Research Tools > How to Write a Topic Sentence
All good reports start with a topic sentence. This sentence lets everyone know the main idea of the report. It's easy to write a good topic sentence. You just have to do two things:
- figure out what the main idea is for your report.
- put the main idea into your own words.
Finding the Main Idea
First, ask yourself this question: "What's my report about?" If you can answer this question, you know what your topic is. When you know what your topic is, you're almost ready to write your topic sentence. If you can't answer this question, you'll have to do some more research.
Second, ask yourself this question: "What's important about my topic?" Think of the things that make your topic special or interesting to you. If you can think of something that makes your topic special, you're ready to write your topic sentence. If you can't, you need to research your topic some more to find out what's important about it.
Let's say your teacher asked you to write a report on the pyramids of Egypt. So, what's your report about? Egyptian pyramids! Do you know what's important about the pyramids in Egypt? If you do, you're ready to write your topic sentence. If you don't, you'll need to do some research on Egyptian pyramids.
Putting the Idea Into Words
Now, you're ready to write! Begin by making a list of words about your main idea. If you're writing a report on Egyptian pyramids, here's a list you might make:
| big | old | Monument | hard to build | Nile River |
| ancient | Egyptian | Tomb | bury | kings and queens |
| huge | pointy | Many stones | many builders | beautiful |
Next, pick out the best words from your list. The best words to use are the ones that:
- say what's most important about your topic.
- sound the best to you.
Now, write a sentence using these words. Here's an example:
The pyramids are huge tombs where the ancient Egyptians buried their kings and queens.
Congratulations! Now you know how to write a topic sentence!
Sources
"Essay Writing," Paul G. Wermuth in Collier's Encyclopedia, Article A19835664
"Interesting Models Set a Standard," Lois Laase in Instructor Article A20816046
"The Power of the Paragraph,"Jack Hart in Editor & Publisher, Article A16520469
"The Write Stuff," Barbara Hall Palar in Better Homes and Gardens, Article A17414253
"Writing the Narrative-style Research Report in Elementary School," John Taylor Thompson in Childhood Education, Article A16864619