Five Features of a Good Topic Sentence



1. It should guide the whole paragraph.

A well-written topic sentence controls or guides the whole paragraph. It lets the reader know what the rest of the paragraph will be about.


2. It should not be a well-known fact.

A good topic sentence is not a general fact that everyone accepts as true. For example, Cars use gasoline is not a good topic sentence because there is not much more to say about the topic.


3. It needs to be specific

A good topic sentence is specific. SUVs are useful is not a good topic sentence because it is too general. The reader does not know exactly what to expect in the paragraph. SUVs are useful to parents with three or more children is a good topic sentence because it is specific. It gives a reason why SUVs are useful for whom.


4. It cannot be too specific

A good topic sentence is not too specific. An SUV can hold up to six adults limits the topic. the supporting details have already been stated. 


5. It must contain a controlling idea.

A good topic sentence has a controlling idea a group of words or a phrase that helps guide the flow of ideas in the paragraph: A compact car is the best car for a small family. The underlined words in this sentence are the controlling idea.




Supporting Sentence


Think of supporting sentences as helpers for the topic sentence. They describe, explain, clarify, or give examples of the main idea in the topic sentence. Supporting sentences support and explain the topic. They answer questions such as Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? They explain the topic sentence in greater detail and give the reader more information.


Each paragraph that you write must have enough supporting details to make the main idea clear to the reader. Like wise, a good writer make sure that each supporting sentence is related to the topic sentence and its controlling idea. 


The writer can use the following:

1) fact

2) example

3) quotation

4) statistics 




Concluding Sentences



A concluding sentence concludes, or wraps up, a paragraph. It lets the reader know that you have finished talking about the idea introduced by the topic sentence.


Features of a Concluding Sentence

A concluding sentence has three main features:

1) It is usually the last sentence of a paragraph.

2) It lets the reader know that the paragraph has ended.

3) It brings the paragraph to a logical conclusion by:

a. Restating the main idea of the topic sentence.

 Look at the concluding sentence in Example Paragraph 1,








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