Practice Writing Topic Sentences Rewrite each so that the topic is clear, narrow enough to talk about in a paragraph, and makes a claim of some kind. Bad Example: The Dust Bowl impacted many people in Oklahoma and California.
A good topic sentence is precise. Avoid making vague or big statements that don't clearly move your readers forward in their understanding of your discussion.
Weak Topic Sentences:
What makes a weak topic sentence? Being too specific, too vague, too unrelated to the paragraph— all of these should be avoided. Here is an example of a topic sentence that could be strengthened: Weak: People with diabetes are affected by some factors in the environment.
Keep your topic sentence short.
It is a common mistake to use too many modifiers in one sentence. Novice writers think modifiers can make a sentence more interesting, but that is not the case. Here is an excellent example of a short and to-the-point topic sentence.
These errors are: run-on sentences; sentence fragments; and overloaded sentences. 1) Run-on Sentences: These are sentences that run beyond the point where they should stop and a new sentence begin.
The topic sentence should identify the main idea and point of the paragraph. To choose an appropriate topic sentence, read the paragraph and think about its main idea and point. The supporting details in the paragraph (the sentences other than the topic sentence) will develop or explain the topic sentence.
A strong topic sentence should be placed at or near the beginning of a paragraph. In addition, this sentence should focus on a specific issue, avoid the use of direct quotations, and leave room for support and analysis within the body of the paragraph. Read on to learn more about creating an effective topic sentence.
Broad Topic Sentence
These types of sentences leave too much room for more than one main idea to be introduced into the paragraph, which takes away from the unity of the paper and the paragraph: Playgrounds are dangerous. Think about how long the list of topics you could discuss based on this sentence would be.
A complex topic sentence combines with a transition from the previous paragraph. This works by moving from old information recapped with a subordinate clause to new information presented by an independent clause or clauses.
A basic rule of good writing is to make every word count. “There is,” “there are” and “it is” are the weakest ways to start a sentence. Used this way, “there” and “it” are placeholders for the real subject of the sentence. They are particularly off-putting at the start of a paragraph.
For example personal information and personal stories, topics with a lack of approachable information, too narrow topics, too broad topics and controversial/political topics, same-sex marriage, religion/race, etc.
A vague, fuzzy, or unfocused topic sentence most often leads to a paragraph that touches only on the surface of its subject or that wanders away from the main idea of the essay. Directions: Read the thesis statement. Then, answer the questions about the topic sentences that relate to the thesis statement.
The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of the paragraph because it gives an overview of the sentences to follow. The supporting sentences after the topic sentence help to develop the main idea.
Can a topic sentence be a question? Unlike the thesis statement, this sentence can be written in the form of a question. In such a case, the rest of the paragraph will be written as a response or answer.
Topic Sentence at the Beginning and the End of the Paragraph
Traditionally the topic sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph. In this lead position, it functions to introduce the examples or details which will explain the controlling idea.
A good topic sentence should meet the following criteria: Signals the topic and more focused ideas within the paragraph. Presents an idea or ideas that are clear and easy to understand. Provides unity to the paragraph (clarifies how all supporting ideas relate).
Sometimes topic sentences are actually two or even three sentences long. If the first makes a claim, the second might reflect on that claim, explaining it further. Think of these sentences as asking and answering two critical questions: How does the phenomenon you're discussing operate?
There are two especially common sentence construction mistakes: Run-on sentences: incorrect punctuation used to join different parts of a sentence. Sentence fragments: missing necessary components to form a full grammatically correct sentence.
Common Sentence Error #2: Run-On Sentences
Run-on sentences are an example of overcrowding – forcing two or more sentences into a slot for one. Example: We always eat at In 'N' Out they prefer Burger King. The corrections for run-on sentences and comma splices are the same.
A faulty sentence is a sentence that is deficient in one way or another. When we read it, something sounds incomplete or wrong. We may have difficulty understanding exactly what the writer is trying to say.