because they are telling a story or they are using a different style of writing. However, for many purposes, topic sentences are really helpful.

 

 

Topic sentences are... a. helpful because they make writing clearer. b. required for any kind of paragraph. c. usually found at the beginning of a paragraph. d. all of the above are correct. e. none of the above are correct. [mark all correct answers]

 

Here are examples of topic sentences in paragraphs

The sentence in yellow is the topic sentence.

 My Name

My name has important meaning to me.  My full name is Lauren Geneva Wilson.  My first name, Lauren, comes from the word "laurel," which means wreath.  A wreath is a round decoration made of leaves and branches and it is a symbol for peace.  I like the meaning and sound of my name.  I also like my middle name, Geneva.  This was my grandmother's name, and she died 10 days before I was born.  Geneva isn't a common person's name, but it is the name of a city in Switzerland.  Finally, Wilson is my last name.  Wilson is my father's name, not my husband's name.  I decided not to change my name to my husband's name.  Wilson is a very common last name, and it has a very simple meaning.  It means son of Will! 

My old TV and my new TV

I have only owned two TVs in my life.  There are some differences between my first TV and my second TV.  My first TV was smaller and not as good as my second TV.  The newer TV has better sound and a bigger screen.  However, it was also much more expensive than my first TV.  I'm happy I have my TV, but it wasn't cheap!

 

 Juan's Decision

Juan is the son of Mexican immigrants.  The family came to the USA when Juan was 16, so he went to American high school for two years.  Now Juan is not sure whether he should go to college or get a job. Now he speaks English fairly well, but he doesn't feel ready for college classes in English.  None of his friends are going to go to college, so he is thinking about just getting a job and starting his life, but his parents want him to go to college.  His parents work very hard.  In fact, his father has two different jobs and his mother works over-time a lot.  They both want to learn English too, but there is no free time for them to take a class.  Juan's parents want him to go to college, but they don't have enough money to pay for him. What should Juan do about college? 

 

 Learning Vocabulary

There are some powerful ways you can improve your English vocabulary by yourself. One way you can learn vocabulary is to get a list of new words and study them regularly.  You can get lists on the Internet or from books. Another way you can learn vocabulary is to read a lot and pay attention to the new words in what you read.  You can guess the meanings of the words while you read, and then use a dictionary to check the meaning. That way you can focus on special words when you are reading.  A third way is to listen to the radio or watch TV with the captions turned on.  When you hear and see a new word, write it down and check the meaning.  There are probably many more great ways to learn vocabulary on your own. 

 

As you can see, a topic sentence is often the first sentence in the paragraph, but sometimes it can be the second or third sentence after the writer has given some background information.

 

 

Topic sentences are helpful to the reader. True False

 

Styles of topic sentences

 

There are several styles of topic sentence. Read this paragraph and then read the three possible styles of topic sentences that could be used below.

 

Changes in My Life

_____________________topic sentence_______________________________ First, I have changed careers.  When I lived in my country, I was a businessman.  Now I can't work in business because of my English.  Instead, I work in a dry cleaning company.  My job is fine for now, but later I am going to look for another job.  Second, I have started to learn English at a community college.  I learned English in my country a long time ago, but now I am learning English again.  My goal is to finish level 5 and study computers.  Third, my wife has gotten a job and our son has started school.   These are big changes in our home life.  Additionally, my wife and I have started to save money for our son to go to college.  We've already saved $4000.  It's not enough for even one year of college yet, but I'm still proud.  In summary, those are the three major changes in my life so far.  I know there will be many more changes in the future. 

 

a. My life has changed since I came here. (simple, brief style)

b. There are three things that have changed in my life since I came to the United States.  (specific, organizational style)

c. I would like to like to explain how my life has changed since I came to the United States. (announcement style)

Which one do you think is best?

 

 

Which topic sentences is the best for this paragraph? a. My life changed since I came here. b. There are three things that have changed in my life since I came to the United States. c. I would like to explain how my life has changed since I came to the United States.

Point HERE to find out which one your teacher (Lauren) will think is best.

 

Congratulations! You have finished the paragraph lesson! Are you ready to write your next paragraph?

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