1. The Topic Sentence and the Controlling Idea

The Topic Sentence and the Controlling Idea

The topic of a paragraph is usually introduced in a sentence; this sentence is called the "topic sentence."   It occurs most frequently at the beginning of a paragraph; it may, however, occur in the middle or even at or near the end. When the topic sentence does occur at the end, it serves to summarize the preceding sentences and to conclude the paragraph.  The topic sentence can do more than introduce the subject of the paragraph, however.

A good topic sentence:

a)    Contains two elements: 1) the TOPIC and the CONTROLLING IDEA.  The topic refers to what you’re going to write, and the controlling idea states what the writer thinks about the topic, and therefore is what the paragraph is about.  

For example, if we have the sentence:

Drinking alcohol can be an expensive habit.

The topic in this topic sentence is “Drinking alcohol”; the controlling idea is “can be an expensive habit”. A paragraph that develops this topic sentence should demonstrate that drinking alcohol can indeed be an expensive habit. Of course there are many other controlling ideas one could have about the topic of drinking alcohol, for example: that it is hazardous to health.  In this particular case, our topic sentence would be:

Smoking cigarettes is hazardous to health.

Smoking cigarettes is the TOPIC

is hazardous to health is the CONTROLLING IDEA.

By means of the controlling idea, the writer lets the reader know what the paragraph is about; consequently all sentences in the paragraph SHOULD RELATE to and DEVELOP the controlling idea. For example, if we have the topic sentence:

The use of special effects, make a music video more attractive for teenagers. 

The writer should include in his/her paragraph examples that demonstrate WHAT special effects make music videos attractive, and WHY; as well as how this is related to teenagers.

Activity 1

Study the following topic sentences. Circle the controlling idea in each one. Underline the topic. Note: The controlling idea and the topic may be expressed in more than one word. The first one is done for you.

1. Another way to reduce the rate of inflation is to balance the federal budget.

2. In addition to being unhealthy, smoking can be offensive.

3. Another problem for students is finding a part-time job.

4. Physical exercise is good for a person's mental health.

b)    A good topic sentence also NARROWS the focus and POINTS TO ONE PARTICULAR aspect of the overall theme; that is, in a single statement (or sometimes a question) the writer lets the reader know what the paragraph is about:

For instance, the topic sentence Las Vegas is a bad city is too general. 

It is not enough merely to have a topic and a controlling idea: The controlling idea should be clear and focused on a particular aspect; for example, consider the following topic sentence:

Drinking coffee is bad.

This sentence has a topic ("drinking coffee") and a controlling idea ("bad") but it is rather vague. In what ways is coffee bad? For who or what is it bad? Is drinking only a little coffee bad, or is drinking a lot of coffee bad? As you can see, this topic sentence leaves a lot of questions that probably cannot be answered effectively in one paragraph. This topic needs more focus, and that focus can come from the controlling idea:

Drinking over four cups of coffee a day can be harmful to pregnant women.

In this version the topic itself is narrowed down some more, and the controlling idea is more    precise.

Activity 3

Study the following groups of sentences. Circle the number of the better topic sentence in each         pair.

1	A	Many things make learning English difficult.
	B	What makes English particularly difficult to learn is pronunciation.
2	A	Enrolling in college is not an easy task.
	B	Registration at State College is a painful task.

Read the following WEAK topic sentences. Rewrite each one to make it more specific. You can narrow down the topic and/or controlling idea.  Remember that you can include details that you know about the topic, an attitude, impression or an opinion, etc.

1. The Honda Civic is an excellent automobile.

2. My hometown is a wonderful place.

3. She has many problems.

4. Exercise is good for you.

Formulating the topic sentence

Now you’re ready to come up with a strong topic sentence.

Write a topic sentence for each of the following topics, remember to narrow the topics.  UNDERLINE THE TOPIC AND CIRCLE THE CONTROLLING IDEA.  The first one is done for you:

1	Topic:	Cars
	Topic sentence	Have you ever felt the adrenaline while you’re driving a car?   The Honda Civic is an exciting car for exciting people.

1	Topic:	Music videos	Audience:
	Topic sentence
2	Topic:	Superstitions
	Topic sentence
6	Topic:	Exams
	Topic sentence

6	Topic:	Family rituals and traditions
	Topic sentence

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