Yes, we know. You hate English.
More often than not, you find yourself at your desk at 2:36 AM experiencing something like this:
True?
When you don't have a good topic sentence, writing the rest of your paragraph can be a real nightmare... Which is why we've compiled 3 foolproof hacks to get you a top quality topic sentence every single time!
1. Make it Cause and Effect
When you write your sentence, take some time to make sure that it has both a cause AND an effect. Having a cause and effect topic sentence will help you get your point across clearly and guide your whole argument to be more progressive.
The questions you should be asking yourself are:
Do I pinpoint the conceptual issue I want to talk about?
Do I mention the effect of the issue on the reader or on the character?
If you answer no to either of those, FIX YOUR TOPIC SENTENCE.
Example:
1. Only Effect (BAD): The character is shown to be out for revenge.
Your quotes are stuck in this example. You can only find multiple quotes proving the same thing over and over again which sounds laborious and pointless.
Quote 1: he's out for revenge
Quote 2: he's really out for revenge
Quote 3: he's really, really out for revenge.
2. Cause and Effect: The character is shown to be out for revenge in order to subvert audience expectations of his cultural stereotype.
The quotes to prove this will be varied and show depth.
2. Use an Action Verb
When a somebody composes a text, there will always be a reason behind it.
Writers have feelings too! That's why you should always use an action verb when you talk about what the composer is trying to say. They are ACTIVELY trying to achieve something in their text!
This way, you flaunt your understanding of the text to the marker AND sophisticate your topic sentences.
Action Verb examples:
Criticise, urge, celebrate, question, challenge, subvert, praise, encourage, explore (so much for fun than show 🥳 But make sure you know what each of them means! Don't just use them interchangeably 👎)
3. Keep it Light and Breezy
Many students tend to fall under the impression that their topic sentence has to be long and fancy, when that's really not the case! You always choose accurate over fancy!
Why say "indubitably challenge" if you just mean "challenge"?
#SimplyEnglishTutors hate pretentious words 👎
Make life easier for yourself, keep your topic sentences clear, concise and purely focused on the argument you are trying to make.
You shouldn't be trying to get your sub points, techniques and examples across in your topic sentence. That's what the rest of your paragraph is for!!!