Topic Sentences and Concluding Sentences
What is a topic sentence?
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A topic sentence identifies (and introduces) a topic.
It is usually the first sentence or near the beginning of the paragraph.
It tells what your paragraph is about.
It is general; it doesn’t give details.
It has general introduction words, such as: several things, some important things, a
number of reasons.
It has nouns, not pronouns.
What is a concluding sentence?
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A concluding sentence ends (and sums up) a topic.
It is usually the last sentence in a paragraph.
It tells what the paragraph was about.
It is general; it doesn’t give details.
It has summary noun phrases, such as: this information, these ideas, those reasons.
OR
It has summary adjectives, such as: important, difficult, excellent.
The conclusion is almost like the topic. It has many of the same words as the topic
sentence.
Example Topic Sentences: [from October Sky]
Topic 1: Something happened at the coal mine.
Topic 2: Homer did several things to help his family.
Topic 3: Homer learned some things about working in a coal mine.
Example Concluding Sentences: [from October Sky]
Conclusion 1: These terrible things happened at the coal mine.
Conclusion 2: Homer did these things to help his family.
Conclusion 3: From this experience, Homer learned about the difficult work in the coal mine.
Example Topic Sentences: [from Pollock]
Topic 1: Several things happened in Pollock’s life.
Topic 2: Lee Krasner was important in several ways.
Topic 3: We learned some things about Sande Pollock.
Example Concluding Sentences: [from Pollock]
Topic 1: These important things happened in Pollock’s life.
Topic 2: In all of those ways, Lee Krasner was a very important person.
Topic 3: We learned this information about Sande Pollock.
Example Topic Sentences: [from NCW 3]
Topic 1: In NCW part 3, Tyler learned some important things about life in the Arctic.
Topic 2: In NCW part 3, Tyler and the wolves began to do some of the same activities.
Example Concluding Sentences: [from NCW 3]
Topic 1: Tyler learned to keep warm and to make a safe shelter in the Arctic.
(IMPORTANT: This conclusion only works if your paragraph told about – how he kept
warm and how he lived in his camp.)
Topic 2: Tyler and the wolves marked their own areas and ate the same food.
(IMPORTANT: This conclusion only works if your paragraph told about – how Tyler
and the wolf both urinated to mark their territory and both ate mice.)