A good topic sentence also serves to state an idea or an attitude about the topic. This idea or attitude about the topic is called the controlling idea; it controls what the sentences in the paragraph will discuss. All sentences should relate to and develop the controlling idea. To illustrate, look at the following topic sentence to identify Topic sentences in paragraphs often have two parts: a theme and a controlling idea. Here are five examples: Topic Sentence: Education is important for many different reasons. The topic is “education is important” and the controlling idea is “many different reasons.” Topic Sentence: Planting a garden helps families in many ways. 1 pt. Read the three sentences in each item and then put a check mark √ next to the best topic sentence.u000bFinding the controlling idea in that sentence. Be prepared to explain your selections. _________ Most of the girls in the class get higher grades in English than the boys. _________ Research has shown that girls are better at languages Why is a topic sentence important? A topic sentence will tell the reader what to expect and if used correctly it will tell the reader what to expect from the rest of the paragraph. It can help the essay to flow better, and make it coherent and easy to read. Example topic sentences: Dogs are extremely common pets in this day and age. The topic sentence is a statement that expresses the main idea of a paragraph, while a transition is a word or phrase that connects one idea to the next in a piece of writing. Finally, a paraphrase is a rewording of a text that retains the meaning of the original text. idea, about a single topic. The structure of a paragraph is not complex. There are usually three basic elements: (1) a topic, (2)a main idea, or topic sentence, and (3) supporting details. The topic sentence states the main point or controlling idea. The sentences that explain this main point are called supporting details. 7UMTM.

topic sentence controlling idea