How to write effective topic sentences (t.s.) is one of the most important skills to develop as a college writer. The table below is a crucial overview of topic sentences and how to use them.

Topic sentences usually come at the beginning of a paragraph. In an essay, a good topic sentence will signify the paragraph’s relevance to the overall thesis and clearly communicate to readers what they …

The topic sentence allows the authors to tie together the paragraph. Topic sentences make the ideas and claims of each paragraph in a paper easy to identify and understand. They also demonstrate the …

We'll briefly outline how topic sentences work in argumentative and descriptive writing.

The example below shows how adding a topic sentence at the end of a paragraph (in bold) can give the reader a better context for understanding the paragraph’s overarching point.

What Makes a Good Topic Sentence? • It is usually a one-sentence statement that indicates purpose, subject, or point of a paragraph. • A topic sentence should be specific. • It is the controlling idea for …

In addition to the preview, a topic sentence establishes the paragraph’s purpose. This familiarizes the reader with the paragraph’s relevance within the essay.