The Topic Sentence, Supporting & Concluding Sentences

Features of A Good Topic Sentence controls or guides the whole paragraph. When you read the topic sentence, you know what to expect in the paragraph. is not a general fact that everyone accepts as true. Ex. School has students is not a good topic sentence.

A Good Topic Sentence 4. is specific. Cake is delicious is not a good topic sentence because it is too general. The reader does not know what to expect in the paragraph. Strawberry cake has many health benefits is a better topic sentence than the previous one because it is specific.

A Good Topic Sentence 5. is not too specific. The latest version of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary contains more than 5000 new words limits the topic too much—there is nothing else for the writer to say.

A Good Topic Sentence 7. forecasts your main point For Example: In a narrative paragraph— Stating the main point David and I had come to the brook earlier that day for adventure. When we got there, the sun was shining on…

Good Supporting Sentences —gives information that supports and explains the topic of the paragraph. They answer questions—who? what? where? when? why? and how?—and give details.

Kinds of Supporting Sentences: explain: describe: give reasons: give facts: give examples: define:

Good Concluding Sentence The concluding sentence is the last sentence of the paragraph. Its job is to bring the paragraph to a logical conclusion. The conclusion usually comes swiftly and is as brief as the introduction. The conclusion ends everything that was started in the introduction

Kinds of Concluding Sentence 1. Restate the Main Idea Perhaps the easiest concluding sentence to write is one that restates the main idea or summarizes the main points of the paragraph.

Kinds of Concluding Sentence 2. Make a Prediction Another common way to end a paragraph is to make a prediction about some aspect of the topic.

Example: Topic: Maintaining Your Pool. Concluding Sentence: By doing all these things, you can be sure that your pool will last a very long time.

Reference: Folse, Keith S. All. Great Paragraphs. 2nd Ed. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003. BYE~~