TOPIC SENTENCES

WHAT IS A TOPIC SENTENCE?

A topic sentence has four main characteristics It is a sentence. It is a part of a paragraph, usually the first sentence.

It has the topic of the paragraph

It has the controlling idea of the paragraph.

A topic sentence is the main idea of a paragraph.

SO. A topic sentences is a sentence that has a topic and a controlling idea and is the first sentence of a paragraph.

A TOPIC SENTENCE CANNOT BE

AN INCOMPLETE SENTENCE

The best coffee. Cell phones for emergencies.

A TOPIC SENTENCE CANNOT BE A FACT

The U.S. imports coffee from Columbia. California is located on the West Coast. Abraham Lincoln was the 16 th president of the United States.

A TOPIC SENTENCE CANNOT BE

A QUESTION
Why do people drink coffee? Why do people choose Southern California as a place to live? Why do Americans celebrate Lincolns birthday?

THE TOPIC

A topic tells the reader the subject of the paragraph. Examples of topics for a paragraph.

coffee

cell phones

Fullerton College

getting a tattoo

B R O A D >>>>> NARROW TOPICS

Sometimes a topic is too big to write about in one paragraph. A paragraph is only 12-20 sentences. Look at the following broad topics.

marriage
Fullerton College computers It would be impossible to write about these topics in ONE paragraph!

HOW CAN TOPICS BE NARROWED?

marriage teen marriage cross-cultural marriage age differences in marriage Fullerton College Student services at FC Fullerton College soccer team Applying to FC computers Your turn..how can you narrow this topic?

CONTROLLING IDEAS

A controlling idea tells the reader what the writer is going to say about the topic. It might be an opinion about the topic, or it might be the focus or the direction that the writer is going to take the topic. Examples of controlling ideas

great, dangerous, favorite, popular, exciting, funny

A TOPIC SENTENCE IMPLIES A QUESTION THAT THE PARAGRAPH IS GOING TO ANSWER. WHY? Why is it popular? the best? Why should we.? Why was it terrible?

HOW? How is it attractive? How did it change? How is it terrible?

WHERE? Where should we go? WHICH ONES? Which do you think are the most important, biggest, etc.

WHAT? What reasons? What effects?

TOPIC SENTENCES What question do you expect to be answered in a paragraph with the following topic sentences? Fullerton College has great student services.

Parking at Fullerton College is a horrible experience.

People get tattoos for three main reasons. Tattoos should be illegal. Cell phones make our life easier. Cell phones are annoying.