English · Culture & Society
topic-sentence
/ˈtɒp.ɪk ˈsɛn.təns/
[/ˈtɒp.ɪk ˈsɛn.təns/]
the first key sentence of a paragraph
Intermediatenoun
Definition
A topic sentence is the sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph. It usually comes at the start.
Example
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence.
Etymology
From 'topic' plus 'sentence', sentence from Latin 'sententia'.
How & Where It’s Used
Taught in composition for paragraph structure.