One Controlling Idea
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one idea. That idea should be stated in a topic sentence, which is typ-
ically the first or last line. Topic sentences not only guide your reader, but they also link the sentences in the para-
graph together by stating the idea that they all relate to. If you can’t locate a topic sentence, should the main idea
be stated in one, instead of implied by your examples?
If there is a topic sentence, does each sentence relate to it? In the lying with silence essay, each paragraph con-
tains only one main idea except for the sixth paragraph. Here, the writer describes the lie and its consequences in
one paragraph. It would be more effective to dedicate another paragraph to the consequences. The revised para-
graphing then looks like this (topic sentences are in bold):
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
