What is a Topic Sentence? An Easy Guide with Examples

Home » Essay Examples » What is a Topic Sentence? An Easy Guide with Examples

Now, if you go to a college or even a high school then you must have the word “topic sentence” by now. Your teachers must be going on and on about how important it is or how you must use it in your essays.

And honestly, that's all well and good, if an essay writer knows what a topic sentence is.

Most of you will have heard of a topic sentence and found yourself wondering “What is a topic sentence?”. Well, I am here to answer that very simple question.

I will tell you all about what a topic sentence is and how you can use it.

So, let us get started.

A Topic Sentence

This is a type of sentence that is used in essays written in high schools and colleges. Now, what is it? Well, it is a sentence that tells you the topic of a paragraph.

Get it? It tells you what exactly to expect in a paragraph.

For example, a topic sentence can say that “School uniforms are important as they provide students with a sense of unity”.

Now, the reader knows that the paragraph will discuss school uniforms in relation to unity.

Where is it used?

A topic sentence is used at the beginning of a paragraph.

As I said, it tells you what a paragraph is about. So, naturally, it is written at the very beginning of a paragraph.

In fact, a paragraph begins with a topic sentence.

What type of paragraph?

A topic sentence cannot be used in just any paragraph. You can’t use a topic sentence in an introduction or a conclusion.

Topic sentences are only used at the beginning of body paragraphs i.e. the paragraphs after your introduction and before the conclusion. Similarly, The ones that make up the main body of your essay also begin with a topic sentence.

Paragraphs that don’t begin with a topic sentence!

Yes, in fact, many paragraphs can begin without a topic sentence.

A topic sentence is used only in academic writing. In informal writing, most people don’t use topic sentences.

Even in academic writing, if your paragraph gets too big, you can talk about the same topic in the next paragraph.

So, the next paragraph won’t have a topic sentence.

For example, if you are talking about the environmental impact of fossil fuels in one paragraph and it gets too big because you are discussing each type of fuel then you can cut the paragraphs short.

Your first paragraph will have a topic sentence stating, “The environmental damage of fossil fuels is magnanimous”. Then you can discuss coal in one paragraph and oil in another.

The second paragraph won’t need a topic sentence as it is continuing from the first one.

How to write one?

To write a topic sentence, you need supporting arguments for your essay. Each body paragraph of your essay will discuss one supporting argument.

For example, if your thesis statement says, “Traditional schooling is better than remorse schooling because a, b and c” where a, b and c are reasons for traditional schooling being better then argument “a” will be discussed in body paragraph one.

So, your body paragraph will begin with a statement similar to the thesis. For instance, “Traditional schools provide an environment of learning and are hence better than remote learning”

That’s it then.

That is all you need to know about a topic sentence. If you still find this confusing then I think you should contact an essay writing service.

They will come up with all your topic sentences and the whole essay too if that is what you wish.

So, get started now!