Topic Sentence

The sentence — usually first in a paragraph — that states the paragraph's main point; every other sentence in the paragraph supports or develops it.

A topic sentence is to a paragraph what a thesis statement is to an essay: the controlling claim. Sentences that add examples, statistics, or explanation are supporting details, not topic sentences.

PlayPrepHQ study notes are written and reviewed against primary exam sources. How we create & review content →

Related terms

Back to Reading