The Topic Sentence

An independent paragraph usually has a topic sentence which tells readers the topic and controlling idea of the paragraph. It is either the first sentence or comes early in the paragraph. The topic sentence helps the writer to include sentences that follow the topic of the paragraph and leave out sentences that are off topic.

When paragraphs are in a longer piece of writing and not standing alone, the first phrase or sentence in the paragraph may be a transitional expression linking the paragraph with the previous paragraph. For example, in the following paragraph, the first phrase links the paragraph with the one which came before it:

In addition to borrowing words, English the world over has always followed the practice of giving new meanings to existing words. Thus, in North America, "section" gained a new meaning during the settlement of the West: one square mile (640 acres, or 259 hectares). With the Canadian movement towards representative government, the British word "riding," borrowed centuries ago from Scandinavian (meaning "a third"), and used to refer to administrative areas in English counties, came into general Canadian usage to refer to an electoral district. In the gold camps of the Cariboo, "hurdy gurdy," an old name for a barrel organ, was used to refer to dance hostesses because their music was provided by that instrument. (From: "English Language." The 1999 Canadian Encyclopedia World Edition. CD-ROM. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1998.)

A topic sentence has the following characteristics:

1. It is a complete sentence. The following are not complete sentences:

• Fishing for cod.
• Common Japanese customs.
• How to write an English essay.

2. A topic sentence must have a topic and a controlling idea in order to name the topic and then limit it to a length suitable for discussion in a paragraph. For example:

• When visiting a ski resort for the first time, skiers should do the following three things.
• Let us begin by considering two opposing views on the teaching of pronunciation in the ESL classroom.

3. A topic sentence is the most general sentence in a paragraph. It gives the main idea, but does not develop the main idea by adding details. They come in later sentences. For example: Fly-fishing is one of my favourite ways of relaxing on a summer day.

The following sentence is too specific:

• Adult learners of a foreign language rarely lose their accent because it serves as a strong marker of their social identity.

Practice Exercise

• Decide which of the following sentences is the topic sentence and label it TS.
• Put the remaining sentences into a logical order and number them.

1. Canadian English has used all these ways.
2. From Inuit also comes tupek, the skin tent that is the Inuit equivalent of the Indian wigwam or tepee.
3. It is in vocabulary that the English language in Canada has undergone the greatest change, largely because of the settlers' need for new words to describe new things.
4. Borrowings from the Canadian native peoples include moose, muskeg, caribou and chipmunk.
5. Vocabulary may be increased in predictable ways: words are borrowed from other languages; existing words are given new meanings; new compounds are created; people and places give their names to things with which they are associated.
6. From the Inuit come parka, mukluk, kayak, umiak and igloo.

Check your answer here.

(From: "English Language." The 1999 Canadian Encyclopedia World Edition. CD-ROM. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1998.)