Types of Sentences

Well written paragraphs contain a clear topic sentence, two to four statements that
support the topic sentence, and one to three detail/example sentences to explain and
clarify each of the support sentences. Sometimes, a concluding sentence is used to re-
emphasize the main point or to provide transition to the next paragraph.

Topic Sentence

 usually the first sentence in the paragraph

 states the main idea of the paragraph
 usually an opinion rather than a fact
 anchors the rest of the paragraph
 defines your job as a writer
 tells the reader what to expect

Good topic sentences have two parts:

1. The first part states the subject or topic. (My senior year of high school . . . )
2. The second part expresses an attitude or says something about the topic. ( . . .
was challenging.)

Notice that this sentence (My senior year of high school was challenging.) does not
state a fact; rather, it states an idea which needs support. It leaves the writer with
something to say; it leaves the reader wanting to know more (How? What were the
challenges?). Factual statements, on the other hand, do not make good topic sentences.
If the sentence read, "I graduated from Wilson High School in 1995," the writer would
have little more to say because that statement does not require support.

The topic sentence should serve as an anchor for the rest of the paragraph. In the
above example, the writer should not stray from the idea of challenges. It may be
tempting to throw in the fact that s/he was on the honor roll the entire year, but if it
can not be related to the topic sentence (perhaps by linking it because studying hard
enough to keep good grades was a challenge), it should not be included in the
paragraph.

Support Sentences

 provide the main supporting points for the paragraph's main idea (topic sentence)
  should be directly tied to the topic sentence
 usually 2 - 4 in a paragraph
 usually general claims
 arranged in logical order
 should be proven using concrete, specific evidence

Support sentences must be directly linked to the topic sentence of the paragraph. When the
sentences in a paragraph are not consistent with the main idea provided by the topic sentence, the
paragraph lacks unity (one of those mysterious English-teacher words!). Every sentence in the
paragraph should relate to the main idea.

Support sentences should be arranged in logical order and connected by transitions to

provide coherence (that other one!). Arrangement of support sentences might be based on
importance (usually least to most), time (usually first to last), or even space (far to near, near to
far) -- just about anything, as long as it serves the writer's purpose. Transition words are often
used improve coherence and to reinforce the order in which supporting points are presented.
Sometimes writers use simple transitions such as these to connect support sentences:

 "My first challenge at Wilson High School . . . "

 "The second challenge I encountered . . . "
 "My final challenge in high school . . . "

These sentences not only use transition words (first, second, final), but also repeat the key
word challenge. This repetition of key words helps the reader keep in mind the main idea of the
paragraph.

Since support sentences can be somewhat general, they usually require the proof provided by
detail/example sentences.

Detail/Example Sentences

 directly tied to support sentences; indirectly tied to the topic sentence

 usually 1 - 3 per support sentence
 serve to prove support statements
 specific: details, examples, explanations, facts, statistics

In the hierarchy among sentences in a well developed paragraph, detail/example sentences are at
the bottom. However, that does not mean they are the least important. In fact, detail/example
sentences, if you look back at the pyramid, are the very foundation of the paragraph -- a
foundation upon which the support sentences and, ultimately, the topic sentence rest.
It is not enough to say, "My first challenge at Wilson High School was studying enough to make
good grades and stay on the honor roll." This statement may support the main idea of the
paragraph, but the statement still needs to be proven. How much was enough? Why was it a
challenge? Can the writer give convincing details or examples to prove it?

Consider this example:

[topic sentence] My senior year of high school was challenging. [support sentence] My first
challenge at Wilson High School was studying enough to make good grades and stay on the
honor roll. [detail/example]  I often studied past midnight, even though I had to get up at 6:00
a.m. to be ready in time to catch the school bus.  [detail/example] When I was studying for my
chemistry mid-term in Ms. Beasley's class, I never went to bed at all -- but I made an "A" on
the exam!

Although this paragraph is unfinished, you can see how important the details are to its
development. Without them, the supporting points do not really mean much; they do not seem as
real or immediate to the reader. Notice the use of names, specific times, and concrete details.
You may have good ideas without providing the detail to support them, but your goal is to
convince your reader. Good use of details and examples will help you get your main idea across.

NOTE: Many good paragraphs also have a concluding sentence to summarize and/or provide
transition to the next paragraph. An example of a concluding sentence for the unfinished
paragraph above might be The challenges I encountered during my senior year in high school
help to prepare me for college.  This lesson does not cover concluding sentences in detail
because they are not crucial to a well developed body paragraph.

You may want to return to the top of the page for review. If you have questions, feel
free to contact me.

After you have studied the instruction covering topic sentences, support sentences,
and detail/example sentences, practice your skills by completing Activity 1.

In many languages, the fundamental unit of composition is the paragraph.  A

paragraph consists of several sentences that are grouped together.  This group of
sentences together discuss one main subject.   In U.S. formal academic English,
paragraphs have three principal parts.  These three parts are the topic sentence, body
sentences, and the concluding sentence.  We will also talk briefly about details in
paragraphs. 
 
The Topic Sentence
A topic sentence usually comes at the beginning of a paragraph; that is, it is usually
the first sentence in a formal academic paragraph.  (Sometimes this is not true, but as
you practice writing with this online lesson site, please keep to this rule unless you are
instructed otherwise.)  Not only is a topic sentence the first sentence of a paragraph,
but, more importantly, it is themost general sentence in a paragraph.  What does "most
general" mean?  It means that there are not many details in the sentence, but that the
sentence introduces an overall idea that you want to discuss later in the paragraph. 

For example, suppose that you want to write a paragraph about the natural landmarks
of your hometown.   The first part of your paragraph might look like this:  
  
 

       My hometown is famous for several amazing

natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton
River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on
the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is
unusual because it is very steep.

(Notice how the first sentence begins with "My hometown..." a few spaces to
the right of the paragraph edge.  This is anindentation.  All paragraphs in English
MUST begin with an indentation.)

Note how the first sentence, My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several amazing
geographical features,is the most general statement. This sentence is different from
the two sentences that follow it, since the second and third sentences mention specific
details about the town's geography, and are not general statements.

Here are some examples of sentences that cannot be used as topic sentences. Can you
figure out why they are inappropriate?  
 

1. My hometown is famous because it is

located by Wheaton River, which is very
wide, and because it is built near an
unusually steep hill called Wheaton Hill.

 
 2. There are two reasons why some people like
to buy cars with automatic transmission and
two reasons why others like cars with
manual transmission.

3. Clouds are white.

The problem with sentence #1 is that it contains too many details. Topic sentences are
general, and details should appear later in the paragraph. A better topic sentence
would be like the one mentioned above, My hometown is famous for several amazing
geographical features.

Sentence #2 is not appropriate as a topic sentence because it mentions two topics, not
just one. Paragraphs are usually about one main thing and so their topic sentences
should also be about only one main thing.

The problem with sentence #3 is that it is toogeneral. It is also very boring! Would
you like to read a paragraph with this topic sentence? Most people would not.

We can rewrite sentences #2 and #3 in the following ways to make it better:  

 

 There are two reasons why some people like

to buy cars with automatic transmission. 

  
  

OR (in a different paragraph):

 There are two reasons why some people like

 cars with manual transmission.

 The shapes of clouds are determined by

various factors.

Supporting Sentences
Consider again the above-mentioned, short paragraph:  
 

       My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for several

amazing natural features.  First, it is noted for the
Wheaton River, which is very wide and beautiful.
Also, on the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill,
which is unusual because it is very steep.

(Again, note how this paragraph is indented on the first line, about five or seven
spaces in from the left-hand edge of the paragraph. Always remember to indent your
paragraphs!)

When a reader reads a topic sentence, such as My hometown, Wheaton, is famous for
several amazing natural features,aquestion should usually appear in the reader's
mind.  In this case, the question should be like, "What are the natural features that
make Wheaton famous?"   The reader should then expect that the rest of the paragraph
will give an answer to this question. 

Now look at the sentences after the topic sentence.  We can see that the second
sentence in the paragraph,  First, it is noted for the Wheaton River, which is very wide
and beautiful,indeed gives an answer to this question. That is, the second sentence
gives some explanation for the fact that Wheaton is a famous town. Similarly, we can
see that the third sentence also gives some explanation for the fact that Wheaton is
famous by giving another example of an "amazing natural feature," in this case,
Wheaton Hill.

The second and third sentences are called supporting sentences.  They are called
"supporting" because they "support," or explain, the idea expressed in the topic
sentence.  Of course, paragraphs in English often have more than two supporting
ideas.   The paragraph above is actually a very short paragraph.  At minimum, you
should have at least five to sevensentences in your paragraph.  Here we can see
our paragraph about Wheaton with a few more supporting sentences inbold font: 
  
 

       My hometown is famous for several amazing

natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton
River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on
the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is
unusual because it is very steep. The third
amazing feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree
stands two hundred feet tall and is probably
about six hundred years old.

In this lesson, we will talk about supporting sentences again in the section, "Details in
Paragraphs," below. 
 

The Concluding Sentence

In formal paragraphs you will sometimes see a sentence at the end of the paragraph
which summarizes the information that has been presented.  This is the concluding
sentence.  You can think of a concluding sentence as a sort of topic sentence in
reverse.

You can understand concluding sentences with this example.  Consider a hamburger
that you can buy at a fast-food restaurant.*  A hamburger has a top bun (a kind of
bread), meat, cheese, lettuce, and other elements in the middle of the hamburger, and
a bottom bun. Note how the top bun and the bottom bun are very similar.  The top
bun, in a way, is like a topic sentence, and the bottom bun is like the concluding
sentence.  Both buns "hold" the meat, onions, and so on.  Similarly, the topic sentence
and concluding sentence "hold" the supporting sentences in the paragraph.  Let's see
how a concluding sentence (in bold font) might look in our sample paragraph about
Wheaton: 
 

       My hometown is famous for several amazing

natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton
River, which is very wide and beautiful. Also, on
the other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is
unusual because it is very steep. The third amazing
 feature is the Big Old Tree. This tree stands two
hundred feet tall and is probably about six hundred
years old.These three landmarks are truly
amazing and make my hometown a famous
place.

Notice how the concluding sentence, These three landmarks are truly amazing and
make my hometown a famous place,summarizes the information in the paragraph. 
Notice also how the concluding sentence is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the
topic sentence. 

Not all academic paragraphs contain concluding sentences, especially if the paragraph
is very short.  However, if your paragraph is very long, it is a good idea to use a
concluding sentence. 
 

Details in Paragraphs
The short paragraph in this lesson is a fairly complete paragraph, but it lacks details. 
Whenever possible, you should include enough details in your paragraphs to help your
reader understand exactly what you are writing about.  In the paragraph about
Wheaton, three natural landmarks are mentioned, but we do not know very much
about them.  For example, we could add a sentence or two about Wheaton river
concerning HOW wide it is or WHY it is beautiful.  Consider this revision (and note
the additional details in bold): 
  
 

       My hometown is famous for several amazing

natural features.  First, it is noted for the Wheaton
River, which is very wide and beautiful. On either
side of this river, which is 175 feet wide, are
many willow trees which have long branches
that can move gracefully in the wind.  In
autumn the leaves of these trees fall and cover
the riverbanks like golden snow.  Also, on the
other side of the town is Wheaton Hill, which is
unusual because it is very steep.  Even though it is
steep, climbing this hill is not dangerous,
because there are some firm rocks along the
sides that can be used as stairs.  There are no
trees around this hill, so it stands clearly against
 the sky and can be seen from many miles
away.  The third amazing feature is the Big Old
Tree. This tree stands two hundred feet tall and is
probably about six hundred years old.  These three
landmarks are truly amazing and make my
hometown a famous place.

If we wished, we could also add more details to the paragraph to describe the third
natural feature of the area, the Big Old Tree.

Why are details important?  Consider the example of the hamburger, mentioned
above.*  If the hamburger buns are the topic and concluding sentences, then the meat,
the cheese, the lettuce, and so on are the supporting details.  Without the food between
the hamburger buns, your hamburger would not be very delicious!  Similarly, without
supporting details, your paragraph would not be very interesting.  
 

A Note on Formality.    In addition to having a particular kind of structure,  academic

paragraphs (and multi-paragraph essays, which will be topic of another lesson) are
different from "ordinary writing" (such as letter writing) in that certain kinds of
expressions are not allowed.  For example, in formal essays, you should not use
contractions such as don't or aren't.  Instead, you should write out the words in full,
for example, do not and are not.

Also, in formal essays you should avoid the first and second person.  That is,
do not use the pronouns I or you.  The pronouns we and us are sometimes used in
formal essays in some major fields, but in general you should not use these unless you
are certain that they are customary in your field  and/or your professor allows them.  It
is safer simply to use the third person.

TOO INFORMAL
ACCEPTABLE
(Do not use)
don't do not
doesn't does not
aren't are not
weren't were not
can't cannot
couldn't could not
won't will not
There are common mistakes made by a writer when they write a paragraph. The mistakes
are:
1. There are irrelevant sentences.
2. Supporting sentences are not related to topic sentence.
3. Supporting sentences are too general.
4. A paragraph only consists of supporting sentences without topic sentence.
I. Irrelevant sentences
Read the following paragraph!
Storm in North Miami caused many buildings ruined. At least 50 houses lost their
roof. Fifteen houses were totally damaged. Two public schools were broken. Local
government predicts that it needs much money and takes a long time to recover those
damages.
The last sentence does not have anything to do with the ruined buildings. In fact, it
creates a new focus i.e. local government prediction of total damages. It does not mention
the ruined buildings. Therefore, the last is irrelevant sentence.
II. Supporting sentences which are not related to the topic sentence.
Music produces many products like cassette, CD, MP3, MP4, etc. These products
have advantages and disadvantages. A cassette costs from Rp 17.500 to Rp 25.000 and a
CD costs at least Rp 45.000. MP3 and MP4 are much more expensive than CD and
cassette, for about Rp 150.000-Rp300.000.
The second sentence is the topic sentence. The controlling ideas are advantages and
disadvantages. In contrary, the supporting sentences do not mention the advantages and
disadvantages of the products, but they compare the cost of CD’s, cassettes, MP3 and
MP4.
Dangdut is very popular in my country. I have 40 CD’s in my disc rack. I always
play 3-6 CD’s every night before I go to bed or when I study. In this month, I am
planning to attend Dangdut concert in Jogjakarta. I wish I could take some pictures of
my favorite singers.
The supporting sentences in the paragraph above do not explain how Dangdut becomes
popular in writer’s country. They talk about the writer’s interest of Dangdut. They
explain how many collections she/he has, his/her habit, and his/her plan.
III. General supporting sentence
The repairs on my car were much more expensive than I had anticipated. I think I
was overcharged for everything. I never imagined that the final bill would be so high. I
had to borrow some money from my friend to pay it.
The paragraph above has a good topic sentence but the supporting sentences are too
general, e.g the second and the third sentence. Those sentences can be specified. For
example, those sentences can be replaced by “I had to pay $395 to get the brakes repaired
and another $100 to get the wheel aligned. The engine oil change was $30, and the
replacement of the air filter was another $20.” These sentences indicate that the bill was
so high or very expensive.
IV. A paragraph without topic sentence
Thailand has miles of empty beaches. They are beautiful, clean, and crowded, even in
summer. You can spend the whole afternoon on a beach and not see another person.
In Japan, on the other hand, the beaches are very crowded. You can hardly find a
place to sit down at the more popular Japanese beaches. The beaches in Northern
differ in another way. The water is so cold, so most people go to the beach only to
sunbathe. Along the French Riviera, the beaches are rocky, not sandy as they are on
tropical islands. Each type of beach – empty or crowded, sandy or rocky – has its
own special qualities to enjoy
If you take a look closely at the paragraph, the paragraph talks about the beaches in Thailand,
Japan, Northern, and French Riviera. It does not have a topic sentence which can generalize
those supporting sentences.
PRACTICE WRITING SUPPORTING SENTENCES
1. I love eating food from different countries.
- I go to Hoka-Hoka Bento twice a month and my favorite menu is Ebi Katsu.
- Every weekend when my sister visits me, I order Pizza.
- When I pick up my brother from his school, I often buy Kebab which is near
from his school.
2. There are several ways to conserve electricity.
3. It is almost impossible to study in my dormitory.