GS 101 Advance English

TOPIC
SENTENCE

Presenter: Jomarie G. Turtoga

- States the main or the general idea of the
paragraph.
- States the subject and the purpose of the
paragraph.
- Summarizes what the entire paragraph is all about.
-In most academic
What is a
essays, though, the
topic sentence is at TOPIC
the beginning.
Sentence ? NAME OR LOGO 2
Features of TOPIC SENTENCE
- It states the main idea.
- It addresses one aspect of the subject that
can be adequately covered the paragraph.
- It controls the other sentences in the
paragraph.
- It is more general than the sentence that
develop it.
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Two Types of Topic Sentences:

1. Stated or Obvious Topic Sentence

--this is the type of topic sentence that is

correctly expressed in the paragraph.
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Example of Stated Topic Sentence
Trees are very essential in our lives. The
newspaper you read everyday and the
books you study were trees once. Your
home, your furniture, your clothes come
from trees. In Addition, forests provide a
wonderful place where we can hold
picnic and have a good time.
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Two Types of Topic Sentences:

2. Implied topic sentence

--this is the type of topic sentence that is
not stated in the paragraph.
Solution
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer
adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa

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2. Implied topic sentence – only
suggested by the supporting details not
clearly stated in one sentences

Guide questions:
1. What is the paragraph about ?
2. What is the main point the author is
trying to make about the topic?
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 The family introduces children to the physical world by
providing opportunities to play and to explore objects.
The family also creates bonds for children with their
parents and siblings that usually last a lifetime and that
serve as models for relationships in the wider world
neighborhood and school. In addition , within the family
children experience their first social conflicts. Discipline
by parents and arguments with brothers and sisters
provide children with important lessons in compliance
and cooperation. Finally, with in the family children learn
the language, skills, and social and moral values of their
culture. NAME OR LOGO 8
Hints for identifying the topic and implied main idea:

-Look for repeated words.

-Mark major supporting details. Major details
are often signaled by additional words:

Examples:
One First of all In Addition
For one thing Another Last
Second Also Finally

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 The family introduces children to the physical world by
providing opportunities to play and to explore objects.
The family also creates bonds for children with their
parents and siblings that usually last a lifetime and that
serve as models for relationships in the wider world
neighborhood and school. In addition , within the
family children experience their first social conflicts.
Discipline by parents and arguments with brothers and
sisters provide children with important lessons in
compliance and cooperation. Finally, with in the family
children learn the language, skills, and social and moral
values of their culture. NAME OR LOGO 10
Because most students are unmarried high schools and colleges serve as
matchmaking institutions. It is at school that many young people find their
future spouses. Schools also establish social networks. Some adults
maintain friendships from high school and college; other develop networks
that benefit their carries.
Another function of the schools is to provide employment. With 53 million
students in grade and high schools, another 15 million enrolled in colleges ,
U.S. education is big business. Primary and secondary schools provide jobs
for 2.9 million teachers, while another million work in colleges and
universities . Schools also help stabilize employment. To keep millions of
young people in school is to keep them out of the labor market, protecting
the positions of older workers. Last of all , schools help stabilize society by
keeping these millions off the streets, where they might be marching and
protesting in search of unskilled jobs long lost to other nations.
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Because most students are unmarried high schools and colleges serve as
matchmaking institutions. It is at school that many young people find their
future spouses. Schools also establish social networks. Some adults
maintain friendships from high school and college; other develop networks
that benefit their carries.
Another function of the schools is to provide employment. With 53 million
students in grade and high schools, another 15 million enrolled in colleges ,
U.S. education is big business. Primary and secondary schools provide jobs
for 2.9 million teachers, while another million work in colleges and
universities . Schools also help stabilize employment. To keep millions of
young people in school is to keep them out of the labor market, protecting
the positions of older workers. Last of all , schools help stabilize society by
keeping these millions off the streets, where they might be marching and
protesting in search of unskilled jobs long lost to other nations.
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1. What is the paragraph about ?
School and Colleges
2. What is the main point the author is
trying to make about the topic?

Schools and colleges serve a

number of functions in our society.
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Implied Main Ideas in Longer Passages.
To find an implied central idea in a longer passage, ask
the same questions that help you find main ideas in a
paragraph.
1.What is the passage about? ( What is the topic?)
2.What is the point the author is making about that
topic?
3.And when you think you know the central idea, you
can test it by asking, “ Does all or most of the
material in the passage support this idea?
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Exercise !

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John sings so beautifully that many people
think he should be a professional singer. He
also won a dance contest last year. He also
won a dance contest last year. Have you ever
seen John’s paintings? They are exceptional!
In addition, he learned how to program a
computer by himself, created an application ,
and made millions of dollars selling it. Sports?
John is good at any sport that he has ever
played. NAME OR LOGO 16
What is the Topic of the Paragraph?
John
What is the Main Idea of the paragraph?

John is talented in many

ways.
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Sushi has a become very popular in the United
States. Do you want to learn how to eat sushi
the traditional way? It’s simpler than you
think. First , forget the chopsticks, and use
your fingers to pick it up. Next , dip the sushi ,
fish side down, in the soy sauce, but use just a
little for extra flavor. Finally, put the whole
piece in your mouth.
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What is the Topic of the Paragraph?
How to eat sushi the
traditional way
What is the Main Idea of the paragraph?

To eat sushi the traditional way

you should follow three steps.

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Writing: Refining Your Topic
To write a good paragraph, you need a manageable
topic, one that is the right size. Your topic must be
general enough to allow you to add interesting details
that will engage your reader. It must also be specific or
narrow enough that you can cover it adequately in a
few sentences. If your topic is too general, you will end
up with a few unrelated details that do not add up to a
specific point. If your topic is too narrow, you will not
have enough to say.

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Suppose you have decided to write a paragraph about sports.
Here is your topic.

Sports as a favorite activity for many people.

This topic is too broad to cover in one paragraph. Think of all the
different aspects you could write about. Which sports would you
consider? Would you write about both playing sports and watching
them? Would you write about both professional and amateur sports?
Would you write about the reasons people enjoy sports? The topic must
be more specific:

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 Watching professional football on Sunday
afternoons with my family.

Here you have limited your topic to a specific

sport (football), a specific time
(Sunday afternoon), and some specific fans (your
family).

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Here are other examples of topics that are too general.
Each has been revised to be more specific.

TOO GENERAL Influence of my parents.

REVISED Influence of my parents on my
choice of college.

TOO GENERAL Sex education

REVISED How sex education in high school
helps students talk more openly.
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 Tips for Writing Effective Topic Sentences
1. Your topic sentence should state the main
point of your paragraph. It should identify your
topic and express a view toward it.

2. Be sure to choose a manageable topic—one that is

neither too general nor too specific. Topic sentences that are
too general often promise more than they can deliver in a
single paragraph. They lead to writing that is vague and
rambling. Topic sentences that are too specific produce weak
paragraphs because there is not enough to say about them.
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 Tips for Writing Effective Topic Sentences
3. Make sure your topic sentence is a
complete thought. Be sure your topic sentence
is not a fragment or run-on sentence
4. Place your topic sentence first in the paragraph. Topic
sentences often appear in other places in paragraphs, as
described earlier, or their controlling idea is implied, not stated.
For now, it will be easiest for you to put yours at the beginning.
That way, as you write, you can make sure you stick to your
point, and your readers will immediately be alerted to that
point.
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Tips for Writing Effective Topic
Sentences
5. Avoid announcing your topic. Sentences that
sound like Announcements are usually unnecessary.
Avoid such sentences as “This paragraph will discuss
how to change a flat tire,” or “I will explain why I
object to legalized abortion.” Instead, directly state
your main point: “Changing a flat tire involves many
steps,” or “I object to abortion on religious grounds.”

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Exercise !
Evaluating
Topic Sentences

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 Direction: Evaluate each of the following topic sentences
and mark them as follows:
G = too generalE = effectiveS = too specific
A = announcement
N = not complete thought
1. This paper will discuss the life and
A Bolivar.
politics of Simon
2. Japanese culture is fascinating to study because its family
traditions are so different from American traditions. G
3. The admission test for the police academy includes
vocabulary questions. S
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 Direction: Evaluate each of the following topic sentences
and mark them as follows:
G = too generalE = effectiveS = too specific
A = announcement
N = not complete thought
4. The discovery of penicillin was a great step in the
advancement of modern medicine. E
5. I will talk about the reasons for the popularity
of reality television shows. A
6. A habit leading to weight gain. N
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 Direction: Evaluate each of the following topic sentences
and mark them as follows:
G = too generalE = effectiveS = too specific
A = announcement
N = not complete thought
7. Each year Americans are the victims of more than
1 million auto thefts. S
8. The White House has many famous rooms and an
exciting history. G
9. There are three factors to consider when
buying a flat-screen TV. E
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 Reading: Locating Topic Sentences
You learned earlier that the topic sentence of a paragraph is its
most important point. It is also the most general statement the
writer makes about the topic. Pick out the most general
statement among the following sentences.

1. Animals differ according to when they sleep.

2. Some animals sleep during daylight while others sleep
during darkness.
3. Animals’ sleeping habits differ in a number of ways.
4. Hibernation is another kind of sleep for some animals.
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 1Animals’ sleeping habits differ in a
number of ways. 2They differ according to
what time of day they sleep. 3Some
animals sleep during daylight hours while
others sleep during darkness. 4They also
differ in the length of time they sleep.
5Other animals sleep for weeks or months
at a time when they hibernate.
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Reading: Tips for Locating Topic Sentences
1. Identify the topic. As you did earlier, figure out
the general subject of the entire paragraph. In the
preceding sample paragraph, “animals’
sleeping habits” is the topic.
2. Locate the most general sentence (the topic
sentence). This sentence must be broad enough to include
all of the other ideas in the paragraph. The topic sentence in
the sample paragraph (“Animals’ sleeping habits differ in a
number of ways.”) covers all of the other details in that
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Reading: Tips for Locating Topic Sentences

3. Study the rest of the paragraph. The topic

sentence must make the rest of the paragraph
meaningful. It is the one idea that ties all of the other
details together. In the sample paragraph, sentences 2,
3, 4, and 5 all give specific details about how animals’
sleeping habits differ.

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Reading: Placement of Topic
Sentences
Writers often place their topic sentence first in the paragraph
—a position that enables the writer to state his or her main
idea and then move on to explain it. The topic sentence can
also be placed last or in the middle. On occasion a writer may
choose to state the main idea once at the beginning of the
paragraph and restate it at the end or use both sentences to
fully explain his or her main idea. Although a topic sentence
can be located anywhere in a paragraph, it is usually first or
last.
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TOPIC SENTENCE POSITIONS

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 A focus group is a small group, usually consisting of about
seven to ten people who are brought together to discuss a
subject of interest to the researcher. Focus groups are commonly
used today in business and politics; that flashy slogan you heard for a
political campaign or a new toothpaste was almost certainly tested in a
focus group to gauge people’s reactions. Social researchers may use a
focus group to help design questions or instruments for quantitative
research or to study the interactions among group members on a
particular subject. In most cases, researchers ask predetermined
questions, but the discussion is unstructured. Focus groups are a relatively
cheap method of research and can be completed quickly. They also allow
for the flexible discussions and answers that are desirable in qualitative
research.
—Kunz, THINK Marriages & Families, p.36
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 In the developing world 1.1 billion people still lack access to safe
drinking water, 2.6 billion do not have access to adequate sanitation
services, and more than 1.6 million deaths each year are traced to
waterborne diseases (mostly in children under five). All too often in
developing countries, water is costly or inaccessible to the poorest in
society, while the wealthy have it piped into their homes. In addition,
because of the infrastructure that is used to control water, whole seas
are being lost, rivers are running dry, millions of people have been
displaced to make room for reservoirs, groundwater aquifers are being
pumped down, and disputes over water have raised tensions from local
to international levels. Fresh water is a limiting resource in many
parts of the world and is certain to become even more so as the
21st century unfolds.
—Wright and Boorse, Environmental Science, p.
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 In colonial days, huge flocks of snowy egrets inhabited the coastal
wetlands and marshes of the southeastern United States. In the 1800s,
when fashion dictated fancy hats adorned with feathers, egrets and other
birds were hunted for their plumage. By the late 1800s, egrets were almost
extinct. In 1886, the newly formed National Audubon Society began press
campaign to shame “feather wearers” and end the practice. The campaign
caught on, and gradually, attitudes changed; new laws followed.
Government policies that protect animals from overharvesting are
essential to keep species from the brink of extinction. Even when
cultural standards change due to the efforts of individual groups (such as
the National Audubon Society), laws and policy measures must follow to
ensure that endangered populations remain protected. Since the 1800s,
several important laws have been passed to protect a wide variety of
species.
—Wright and Boorse, Environmental Science:
Toward a Sustainable NAME
Future
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p. 15042
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 The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has taken a brute-
force approach to screening species for cancer-
suppressing chemicals. NCI scientists receive frozen samples
of organisms from around the world, chop them up, and separate
them into a number of extracts, each probably containing
hundreds of components. These extracts are tested against up to
60 different types of cancer cells for their efficacy in stopping or
slowing growth of the cancer. Promising extracts are then further
analyzed to determine their chemical nature, and chemicals in the
extract are tested singly to find the effective compound. This
approach is often referred to as the “grind ’em and find
’em” strategy.
—Belk and Maier, Biology, p. 334
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Exercise !
Reading: Locating Topic
Sentences

Directions: Underline the topic

sentence in each of the following
paragraphs.
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The United States has a severe fire problem that if not
addressed, will continue to worsen drastically. Fire
statistics show that our nation, one of the richest and
most technologically sophisticated countries in the
world, lags behind its peer nations in fire security.
Nationally, there are millions of fires, thousands of
deaths, tens of thousands of injuries, and billions of
dollars lost each year—figures which far exceed
comparable statistics for other industrialized countries.
In 2001, for example, the direct value of property
destroyed in fires was $11 billion ($44 billion if the World
Trade Center loss is included). More recently in 2004,
direct property losses from fires were estimated at over46
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For decades, we have looked at our steadily increasing life
expectancy rates and proudly proclaimed that Americans’ health
has never been better. Recently, however, health organizations
and international groups have attempted to quantify the number
of years a person lives with a disability or illness, compared with
the number of healthy years. The World Health Organization
summarizes this concept as healthy life expectancy. Simply
stated, healthy life expectancy refers to the number of years a
newborn can expect to live in full health, based on current rates
of illness and mortality and also on the quality of their lives. For
example, if we could delay the onset of diabetes so that a person
didn’t develop the disease until he or she was 60 years old,
rather than developing it at 30, there would be a dramatic
increase in this individual’s healthy life expectancy.
—Donatelle, Health: The47
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Are you “twittered out”? Is all that texting causing your
thumbs to seize up in protest? If so, you’re not alone.
Like millions of others, you may find that all of the
pressure for contact is more than enough stress for you!
Known as technostress, the bombardment is defined as
stress created by a dependence on technology and the
constant state of being plugged in or wirelessly
connected, which can include a perceived obligation to
respond, chat, or tweet.
—Donatelle, Health: The Basics, p.66

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Thank
You
Jomarie G. Turtoga
09100397846
jomarieturtoga022797@gmail.com