What’s a paragraph?

A paragraph is a group of sentences that share one main idea. A paragraph can stand alone as a composition or may be one part of a longer piece of writing, such as an essay or report. Every paragraph has the same basic structure:

  1. Topic Sentence
  2. Supporting Sentences
  3. Concluding Sentence

What’s a topic sentence?

A topic sentence is the sentence that clearly identifies the main idea in each paragraph. It controls the focus of the paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first or second sentence within a paragraph. The following are weak topic sentences:

  1. Doctors in North America study for 8 years.
    • Too narrow. A fact cannot be a topic sentence because it does not contain an idea that can be developed.
  2. Medicine is important.
    • Too broad. This sentence needs to be more specific. Yes it is important, but you need further explanation.
  3. Why modern medicine is changing health care.
    • Incomplete sentence. While this may be a good topic, it is not a topic sentence because it is grammatically incomplete.
  4. I would like to discuss in this paragraph the growing concern about air pollution in my city.
    • Do not announce your topic or intentions.

A good topic sentence clearly introduces the topic of the paragraph and makes a point about that topic (a main idea). It makes a statement which is neither too broad nor too narrow. A good topic sentence should also give the reader an idea of what type of paragraph he or she will be reading (Narrative, Descriptive, Opinion, Comparison/Contrast, Cause/Effect, Process, Classification, Summary). Here are some revised versions of the above topic sentences:

  1. Doctors in North America, much like the rest of the world, have a very demanding and challenging educational experience.
  2. As people become older, medicine becomes more important in their lives. 
  3. Modern medical technology is allowing doctors to help their patients more than ever before. 
  4. Air pollution is a growing concern in my country.

Review - Paragraph Structure

Shaun explains paragraph structure

Exercise

Using what you have learned about topic sentences, complete the activity.

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