Academic Writing Topic Sentence Ms Fatima Al Shaikh

Academic Writing (Topic Sentence) Ms. Fatima Al. Shaikh

Topic Sentence Before writing any essay or even a paragraph, it is important to think, first about the topic and then what you want to say about the topic. Most often, the topic is easy, but the question then turns to what you want to say about the topic which is the controlling idea. Topic sentences should always contain both (1) a topic and (2) a controlling idea.

Topic Sentence • Read the following topic sentences. They all contain a topic (in red) and a controlling idea (in green). When your introduction contains a clearly stated topic sentence such as one of the following, your reader will know what to expect and, therefore, understand your ideas better.

Topic Sentence • Most US universities require a 550 point TOEFL score for a number of reasons. (The reasons for…) • People can avoid plagiarism by taking certain precautions.

Topic Sentence • Air pollution in Mexico City is the worst in the world for a number of reasons. (The causes of…) or (The effects of…)

Topic Sentence • A carefully thought out topic sentence will serve two important functions. First, it will provide you, the author, the means to stay focused on your objective. It's a lot easier to write if you know what you are going to write about! Second, a clearly stated topic sentence will provide readers with the tools they need to clearly understand what you have to say. These are important reasons to carefully consider topic sentences before beginning writing.

Put a topic sentence …………. They walk to school every morning. Afterschool, the boys ride their bikes and play games together. Sometimes, Joseph and Tom sleep at each other’s house. The boys like to be together

Put a topic sentence …………………. She lets me buy my own clothes. I get to try on different shoes. My mom takes me to eat lunch. Then we look at toys at the toy store. When we leave, she lets me help her with the bags and we go home.