Topic Sentences and Conclusions

The topic sentence will begin your paragraph, detailing what you are focusing on, why, and (sometimes) how.

To draft one, ask yourself:

• Why am I writing this paragraph?
• What does it have to do with my argument/research?
• How does it relate to my thesis?

Topic sentences can be essential to your transitions.

• Topic sentences can start with a signposting word, explaining where your thoughts are going and why.

Concluding sentences are very similar. They “answer” your topic sentence by summarizing the importance of the paragraph and relating it to the thesis in some way.

To draft one, ask yourself:

• What was the point of writing this portion of the paper?
• What did I prove in this paragraph?
• How did this make my thesis stronger?

Concluding sentences can be essential to your transitions.

• Concluding sentences can lead directly into a signposting word and transition sentence, whether you end the paragraph on the transition or begin the next with a transition depends on whichever reads clearly.