How to Write an Effective Topic Sentence
When you write an academic paragraph in English, you should probably start by writing the topic sentence. The topic sentence is essentially a 1-sentence summary of the paragraph. It clearly outlines the main idea, basically giving the “big picture” view of your topic. Not every language emphasizes the need for a topic sentence, but English does. We like to be clear and direct when it comes to referring to the main point of our writing.
Here are my 4 pieces of advice for writing an effective topic sentence:
- State your main idea directly. Don’t let your reader guess at what your main idea is. If you are writing about the best way to bathe a cat, use the words “best way to bathe a cat”.
- Have a focus. Some students make the mistake of saying their main idea without showing the angle at which they will talk about that topic. Let’s use our bathing a cat example. An ineffective topic sentence would be too vague if it said, “Bathing a cat is important”. That sentence presents the topic (bathing a cat) without having a focus (best ways to bathe a cat).
- Preview the subtopics of the paragraph. Sometimes I like to state what the reader can expect to read about in the paragraph. This reinforces the main things I hope the reader will remember about what I wrote.
- Don’t be too narrow. While specific details are wonderful for the body of a paragraph, they don’t belong in the topic sentence. For example, your topic sentence about ways to bathe a cat wouldn’t say, “My cat Whiskers doesn’t like taking a bath in our tub, but I have several effective ways to give a warm bath.” It’s too muddied with minor details to give a proper overview.
Let’s practice! Take a look at the infographic below. After reading the fascinating facts about the benefits of learning languages, think about what kind of topic sentence you would want to write if this infographic would be the primary source for your paragraph. Remember, you’re looking for a one-sentence summary of the main idea of the infographic.
After you create your own topic sentence, look to see the topic sentence I wrote about this infographic. Your topic sentence does not have to be identical to mine, but it can serve as a model for what an effective sentence could look like.
My topic sentence: Learning other languages benefits the whole life of the learner, especially in love, travel, intelligence, and money.
Thanks to our friends at Kaplan International for this colorful infographic about the benefits of learning languages!
