What Is A Topic Sentence In An Essay

In some cases, however, it’s more effective to place another sentence before the topic sentence—for example, a sentence linking the current paragraph to the previous one, or one providing background information.Although most paragraphs should have a topic sentence, there are a few situations when a paragraph might not need a topic sentence.

For example, you might be able to omit a topic sentence in a paragraph that narrates a series of events, if a paragraph continues developing an idea that you introduced (with a topic sentence) in the previous paragraph, or if all the sentences and details in a paragraph clearly refer—perhaps indirectly—to a main point.

The vast majority of your paragraphs, however, should have a topic sentence.

Readers generally look to the first few sentences in a paragraph to determine the subject and perspective of the paragraph.

That’s why it’s often best to put the topic sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph.

A paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a single topic.

Almost every piece of writing you do that is longer than a few sentences should be organized into paragraphs.

This consistency and repetition will bind the paragraph together and help your reader understand your definition or description. Parallel structures are created by constructing two or more phrases or sentences that have the same grammatical structure and use the same parts of speech.

By creating parallel structures you make your sentences clearer and easier to read.

Most paragraphs in an essay have a three-part structure—introduction, body, and conclusion.

You can see this structure in paragraphs whether they are narrating, describing, comparing, contrasting, or analyzing information.