Five Questions To Ask About Your Topic Sentence
The topic sentence is a crucial component of every paragraph. That’s why, apart from using a grammar correction software, you have to properly analyze your topic sentences. Here are the questions you should ask yourself.
- Does it focus on a single point? Paragraphs always work best when they explore a single idea and your topic sentence should reflect that. Pick one point and stick with it.
- Is it linked to the previous paragraph? If the topic sentence creates an abrupt turn in the direction of the piece, then you’ll need to add in appropriate transitions (either on this topic sentence or the previous paragraph) to maintain the flow.
- Is it relevant to your main thesis? The relevance of your topic sentence to the bigger picture in the piece should be clear to the reader. If it isn’t, rewrite it.
- How well does it further your argument? Make sure your topic sentence is interesting enough to push your argument forward. If it doesn’t, your paper will just stall.
- Does it point your paragraph in the direction you want it to go? The reader should have an idea of where your paragraph is going after reading the topic sentence. If they won’t, then you need to incorporate that direction into it.