The differences between paragraph, topic sentence, topic, main idea, and supporting detail
Topic sentence describes the sentence in an expository paragraph which summarizes the main idea of that paragraph. It is usually, but not always, the first sentence in a paragraph. The topic sentence acts as a kind of summary, and offers the reader an insightful view of the writer’s main ideas for the following paragraph. It adds cohesion to a paper and helps organize ideas both within the paragraph and the whole body of work at large. A topic sentence (also known as a focus sentence) encapsulates or organizes an entire paragraph, and a writer should be careful to include one in most major paragraphs. Although topic sentences may appear anywhere in a paragraph, in academic essays they often appear at the beginning.
A paragraph is a series of sentences that are organized and coherent, and are all related to a single topic. Almost every piece of writing you do that is longer than a few sentences should be organized into paragraphs. This is because paragraphs show a reader where the subdivisions of an essay begin and end, and thus help the reader see the organization of the essay and grasp its main points.
A topic is a broad, general theme or message. It is what some call the subject. The topic answers the question,” What or who is it about?” The topic is usually a word or a short phrase.
A main idea is the "key concept" being expressed. It answers the question, “What does the author want me to know about the topic?” It’s the author’s most important point about the topic.
Details, major and minor, support the main idea by telling how, what, when, where, why, how much, or how many. Locating the topic, main idea, and supporting details helps you understand the point(s) the writer is attempting to express. Identifying the relationship between these will increase your comprehension.
Paragraph Structure
Most paragraphs in an essay have a three-part structure—introduction, body, and conclusion. You can see this structure in paragraphs whether they are narrating, describing, comparing, contrasting, or analyzing information. Each part of the paragraph plays an important role in communicating your meaning to your reader.
I-Introduction: the first section of a paragraph; should include the topic sentence and any other sentences at the beginning of the paragraph that give background information or provide a transition.
II-Body (supporting details): follows the introduction; discusses the controlling idea, using facts, arguments, analysis, examples, and other information.
III-Conclusion: the final section; summarizes the connections between the information discussed in the body of the paragraph and the paragraph’s controlling idea.
The following paragraph illustrates this pattern of organization. In this paragraph the topic sentence and concluding sentence (CAPITALIZED AND UNDERLINED) both help the reader keep the paragraph’s main point in mind.
SCIENTISTS HAVE LEARNED TO SUPPLEMENT THE SENSE OF SIGHT IN NUMEROUS WAYS. In front of the tiny pupil of the eye they put, on Mount Palomar, a great monocle 200 inches in diameter, and with it see 2000 times farther into the depths of space. Or they look through a small pair of lenses arranged as a microscope into a drop of water or blood, and magnify by as much as 2000 diameters the living creatures there, many of which are among man’s most dangerous enemies. Or, if we want to see distant happenings on earth, they use some of the previously wasted electromagnetic waves to carry television images which they re-create as light by whipping tiny crystals on a screen with electrons in a vacuum. Or they can bring happenings of long ago and far away as colored motion pictures, by arranging silver atoms and color-absorbing molecules to force light waves into the patterns of original reality. Or if we want to see into the center of a steel casting or the chest of an injured child, they send the information on a beam of penetrating short-wave X rays, and then convert it back into images we can see on a screen or photograph. THUS ALMOST EVERY TYPE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION YET DISCOVERED HAS BEEN USED TO EXTEND OUR SENSE OF SIGHT IN SOME WAY.
SOME USEFUL TRANSITIONS
To show addition:
again, and, also, besides, equally important, first (second, etc.), further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, moreover, next, too
To give examples:
for example, for instance, in fact, specifically, that is, to illustrate
To compare:
also, in the same manner, likewise, similarly
To contrast:
although, and yet, at the same time, but, despite, even though, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, still, though, yet
To summarize or conclude:
all in all, in conclusion, in other words, in short, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to sum up
To show time:
after, afterward, as, as long as, as soon as, at last, before, during, earlier, finally, formerly, immediately, later, meanwhile, next, since, shortly, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, when, while
To show place or direction:
above, below, beyond, close, elsewhere, farther on, here, nearby, opposite, to the left (north, etc.)
To indicate logical relationship:
accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, hence, if, otherwise, since, so, then, therefore, thus
Directions: Read each paragraph. Then select the most appropriate topic.
1-Increasingly prevalent food allergies in children are beginning to create tension in schools. The number of allergies to foods such as peanuts, dairy products, soy, wheat, corn, fish, and shellfish has been increasing over the last decade. Up to about 3 percent of children are now experiencing life-threatening reactions to such foods; some must be rushed to the hospital if they so much as touch an allergen. As a result, their parents are doing everything they can to prevent exposure of these children to the problem foods. They carefully check labels on food packages, they pack special lunches for their kids to take to school, and they try to keep them away from places that serve foods that cause allergic reactions. But some parents want to go even further: they want their children’s classmates to be prohibited from exposing their allergic child to problem foods. They have consequently persuaded some schools to impose limitations on what kids can bring in their lunchboxes. Any food or snack that is not acceptable is confiscated. Many parents of non-allergic children, however, are objecting to what they believe are ridiculously unfair precautions.
Topic:
a. Controversy over the handling of children’s food allergies
b. The increase in food allergies among elementary school children
c. Life-threatening reactions to food allergies
2-Although funeral customs in England and America are similar in many respects, they also differ significantly in other ways. In both countries, preparation of the body occurs at a funeral home, a funeral service is usually held in a church or chapel, and burial occurs in a cemetery. However, the custom of embalming is not the same. In the United States, treating a corpse with preservatives is routine. In England, though, that procedure is rare. Other pre-funeral customs differ, too. In America, it is customary for mourners to go to the funeral home a day or two before the actual burial for a "wake," a ritual during which people pay their respects to the deceased and to his or her family members. At the wake, the body is laid out in a coffin, and mourners go look at it. In England, however, there is no pre-funeral wake. The funeral director places the body in a chapel, and people can go see it if they like. But they usually don’t. Finally, the actual funeral service differs slightly. The services in both countries typically involve hymns and prayers, but those in England last only about fifteen minutes. American funeral services are usually much longer.
Topic:
a. Funeral customs in England
b. Funeral customs in America
c. Differences between English and American funeral customs
3-What makes a person’s personality unique? According to Steven Reiss, author of Who Am I?: The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Action and Define Our Personality, each individual’s desires determine who he is and what he does. Specifically, Reiss claims that humans experience sixteen distinct desires. They are power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honor, idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise, and tranquility. The amounts of each desire in an individual determine what kind of person he or she will be. A workaholic, for example, is often a person whose desires for power and status outrank most of the other desires. Conversely, a bright child who performs poorly in school may possess little curiosity, the desire to learn new things.
Topic:
a. Becoming a workaholic
b. The origins of personality
c. Personality and the lust for power
4-About 90 percent of those who try to climb Mount Everest fail to reach the summit, and at least 165 people have never come back at all. But Erik Weihenmayer was determined to be among the 10 percent who have stood atop the world’s tallest mountain. To do that, he had to overcome all of the standard obstacles faced by every Everest climber. He had to avoid being buried in an avalanche or falling into unexpected crevasses. He had to meet the intense physical demands of climbing with the huge amount of equipment required for an ascent. He had to avoid freezing in icy winds and driving snowstorms. He had to conquer the inevitable fever and nausea that overtake climbers who are breathing thin air and ingesting dirty food and water. In addition, Erik had to overcome one other obstacle his fellow climbers don’t face: his own blindness. Erik lost his sight at age 13 due to a rare disease of the retina. In May 2001, though, he triumphed over all of these adversities. With a combination of mental toughness and physical strength, he became the first sightless person to climb to the top of the highest mountain on the earth.
Topic:
a. Erik Weihenmayer’s successful ascent of Mount Everest
b. The obstacles to climbing Mount Everest
c. The dangers of avalanches on Mount Everest
