Grammar
Topic sentences: give a paragraph a clear point
Sign in to saveA paragraph about working from home lists fewer journeys, quieter mornings, and more time for lunch. What is the point of the list? A topic sentence gives the reader that point before the details arrive.
Write and identify a topic sentence that gives one paragraph a clear main point and matches its supporting details.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
A topic sentence gives the paragraph one clear point. /ə ˈtɒpɪk ˈsentəns ɡɪvz ðə ˈpærəɡrɑːf wʌn klɪə pɔɪnt/
The short answer
Write one sentence that states the paragraph's main point. Then add details that explain or support that point, without moving to a new subject.
Working from home can make a weekday morning less stressful.
Why it works: The following details might explain the shorter journey, quieter start, and extra time for breakfast.
5 more examples
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A weekly plan helps me finish small tasks before they become urgent.
This gives one clear point about using a weekly plan. The paragraph can now explain which tasks are planned and how the plan prevents last-minute pressure.
Not this:I have a weekly plan,
a blue notebook, and a new calendar app. What changes: This list names several things, but it does not give the paragraph one main point to develop. -
The community library is a practical place to study after work.
The details can explain the quiet rooms, opening hours, and available computers. Each detail supports the same point.
Not this:The community library has
quiet rooms, late opening hours, and computers. What changes: These are useful details, but a reader must guess why they matter together. -
Cooking a simple meal at home can cost less than ordering food.
This topic sentence makes a focused point about cost. The paragraph could compare ingredients, delivery fees, and leftovers.
Not this:Cooking at home is
cheaper, healthier, faster, and more creative. What changes: This sentence opens too many ideas for one short paragraph. Choose one point and support it well. -
A clear subject line makes a work email easier to answer.
The paragraph can show how a clear subject helps the reader find the request and decide what to do next.
Not this:Emails are
usefulat work. What changes: This is too broad to guide a focused paragraph about one writing choice. -
Taking a short walk at lunch can help me return to my desk with more energy.
The supporting details should explain the walk's effect on the writer's afternoon, rather than describe every part of the route.
Not this:At lunch, I walk past
the bank, the cafe, and the bus stop. What changes: This describes a route. It does not state the paragraph's main idea.
Read the full guide
Before you write, ask what one idea your reader should take from the paragraph. Say that idea in plain words. Next, check each supporting sentence: does it answer how, why, when, or with what result? If a detail belongs to a different idea, save it for another paragraph.
Find the paragraph's one point
A paragraph usually has one main point. Before you choose a topic sentence, read the details and ask what they have in common. Do not settle for the general subject. Turn the subject into a point that the details can explain.
The new bus route has made my journey to work more reliable.
The subject is the bus route. The point is that it has improved the reliability of one journey.
What clear point could a paragraph make about a new bus route?
A clear point could be that the route makes a journey more reliable. Details can then explain the timetable, direct route, or fewer missed connections.
Make the sentence specific enough
A broad topic sentence gives the reader very little direction. A very narrow sentence may leave no room for supporting details. Include the subject and the particular point you want to develop. You do not need to include every detail in the opening sentence.
Keeping meeting notes helps our team remember who will do each task.
The sentence names the subject, meeting notes, and one focused result, remembering responsibilities.
Meetings are important.
This is too broad. It does not tell the reader which part of meetings the paragraph will explain.
Which is more useful for a paragraph about saving time: Phones are useful or A shared calendar can reduce missed appointments?
Choose A shared calendar can reduce missed appointments. It gives a particular point that supporting details can develop.
Put the topic sentence where readers can find it
In many emails, reports, and short essays, place the topic sentence first. The reader then knows how to understand the details that follow. Sometimes a paragraph begins with a short example or situation and gives the point in the second sentence. Use that order only when the main point remains easy to find.
Our office kitchen needs a clearer cleaning schedule.
Placed first, this sentence prepares the reader for details about dishes, supplies, or assigned days.
Yesterday, three cups were still on the table. Our office kitchen needs a clearer cleaning schedule.
The first detail creates a situation. The second sentence states the paragraph's point.
Where is the safest place for a topic sentence in a B1 report paragraph?
Put it near the beginning, usually first. That position helps readers understand the details that follow.
Choose details that support the point
After writing the topic sentence, test every detail against it. A detail may give a reason, an example, an explanation, or a result. If it cannot support the point, remove it or move it to a paragraph where it belongs. This check keeps the paragraph from changing direction.
A reusable water bottle can save money during the workweek.
Details about buying fewer drinks and filling the bottle at work support the point about money.
My reusable bottle is green and has a metal lid.
These details may be true, but they do not explain how the bottle saves money.
Does a sentence about delivery fees support a topic sentence about the cost of ordering lunch?
Yes. Delivery fees are a reason why ordering lunch can cost more, so the detail supports that point.
Keep one paragraph on one subject and point
Writers often have several good ideas about the same subject. Put related ideas into separate paragraphs when each needs its own explanation. A paragraph about saving money when cooking at home should not also become a paragraph about learning recipes or inviting friends to dinner.
Cooking at home can lower my food costs during the week.
The paragraph can develop prices, portions, and leftovers because each detail concerns cost.
I also enjoy trying recipes from different countries.
Enjoying new recipes is a different point. It could begin a new paragraph with its own topic sentence.
What should you do when a supporting sentence introduces a new main idea?
Move it to a new paragraph or remove it. Then write a topic sentence that matches the new idea.
Check the paragraph from the reader's view
When you revise, cover the topic sentence and read only the details. Can you guess the main point? Then read the topic sentence again and ask whether it matches every detail. This two-way check helps you find a sentence that is too broad, too narrow, or unrelated to the paragraph.
Taking notes during training helps me use new procedures correctly.
Details about reviewing notes later and checking steps at work should both connect to using procedures correctly.
What should you change if a paragraph's details discuss two unrelated points?
Split the details into two paragraphs. Give each paragraph a topic sentence that states its own main point.
Before you go
Remember this
Give each paragraph one point. State that point in a sentence that is neither too broad nor too narrow. Follow it with details that explain or support it. When a detail starts a new idea, begin a new paragraph and write a new topic sentence.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Topic sentences: give a paragraph a clear point"
What is a topic sentence?
A topic sentence states the main point of a paragraph. It gives readers a reason to connect the details that follow. In a paragraph about travel, Planning a journey carefully can reduce travel stress is a topic sentence because it makes a point about planning.
A weekly plan helps me finish small tasks before they become urgent.
Does a topic sentence have to be the first sentence?
No, but it is often first because that position helps readers follow the paragraph. You can place it after a short opening detail when the main point is still easy to find.
I have a weekly plan, a blue notebook, and a new calendar app.
How specific should a topic sentence be?
Make it specific enough to guide the paragraph and broad enough for several supporting details. Emails are useful is too broad, while A clear subject line makes a work email easier to answer gives the writer one workable point.
The community library is a practical place to study after work.
How do I know whether a detail supports my topic sentence?
Ask whether the detail explains, proves, illustrates, or gives a result of the main point. A paragraph about saving money by cooking at home can include ingredient prices and leftovers, but not unrelated recipe preferences.
The community library has quiet rooms, late opening hours, and computers.
Can one paragraph have two topic sentences?
A paragraph may contain more than one sentence that sounds important, but it should normally develop one main point. If you begin to explain a second point, start a new paragraph and give it a topic sentence of its own.
Cooking a simple meal at home can cost less than ordering food.