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7 Great Topic Sentence Starters to Make Your Writing Shine

  • by Kevin Meyer
  • June 3, 2022 June 3, 2022

Great writing starts with great topic sentence starters. But sometimes, it’s hard to know how to start a sentence. This can be especially true for anyone struggling with writer’s block. The good news is that there are some tried and true sentence starters that can help you get your writing mojo back in no time. Here are some of the best.

7 Great Topic Sentence Starters to Make Your Writing Shine

Table of Contents

Great Writing Starts with Great Topic Sentence Starters

But sometimes it’s hard to know how to start. A great topic sentence is like a mini-thesis for the paragraph to follow. It indicates what the paragraph will be about and why it’s crucial. But sometimes, starting with a great topic sentence can be difficult. One way to overcome this challenge is to think of a generalization that your paragraph will illustrate or prove. This will help you develop the main idea for your section, making it easier to generate a strong topic sentence.

Maybe we could show a guy who makes spelling mistakes in his writing, and then the second time he makes those same mistakes, Grammarly corrects them?

7 Great Topic Sentence Starters to Make Your Writing Shine

Anyone Struggling with Topic Sentence Starters

Are you struggling to write a paper? Do you have writer’s block? If so, don’t worry! Here are some great tips to get your paper started. One way to overcome writer’s block is to begin with, a topic sentence . A topic sentence is a brief statement that introduces the main point of your paragraph. You can get your ideas flowing and ensure that your paragraph focuses clearly by starting with a topic sentence. If you’re having trouble coming up with a topic sentence, try brainstorming some key points that you want to make in your paragraph.  

Topic Sentence Starters

Tried and True Topic Sentence Starters

The good news is that there are some tried and true sentence starters that can help you get your writing mojo back in no time. These sentence starters will get you started on the right foot, but they’ll also help keep your writing engaging and interesting. One great way to start a sentence is with a strong verb. This immediately gets the reader’s attention and signals that something exciting is about to happen. Another great way to start a sentence is with a bit of humor or wit. People can often find it challenging to organize their ideas for each article.

Here are seven of the best:

1. A great topic sentence starter engages the reader and creates interest in the topic. A topic sentence that is interesting, insightful, and informative will keep the reader reading.

2. A strong topic sentence will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more. Start your topic sentences with strong verbs for engagement, emphasis, and to show excitement about the topic.

3. An effective topic sentence introduces the paragraph’s main idea while previewing what’s to come. An exceptional topic sentence will take the reader through the entire process, from beginning to end.

brainstorming

4 . A well-crafted topic sentence should be interesting and informative, leading readers on without giving too much away. It can be  tempting to write a lengthy  topic sentence, but it’s best to keep it to two or three sentences.

5 . A great topic sentence will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more. A great topic sentence uses a transition to set up the following examples.

6. A strong topic sentence will grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more.

7. A great topic sentence is never dull and always contains the most crucial information of the paragraph. A topic sentence that almost every reader can relate to.

Try beginning your topic sentences with a strong verb—this can help build momentum and keep the reader engaged.

What if we did something about the bad spellers?

sign-Passion led us here

Good Writing Requires Strong Topic Starter Sentences

As the old saying goes,  “first impressions are everything.”  The same can be said of your writing. 

To engage your reader and keep them focused on the paragraph’s main idea, you need to start your topic sentences with a strong verb. Some examples of strong verbs include: describe, discuss, explain, illustrate, and outline. These verbs immediately grab the reader’s attention and let them know what to expect from the rest of the paragraph. In addition to starting with a strong verb, your topic sentence should also be clear and concise.

It could be a video ad and a claim about how many people make grammar mistakes and how easy it is to fix them.

This means it should be 5-8 words long to maintain the flow of the sentence and make it understandable.

To help you better understand what a strong topic sentence looks like, let’s look at a few examples:

At the  beginning of the Industrial Revolution , the prominent inventions that led to increased productivity and growth were the steam engine, the cotton gin, and the railroad. An efficient transportation system was necessary to connect the local market with the rest of the country. While some topic sentences may require more explanation, keep them short and to the point.

Let’s take a look at some weak topic sentences:

The first of the two sentences above is too bland. While the topic is precise, it fails to engage the reader or immediately identify what to expect from the rest of the paragraph. The second sentence is also bland. It is even longer than the first, and it begins with the word “one. Avoid rambling and be specific with your language. One way to accomplish this is by using specific details to support the paragraph’s main idea.

What if we got a lot of people to make some huge mistake in their writing and then let Grammarly fix it?

Here are some examples:

Before discussing the causes of crime, we must first define what we mean by “crime. ”

The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that there is a problem.

For example:

A weak topic sentence: “Music within our community has many different impacts on the lives of different people.”

A strong topic sentence: “Popular music can have a negative effect on young people.”

This is just a shortlist of wrong topic sentences, but I’m sure you can think of some on your own. Ultimately, you want your topic sentences to introduce your main idea to the reader and persuade them that your argument is valid. This means it should be as simple as possible while still containing all the necessary information.

It’s also important to remember that your topic sentences are the last part of your introduction to stand out. By using a strong verb, you’ll be able to create a paragraph that is full of energy and enthusiasm. Topical sentences make writing easier because they give you a framework that you can follow. As the main idea of the paragraph, the topic sentences should also be specific.

I have a good idea for writing a book on this blog, but I don’t know if it should be singular or plural.

 What would you say?

what do you think your superpower is

A Powerful Topic Sentence Starters

Will also help transition smoothly from one paragraph to another. The internet has a lot of information. How can you be sure that you’re getting accurate information? Do your research! Check your sources!  A recent study by the Pew Research Center  found that only 26% of Americans trust the media. This is a problem. How can we be sure that  what we’re reading is true ? We have to be careful about the sources we use and make sure they are reputable. We should also question what we read, even from a trusted source. The importance of questioning. What’s one thing you’re wondering about today? Try the article.

Sources:  We should make sure that the information makes sense. Selective exposure is another problem with the internet.  People tend to seek out information that supports their beliefs.  Which can lead to biased information.

Simply put : Don’t believe everything you read online. Many people think social media is a tool to manipulate people. Research shows that those who spend time on social media are more likely to believe falsehoods than those who don’t.

Conclusion,

How to write better, faster, and more precise for your audience.

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The question at the heart of writing, “What would excite my potential readers?” is tricky for most people to answer. Most writers spend too much time talking about themselves and their ideas and not enough time talking about their readers.

The ability to write for your audience

When you are trying to find the right words that resonate with your readers, you can use the help from a system that can help you develop a writing process that uses your unique voice while considering your reader’s thoughts.

Writing systems that work

Most writing systems are too complicated and require you to work in a specific manner, or they are too limiting and don’t allow you to express yourself freely. But what if the correct system could help you work the way you want but still help you connect with your audience?

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Here is your chance; I encourage you to take some action. And if you’re interested in learning more about how we can help, contact us today! We would love to know what you think of your new products. Would you do us a favor and leave a comment if you have a moment? It enables us to improve upon everything we do. Still, it also helps us decide which products to research and review.

We’ve made leaving a comment or question easy! Just go below.    

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. If you were to buy something after clicking on one of these links, I would get a small commission that might help me get a new printer for the shop!   

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Sentence Starters: Ultimate List to Improve Your Essays and Writing

Ashley Shaw

Ashley Shaw

How to start a sentence

This blog post is going to be about … No. Too boring.

Today, I am going to talk to you about ... No. Too specific.

This is a blog post for all writers ... Nope. Too generic.

Has this ever been you while writing? I get it. Writing a good sentence can be hard, and when you have to string a whole lot of them together, the task can become daunting. So what do you do?

From the first sentence you write to the very last, you want each one to show your style and motivate your reader to keep reading. In this post, we are going to think about how you start your sentences.

sentence starter tip

What Is a Good Sentence Starter for an Essay Introduction?

What is a good sentence starter for a body paragraph, 25 useful transitions, can i repeat a sentence starter, how can i rephrase "in conclusion".

The first paragraph of a paper can make or break your grade. It is what gets your audience into the topic and sets the whole stage. Because of this, it is important to get your readers hooked early.

The first sentence of a paper is often called the hook. It shouldn’t be anything ordinary. It should have strong language and be a little surprising, with an interesting fact, story, statistic, or quote on the topic.

Because it is designed to pull the reader in and surprise them a little, it is often good to avoid pre-written sentence starter examples when writing your hook. Just get into it here, and worry about the flow later.

Here are some examples:

Spider webs were once used as bandages.

I taught myself to read when I was three. At least, that’s the story my parents tell.

Recent studies suggest that the average person lies at least once in every conversation.

“The world is bleeding and humans wield the knife,” or so says environmental scientist So Andso.

(P.S. Except for example 1, which is true, I just made all of these up to demonstrate my point. So, please don’t quote me on these!)

Once you jump right in with your hook, it is time to start working on ways to move sentences along. Here is where you may need some sentence starter examples.

In your first paragraph, you basically want to connect your hook to your thesis. You’ll do this with a few sentences setting up the stage for your topic and the claim you will make about it. To do that, follow the tips found in the next section on body paragraphs and general sentence starter tips.

Many of the tips I am about to discuss can be used anywhere in a paper, but they are especially helpful when writing body paragraphs.

Let’s start with one of the most important types of sentence starter in essay writing: transition words.

How Do I Use Transitions in an Essay?

Definition of Transitions

If you want to start writing terrific sentences (and improve your essay structure ), the first thing you should do is start using transition words.

Transition words are those words or phrases that help connect thoughts and ideas. They move one sentence or paragraph into another, and they make things feel less abrupt.

The good thing about transition words is that you probably know a lot of them already and currently use them in your speech. Now, you just need to transition them into your writing. (See what I did there?)

Before we get into examples of what a good transition word is, let’s look at a paragraph without any transitions:

I went to the store. I bought bacon and eggs. I saw someone I knew. I said hello. I went to the cashier. They checked me out. I paid. I got my groceries. I went to my car. I returned home.

Yikes! That is some boring writing. It was painful to write, and I am sure it is even worse to read. There are two reasons for this:

  • I start every sentence with the same word (more on this later)
  • There are no signposts showing me how the ideas in the paragraph connect.

In an essay, you need to show how each of your ideas relate to each other to build your argument. If you just make a series of statements one after the other, you’re not showing your instructor that you actually understand those statements, or your topic.

How do we fix this? Transition words. Roughly 25% of your sentences should start with a transition word. If you can hit that number in your essay, you’ll know that you’ve made meaningful steps towards demonstrating your understanding.

Of course, hitting that number isn’t enough—those transitions need to be meaningful. Let’s look at the different types of transitions and how you can use them.

What Are Words Like First , Next , and Last Called?

You probably already use some transitions in your essays. For example, if you start a paragraph with firstly , you’ve used a transition word. But transitions can do so much more!

Here are 25 common transitional words and phrases that you could use in your essay:

  • Additionally / In Addition
  • Alternatively / Conversely
  • As a result of
  • At this time
  • Consequently
  • Contrary to
  • First(ly), Second(ly), etc.
  • In contrast
  • Nonetheless
  • On the other hand
  • Particularly / In particular
  • In other words

Common Transitional Words

This list isn’t exhaustive, but it is a good start.

These words show different types of relationships between ideas. These relationships fall into four main categories: Emphasis , Contrast , Addition , and Order .

What Are Emphasis Transition Words?

These phrases are used when you want to highlight a point. Examples from my above list include clearly , particularly , and indeed . Want to see some more? Follow my bolded transitions: Undoubtedly , you understand now. It should be noted that you don’t need to worry.

How Do You Use Addition Transitions?

These words add on to what you just said. These are words like along with , moreover , and also . Here are some more: Not only are you going to be great at transitions after this, but you will also be good at writing sentences. Furthermore , everyone is excited to see what you have to say.

How Can I Use Transitions to Contrast Ideas?

This is the opposite of addition, and you use it when you want to show an alternative view or to compare things. Examples from my list include words like nonetheless , contrary to , and besides .

Here are some more: Unlike people who haven’t read this article, you are going to be really prepared to write great sentences. Even so , there is still a lot more about writing to learn.

How Do I Order Ideas in My Essay?

A good first step is using order transition words.

This set of transitions helps mark the passage of time or gives an order to events. From the list, think of things like first and finally . Now for some extras: At this time yesterday , you were worried about starting sentences. Following this , though, you will be an expert.

The four types of transitions

Now that you get the concept of transitions, let’s go back to that poorly written paragraph above and add some in to see what happens:

This morning , I went to the store. While I was there, I bought bacon and eggs. Then I saw someone I knew. So I said hello. After that , I went to the cashier. At that time , they checked me out. First , I paid. Next , I got my groceries. Following that , I went to my car. Finally , I returned home.

(Notice the use of commas after most of these transitions!)

This isn’t the best paragraph I’ve ever written. It still needs a lot of work. However, notice what a difference just adding transitions makes. This is something simple but effective you can start doing to make your sentences better today.

If you want to check your transition usage, try ProWritingAid’s Transitions report . You’ll see how many of each type of transition word you've used so you can pin-point where you might be losing your reader.

prowritingaid transitions report for essay

Sign up for a free ProWritingAid account to try it out.

What Are Some Linking Phrases I Can Use in My Essay?

As well as individual words, you can also use short phrases at the beginning of your sentences to transition between ideas. I just did it there— "As well as individual words" shows you how this section of the article is related to the last.

Here are some more phrases like this:

As shown in the example,

As a result of this,

After the meeting,

While this may be true,

Though researchers suggest X,

Before the war began,

Until we answer this question,

Since we cannot assume this to be true,

While some may claim Y,

Because we know that Z is true,

These short phrases are called dependent clauses . See how they all end with a comma? That's because they need you to add more information to make them into complete sentences.

  • While some may claim that chocolate is bad for you, data from a recent study suggests that it may have untapped health benefits .
  • Since we cannot assume that test conditions were consistent, it is impossible to reach a solid conclusion via this experiment .
  • As a result of this, critics disagree as to the symbolism of the yellow car in The Great Gatsby .

The bolded text in each example could stand on its own as a complete sentence. However, if we take away the first part of each sentence, we lose our connection to the other ideas in the essay.

These phrases are called dependent clauses : they depend on you adding another statement to the sentence to complete them. When you use a sentence starter phrase like the ones above in your writing, you signal that the new idea you have introduced completes (or disrupts) the idea before it.

Note: While some very short dependent clauses don’t need a comma, most do. Since it is not wrong to use one on even short ones (depending on the style guide being used), it is a good idea to include one every time.

Definition of a dependent clause

Along with missing transitions and repeating sentence structure, another thing that stops sentences from being great is too much repetition. Keep your sentences sharp and poignant by mixing up word choices to start your sentences.

You might start your sentence with a great word, but then you use that same word 17 sentences in a row. After the first couple, your sentences don’t sound as great. So, whether it is varying the transitional phrases you use or just mixing up the sentence openers in general, putting in some variety will only improve your sentences.

ProWritingAid lets you know if you’ve used the same word repeatedly at the start of your sentences so you can change it.

ProWritingAid's Repetition Report

The Repeats Report also shows you all of the repeats in your document. If you've used a sentence starter and then repeated it a couple of paragraphs down, the report will highlight it for you.

Try the Repeats Report with a free ProWritingAid account.

Now that you have your introduction sentences and body sentences taken care of, let’s talk a little about conclusion sentences. While you will still use transitions and clauses as in the body, there are some special considerations here.

Your conclusion is what people will remember most after they finish reading your paper. So, you want to make it stand out. Don’t just repeat yourself; tell them what they should do with what you just told them!

Use the tips from above, but also remember the following:

Be unique. Not only should you vary the words you use to start different sentences, but you should also think outside of the box. If you use the same conclusion sentence starter everyone else is using, your ideas will blend in too.

Be natural. Some of the best writing out there is writing that sounds natural. This goes for academic writing, too. While you won’t use phrases like "at the end of the day" in essay writing, stilted phrases like "in conclusion" can disrupt the flow you’ve created earlier on.

Here are some alternatives to "in conclusion" you could use in an essay:

  • To review, ... (best for scientific papers where you need to restate your key points before making your final statement)
  • As has been shown, ...
  • In the final analysis, ...
  • Taking everything into account, ...
  • On the whole, ...
  • Generally speaking, ...

If you’re looking for more ways to rephrase "in conclusion," take a look at our complete list of synonyms you can use.

in conclusion alternatives

There may not be a set word or words that you can use to make your sentences perfect. However, when you start using these tips, you’ll start to see noticeable improvement in your writing.

If you’ve ever heard people talk about pacing and flow in academic writing, and you have no idea what they mean or how to improve yours, then this is your answer. These tips will help your writing sound more natural, which is how you help your ideas flow.

Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips From Professional Writers

20 Editing Tips from Professional Writers

Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers..

topic sentence starters for book essays

Be confident about grammar

Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.

Ashley Shaw is a former editor and marketer/current PhD student and teacher. When she isn't studying con artists for her dissertation, she's thinking of new ways to help college students better understand and love the writing process.

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topic sentence starters for book essays

Crafting Compelling Sentence Starters for Essays

Embarking on the journey of essay writing can often feel like standing at the edge of a cliff, especially when it comes to crafting that perfect opening line. The initial words of your essay set the tone and can either captivate your reader or lose their interest. In this article, we'll explore various strategies and examples of sentence starters that can elevate your essays, making them not just informative but also engaging and thought-provoking.

The Art of the Opening Sentence

The opening sentence is your first impression, your chance to grab the reader's attention. It's the gateway to your thoughts and arguments, setting the stage for what's to come.

Why Are Good Sentence Starters Important?

  • Engagement: A compelling starter draws the reader in, piquing their curiosity.
  • Direction: It sets the tone and direction of your essay.
  • Context: A well-crafted opening provides a glimpse into the essay's context.

Examples of Effective Sentence Starters

  • "In the realm of X, it is often debated that..."
  • "Imagine a world where X is the norm..."
  • "X is a phenomenon that has captured the attention of many..."

Types of Sentence Starters

Depending on your essay's tone and subject, different types of sentence starters can be employed.

Question Starters

  • "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to X?"
  • "Why is X considered essential in the field of Y?"

Statement Starters

  • "The concept of X has evolved significantly over the years."
  • "X is a testament to the power of Y."

Quotation Starters

  • "As X once said, '...'"
  • "The words of X resonate deeply in the context of Y."

Tailoring Starters to Your Essay

The key to choosing the right starter is understanding the purpose and tone of your essay. Is it argumentative, descriptive, or narrative? Each type demands a different approach to engaging your reader.

Tips for Crafting Your Own Starters

  • Know Your Audience: Tailor your language to resonate with your readers.
  • Be Concise: Keep it clear and to the point.
  • Be Original: Avoid clichés to make your essay stand out.

Summary and Key Insights

Mastering the art of the opening sentence can transform your essays from mundane to memorable. It's about making a connection with your reader and setting the stage for your ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a sentence starter too cliché.

A cliché starter is one that's overused and predictable, lacking originality and failing to engage the reader.

Can I start an essay with a quote?

Absolutely! A relevant and thought-provoking quote can be an excellent way to start an essay.

How long should a sentence starter be?

It should be concise enough to be impactful but long enough to set the context.

Is it okay to start an essay with a question?

Yes, starting with a question can be a great way to engage the reader's curiosity.

Can humor be used in essay sentence starters?

If appropriate for the topic and audience, humor can be an effective tool.

The right sentence starter can be the difference between an essay that resonates and one that falls flat. It's your first step in a dialogue with your reader, so make it count.

Looking for more than just tips? Our expert content writing agency offers professional writing services, SEO content, and unlimited revisions to ensure your essays and content not only start strong but also leave a lasting impression.

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topic sentence starters for book essays

Topic sentences and signposts make an essay's claims clear to a reader. Good essays contain both.  Topic sentences   reveal the main point of a paragraph. They show the relationship of each paragraph to the essay's thesis, telegraph the point of a paragraph, and tell your reader what to expect in the paragraph that follows. Topic sentences also establish their relevance right away, making clear why the points they're making are important to the essay's main ideas. They argue rather than report.  Signposts , as their name suggests, prepare the reader for a change in the argument's direction. They show how far the essay's argument has progressed vis-ˆ-vis the claims of the thesis. 

Topic sentences and signposts occupy a middle ground in the writing process. They are neither the first thing a writer needs to address (thesis and the broad strokes of an essay's structure are); nor are they the last (that's when you attend to sentence-level editing and polishing). Topic sentences and signposts deliver an essay's structure and meaning to a reader, so they are useful diagnostic tools to the writer—they let you know if your thesis is arguable—and essential guides to the reader

Forms of Topic Sentences

 Sometimes topic sentences are actually two or even three sentences long. If the first makes a claim, the second might reflect on that claim, explaining it further. Think of these sentences as asking and answering two critical questions: How does the phenomenon you're discussing operate? Why does it operate as it does?

There's no set formula for writing a topic sentence. Rather, you should work to vary the form your topic sentences take. Repeated too often, any method grows wearisome. Here are a few approaches.

Complex sentences.   Topic sentences at the beginning of a paragraph frequently combine with a transition from the previous paragraph. This might be done by writing a sentence that contains both subordinate and independent clauses, as in the example below.

 Although  Young Woman with a Water Pitcher  depicts an unknown, middle-class woman at an ordinary task, the image is more than "realistic"; the painter [Vermeer] has imposed his own order upon it to strengthen it. 

This sentence employs a useful principle of transitions: always move from old to new information.  The subordinate clause (from "although" to "task") recaps information from previous paragraphs; the independent clauses (starting with "the image" and "the painter") introduce the new information—a claim about how the image works ("more than Ôrealistic'") and why it works as it does (Vermeer "strengthens" the image by "imposing order"). 

Questions.   Questions, sometimes in pairs, also make good topic sentences (and signposts).  Consider the following: "Does the promise of stability justify this unchanging hierarchy?" We may fairly assume that the paragraph or section that follows will answer the question. Questions are by definition a form of inquiry, and thus demand an answer. Good essays strive for this forward momentum.

Bridge sentences.   Like questions, "bridge sentences" (the term is John Trimble's) make an excellent substitute for more formal topic sentences. Bridge sentences indicate both what came before and what comes next (they "bridge" paragraphs) without the formal trappings of multiple clauses: "But there is a clue to this puzzle." 

Pivots.   Topic sentences don't always appear at the beginning of a paragraph. When they come in the middle, they indicate that the paragraph will change direction, or "pivot." This strategy is particularly useful for dealing with counter-evidence: a paragraph starts out conceding a point or stating a fact ("Psychologist Sharon Hymer uses the term Ônarcissistic friendship' to describe the early stage of a friendship like the one between Celie and Shug"); after following up on this initial statement with evidence, it then reverses direction and establishes a claim ("Yet ... this narcissistic stage of Celie and Shug's relationship is merely a transitory one. Hymer herself concedes . . . "). The pivot always needs a signal, a word like "but," "yet," or "however," or a longer phrase or sentence that indicates an about-face. It often needs more than one sentence to make its point.

Signposts operate as topic sentences for whole sections in an essay. (In longer essays, sections often contain more than a single paragraph.) They inform a reader that the essay is taking a turn in its argument: delving into a related topic such as a counter-argument, stepping up its claims with a complication, or pausing to give essential historical or scholarly background. Because they reveal the architecture of the essay itself, signposts remind readers of what the essay's stakes are: what it's about, and why it's being written. 

Signposting can be accomplished in a sentence or two at the beginning of a paragraph or in whole paragraphs that serve as transitions between one part of the argument and the next. The following example comes from an essay examining how a painting by Monet,  The Gare Saint-Lazare: Arrival of a Train,  challenges Zola's declarations about Impressionist art. The student writer wonders whether Monet's Impressionism is really as devoted to avoiding "ideas" in favor of direct sense impressions as Zola's claims would seem to suggest. This is the start of the essay's third section:

It is evident in this painting that Monet found his Gare Saint-Lazare motif fascinating at the most fundamental level of the play of light as well as the loftiest level of social relevance.  Arrival of a Train  explores both extremes of expression. At the fundamental extreme, Monet satisfies the Impressionist objective of capturing the full-spectrum effects of light on a scene.

 The writer signposts this section in the first sentence, reminding readers of the stakes of the essay itself with the simultaneous references to sense impression ("play of light") and intellectual content ("social relevance"). The second sentence follows up on this idea, while the third serves as a topic sentence for the paragraph. The paragraph after that starts off with a topic sentence about the "cultural message" of the painting, something that the signposting sentence predicts by not only reminding readers of the essay's stakes but also, and quite clearly, indicating what the section itself will contain. 

Copyright 2000, Elizabeth Abrams, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

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Using Topic Sentences

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What is a topic sentence?

A topic sentence states the main point of a paragraph: it serves as a mini-thesis for the paragraph. You might think of it as a signpost for your readers—or a headline—something that alerts them to the most important, interpretive points in your essay. When read in sequence, your essay’s topic sentences will provide a sketch of the essay’s argument. Thus topics sentences help protect your readers from confusion by guiding them through the argument. But topic sentences can also help you to improve your essay by making it easier for you to recognize gaps or weaknesses in your argument.

Where do topic sentences go?

Topic sentences usually appear at the very beginning of paragraphs. In the following example from Anatomy of Criticism , Northrop Frye establishes the figure of the tragic hero as someone more than human, but less than divine. He backs up his claim with examples of characters from literature, religion and mythology whose tragic stature is a function of their ability to mediate between their fellow human beings and a power that transcends the merely human:

The tragic hero is typically on top of the wheel of fortune, half-way between human society on the ground and the something greater in the sky. Prometheus, Adam, and Christ hang between heaven and earth, between a world of paradisal freedom and a world of bondage. Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightning: Milton’s Samson destroys the Philistine temple with himself, and Hamlet nearly exterminates the Danish court in his own fall.

The structure of Frye’s paragraph is simple yet powerful: the topic sentence makes an abstract point, and the rest of the paragraph elaborates on that point using concrete examples as evidence.

Does a topic sentence have to be at the beginning of a paragraph?

No, though this is usually the most logical place for it. Sometimes a transitional sentence or two will come before a topic sentence:

We found in comedy that the term bomolochos or buffoon need not be restricted to farce, but could be extended to cover comic characters who are primarily entertainers, with the function of increasing or focusing the comic mood. The corresponding contrasting type is the suppliant, the character, often female, who presents a picture of unmitigated helplessness and destitution. Such a figure is pathetic, and pathos, though it seems a gentler and more relaxed mood than tragedy, is even more terrifying. Its basis is the exclusion of an individual from the group; hence it attacks the deepest fear in ourselves that we possess—a fear much deeper than the relatively cosy and sociable bogey of hell. In the suppliant pity and terror are brought to the highest possible pitch of intensity, and the awful consequences of rejecting the suppliant for all concerned is a central theme of Greek tragedy.

The context for this passage is an extended discussion of the characteristics of tragedy. In this paragraph, Frye begins by drawing a parallel between the figure of the buffoon in comedy and that of the suppliant in tragedy. His discussion of the buffoon occurred in a earlier section of the chapter, a section devoted to comedy. The first sentence of the current paragraph is transitional: it prepares the way for the topic sentence. The delayed topic sentence contributes to the coherence of Frye’s discussion by drawing an explicit connection between key ideas in the book. In essays, the connection is usually between the last paragraph and the current one.

Sometimes writers save a topic sentence for the end of a paragraph. You may, for example, occasionally find that giving away your point at the beginning of a paragraph does not allow you to build your argument toward an effective climax.

How do I come up with a topic sentence? And what makes a good one?

Ask yourself what’s going on in your paragraph. Why have you chosen to include the information you have? Why is the paragraph important in the context of your argument? What point are you trying to make?

Relating your topic sentences to your thesis can help strengthen the coherence of your essay. If you include a thesis statement in your introduction, then think of incorporating a keyword from that statement into the topic sentence. But you need not be overly explicit when you echo the thesis statement. Better to be subtle rather than heavy-handed. Do not forget that your topic sentence should do more than just establish a connection between your paragraph and your thesis. Use a topic sentence to show how your paragraph contributes to the development of your argument by moving it that one extra step forward. If your topic sentence merely restates your thesis, then either your paragraph is redundant or your topic sentence needs to be reformulated. If several of your topic sentences restate your thesis, even if they do so in different words, then your essay is probably repetitive.

Does every paragraph need one?

No, but most do. Sometimes a paragraph helps to develop the same point as in the previous paragraph, and so a new topic sentence would be redundant. And sometimes the evidence in your paragraph makes your point so effectively that your topic sentence can remain implicit. But if you are in doubt, it’s best to use one.

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How to Write a Strong Topic Sentence + Examples

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What’s Covered:

  • What Is a Topic Sentence?
  • 5 Steps to Writing a Good Topic Sentence

Elements of a Good Topic Sentence

Common pitfalls to avoid.

  • Where To Get Your Essay Edited For Free

Crafting the perfect essay takes time and dedication. There are so many elements you have to worry about, such as tone, purpose, and correct spelling and grammar. Writing a strong topic sentences is another critical part in writing a cohesive essay. 

Without a strong topic sentence, you risk losing your reader and perhaps part of your grade. If it’s a college admissions essay, then you need it to be as strong as possible to back up your application. Learn about what steps you should take to write a strong topic sentence.

What Is a Topic Sentence? 

People often confuse a topic sentence with a thesis statement. A thesis statement is typically at the end of your opening paragraph, that dictates the main argument you’ll be making in your essay. 

Throughout your essay, you’ll have multiple topic sentences, as each paragraph should start off with one. This beginning sentence is used to direct the topic of the paragraph and outline the flow of the following sentences. It’s used to help guide your reader and to continue to keep them hooked on your overall essay. Without topic sentences, your essay will be unorganized, lack transitions, and sound very choppy. To write a good topic sentence, there are several steps to take.

Writing a Good Topic Sentence: 5 Steps

Step 1: decide what you’re going to write about..

When you see the essay prompt, you’ll have some time to think through what you want to say and why. You have to decide if it’s a persuasive essay, informative, narrative, or descriptive. Determine your purpose for writing the essay after reading through the prompt. Whether it’s an assignment for school or if it’s to get into college, you need to make sure you have that purpose clearly outlined. 

Step 2: Create a thesis statement.

One of the first things you need to do is create a thesis statement. This is typically a sentence with three points that you’ll back up throughout your essay. 

For example: The Office became a cultural phenomenon because it spurred the careers of many of today’s successful movie stars, it talked about situations that most American workers can relate to, and even 15 years later, offers funny, relevant content that helps to break down prejudices. 

You then use that thesis statement to create an essay around the points you want to make. 

Step 3: Make your essay outline.

Once you have the points you want to make within your thesis statement hammered out, make an outline for your essay. This is where you’ll start to create your topic sentence for each paragraph. You want to clearly state the main idea of that paragraph in the very first sentence. From there, you back up that main idea with facts and reputable sources. Make sure your topic sentence is clear, but does not just announce your topic. 

For example, do not write something like: “In this paragraph, I will discuss why it’s bad that poachers are killing giraffes.”

Instead, write something that clearly states your idea with a reasonable opinion and that gives direction to the paragraph: “Giraffes are a key part of the African ecosystem, so it’s important to enforce regulations against the poachers who are killing them for their body parts.” 

You’d then follow that up with reasons why giraffes are a key part of the African ecosystem and how poachers are destroying their population.

Step 4: Begin writing your essay.

Once you have your thesis statement and you’ve created an outline with supporting paragraphs and their topic sentences, you can begin writing your essay. It’s important to make that outline before just jumping in–a disorganized essay can spell disaster for you as you continue to write, and could result in a poor grade. Many times, teachers will even require you to turn in your outline as part of your overall essay grade. 

Step 5: Proofread and check your resources.

After you’ve written the essay, go back through it with a fine tooth comb. Read through each topic sentence and the paragraphs that follow to ensure that you’ve written clear, solid topic sentences throughout and that the paragraphs with them make sense. During the proofreading phase, you also need to recheck the sources you’re using. Make sure each source is reputable. In other words, do not use sites like Wikipedia where anyone can go in and edit an article to add misinformation. Use sites that:

  • Are actual reputable news sources, such as the New York Times , CNN, CBS News
  • Have domain names that end in .edu or .gov
  • Come from an encyclopedia, such as Encyclopedia Britannica

Using sites that are not reputable could jeopardize the validity of your argument. 

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Now that you know the steps to set yourself up for success when writing a topic sentence, there are certain elements that go into a quality first sentence. Always make sure that your topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph. You don’t want to make your reader hunt for the point you’re trying to make. Check out some key elements of a good topic sentence:

Make sure your topic sentence isn’t too vague.

You need a topic sentence that has some specifics to it. It also needs to hook in your reader in some way with an opinion. A vague sentence makes it harder to write a paragraph that can clearly backs up your thoughts. For example:

DON’T: “In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bingley seems like a nice guy.”

DO: “When Mr. Bingley is first introduced, he comes across as a kind person because he speaks to everyone and doesn’t immediately pass judgment.”

Choose a reasonable opinion.

Your topic sentence should clearly outline whatever point you’re trying to make in the paragraph, but you want to pick a reasonable opinion that you can easily reinforce with facts and statistics. Here’s an example of what you should and should not do:

DON’T: “It’s obvious that Mr. Bingley was a total loser with no backbone.”

DO: “Mr. Bingley could have shown more confidence in his choices and stood up to Mr. Darcy when he found himself in love with Jane Bennet.”

You can then back that up with facts, saying that he was a wealthy Englishman and thus one of the key players in society at the time, which should have given him more confidence. If he’d been more confident, perhaps he would not have left and devastated Jane.

Use your topic sentence as a transition.

Along with telling the reader the point of your next paragraph, your topic sentence should also serve as a transition from the previous paragraph. Without a transition, the essay can feel like it’s choppy and disjointed. For example:

DON’T: “Mr. Bingley is a good man and here’s why.”

DO: “Although Mr. Bingley did break Jane’s heart by leaving, he ended up redeeming himself by returning to Netherfield Hall.”

Keep your topic sentence short.

A long, drawn-out topic sentence can risk losing your reader. Many times, it’s hard to determine the point of a sentence when it goes on for too long. You want a clear, concise sentence that draws in the reader but also leaves some room for you to expand on it in the following paragraph.

DON’T: “Throughout the novel of Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bingley was often quite different from Mr. Darcy as he would treat all people in a friendly manner, considering them all his friends and acquaintances, even agreeing to throw a ball after Elizabeth’s sisters rudely demanded he do so and was gracious to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as well despite their manners.”

DO: “Overall, Mr. Bingley served as a foil to Mr. Darcy throughout the story by treating everyone around him equally with dignity and grace.”

Writing an essay can be overwhelming at times, but so long as you avoid some of these common pitfalls, it can be easier to get it done on time. 

Don’t wait until the last minute.

If your teacher assigns you an essay or tells you that you have an essay test coming up, don’t wait until the day before to do anything about it. You have to plan or study and you need to give yourself time to do that. If you know it takes you a while to write something, then start planning it as soon as you get the assignment.

Don’t forget to write an outline.

Along with planning, make sure you have that outline written up and planned out well. It will serve as your guideline for writing the essay. Without it, you’ll face the risk of a disorganized essay that does not clearly illustrate your point.

Ask for help if you need it.

This may be the most important pitfall to avoid. If you get in over your head while writing, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ask a friend to review the essay or ask your teacher for guidance. 

Where to Get Your Essay Edited for Free

Once you’ve finished your essay, you may want additional input. There are tools out there to help, but CollegeVine’s free peer essay review tool can provide you with actionable feedback from students just like you. CollegeVine’s tool has helped many students and may be able to help you, too! Asking for peer feedback can help to refine your essay and it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes read through what you’ve written. Check out the free tool today!

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  • How to write an essay introduction | 4 steps & examples

How to Write an Essay Introduction | 4 Steps & Examples

Published on February 4, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A good introduction paragraph is an essential part of any academic essay . It sets up your argument and tells the reader what to expect.

The main goals of an introduction are to:

  • Catch your reader’s attention.
  • Give background on your topic.
  • Present your thesis statement —the central point of your essay.

This introduction example is taken from our interactive essay example on the history of Braille.

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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Table of contents

Step 1: hook your reader, step 2: give background information, step 3: present your thesis statement, step 4: map your essay’s structure, step 5: check and revise, more examples of essay introductions, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

Your first sentence sets the tone for the whole essay, so spend some time on writing an effective hook.

Avoid long, dense sentences—start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

The hook should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of the topic you’re writing about and why it’s interesting. Avoid overly broad claims or plain statements of fact.

Examples: Writing a good hook

Take a look at these examples of weak hooks and learn how to improve them.

  • Braille was an extremely important invention.
  • The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

The first sentence is a dry fact; the second sentence is more interesting, making a bold claim about exactly  why the topic is important.

  • The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.”
  • The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education.

Avoid using a dictionary definition as your hook, especially if it’s an obvious term that everyone knows. The improved example here is still broad, but it gives us a much clearer sense of what the essay will be about.

  • Mary Shelley’s  Frankenstein is a famous book from the nineteenth century.
  • Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement.

Instead of just stating a fact that the reader already knows, the improved hook here tells us about the mainstream interpretation of the book, implying that this essay will offer a different interpretation.

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Next, give your reader the context they need to understand your topic and argument. Depending on the subject of your essay, this might include:

  • Historical, geographical, or social context
  • An outline of the debate you’re addressing
  • A summary of relevant theories or research about the topic
  • Definitions of key terms

The information here should be broad but clearly focused and relevant to your argument. Don’t give too much detail—you can mention points that you will return to later, but save your evidence and interpretation for the main body of the essay.

How much space you need for background depends on your topic and the scope of your essay. In our Braille example, we take a few sentences to introduce the topic and sketch the social context that the essay will address:

Now it’s time to narrow your focus and show exactly what you want to say about the topic. This is your thesis statement —a sentence or two that sums up your overall argument.

This is the most important part of your introduction. A  good thesis isn’t just a statement of fact, but a claim that requires evidence and explanation.

The goal is to clearly convey your own position in a debate or your central point about a topic.

Particularly in longer essays, it’s helpful to end the introduction by signposting what will be covered in each part. Keep it concise and give your reader a clear sense of the direction your argument will take.

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topic sentence starters for book essays

As you research and write, your argument might change focus or direction as you learn more.

For this reason, it’s often a good idea to wait until later in the writing process before you write the introduction paragraph—it can even be the very last thing you write.

When you’ve finished writing the essay body and conclusion , you should return to the introduction and check that it matches the content of the essay.

It’s especially important to make sure your thesis statement accurately represents what you do in the essay. If your argument has gone in a different direction than planned, tweak your thesis statement to match what you actually say.

To polish your writing, you can use something like a paraphrasing tool .

You can use the checklist below to make sure your introduction does everything it’s supposed to.

Checklist: Essay introduction

My first sentence is engaging and relevant.

I have introduced the topic with necessary background information.

I have defined any important terms.

My thesis statement clearly presents my main point or argument.

Everything in the introduction is relevant to the main body of the essay.

You have a strong introduction - now make sure the rest of your essay is just as good.

  • Argumentative
  • Literary analysis

This introduction to an argumentative essay sets up the debate about the internet and education, and then clearly states the position the essay will argue for.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

This introduction to a short expository essay leads into the topic (the invention of the printing press) and states the main point the essay will explain (the effect of this invention on European society).

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

This introduction to a literary analysis essay , about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , starts by describing a simplistic popular view of the story, and then states how the author will give a more complex analysis of the text’s literary devices.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale. Arguably the first science fiction novel, its plot can be read as a warning about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, and in popular culture representations of the character as a “mad scientist”, Victor Frankenstein represents the callous, arrogant ambition of modern science. However, far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to gradually transform our impression of Frankenstein, portraying him in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

  • An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
  • Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
  • A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

The “hook” is the first sentence of your essay introduction . It should lead the reader into your essay, giving a sense of why it’s interesting.

To write a good hook, avoid overly broad statements or long, dense sentences. Try to start with something clear, concise and catchy that will spark your reader’s curiosity.

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

  • It gives your writing direction and focus.
  • It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

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Initiating Strong Sentences: Topic Sentence Starters for Informational Writing

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My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Initiating Strong Sentences: Topic Sentence Starters for Informational Writing

Have you ever struggled with finding the right words to start your informational ⁣writing? Crafting a solid‍ and compelling topic sentence is crucial to hooking your readers right from the beginning. But fear not, as we’re here to guide you through the art of initiating strong⁤ sentences. In this article, we will explore a range of‌ topic sentence starters that will elevate your writing‌ to new heights. Whether ‍you are a student trying to ace your academic essays or a professional aiming to captivate your audience, ⁢these helpful tips and techniques will equip you with the tools you need to create powerful and engaging opening sentences. Get ready to command attention and leave ‌a lasting impression with your written works. Get ready to unlock the‍ secrets of persuasive⁢ and persuasive and engaging topic sentence starters.

1. Understanding the Purpose: Why Topic Sentence Starters ⁣are Crucial in Informational Writing

2. exploring effective sentence starters: key ‍strategies to​ grab readers’ attention, 3. crafting clear and concise statements: tips for formulating strong topic sentences, 4. connecting ideas with coherence: using transitions in topic sentence starters, 5. enhancing clarity and organization: utilizing specificity ⁤in topic sentence starters, 6. injecting creativity and engagement: ‌adding variety to topic sentence structures, 7. tailoring topic⁢ sentences to different types of informational writing, 8. mastering ​the art: practicing topic sentence starters for polished informational writing, frequently asked ‌questions, to conclude.

When it comes to crafting compelling ‍informational writing pieces, one often overlooked yet vital tool⁤ is the proper use of​ topic sentence starters. These concise and powerful phrases play a crucial​ role in guiding ⁤the reader ​through⁢ your content, setting the tone, and organizing your thoughts effectively. By incorporating effective topic sentence starters, you enable⁤ your readers to‌ grasp the main ideas quickly, enhancing ⁤their comprehension and overall engagement with your work.

Firstly, topic sentence starters act⁢ as signposts that provide a clear ‍roadmap for your readers. With a well-crafted topic sentence starter, you can direct your audience’s attention to the ⁤central theme ⁤or main point of each paragraph. Bold and eye-catching, these sentence starters serve as a compass, helping the reader navigate through your writing effortlessly. Additionally, they help establish logical connections between ideas, facilitating a smooth flow of information from one‌ point to another. By using sentence starters ⁣effectively, you ensure that your readers are neither lost nor overwhelmed, resulting in a more enjoyable reading experience.

When it comes to writing engaging content, one crucial factor is ‍catching your readers’ attention right from the start. The choice of ⁢sentence starters plays a significant role in captivating your audience and keeping them hooked throughout your piece. By ⁤using the ‍following strategies, you can elevate your writing and make a lasting impact:

  • Ask a thought-provoking question: Posing a question at the beginning of‌ your⁣ sentence immediately engages your readers and ​encourages them to start thinking. This technique not only grabs attention but‌ also stimulates curiosity, ‍enticing readers to⁢ continue reading for‌ possible answers.
  • Paint a vivid picture: Opening your sentence with descriptive⁤ language can transport your readers into​ the heart ⁤of your story or topic. By⁢ appealing⁣ to their senses and providing vibrant details, you create a captivating atmosphere and immerse your audience within your writing.
  • Share a captivating anecdote: Everyone loves a good story! By starting your ⁤sentence with a compelling anecdote or personal experience, you instantly hook your readers by relating to them on a human‍ level. This technique fosters an emotional connection and encourages readers to invest in ⁢your content.

By incorporating these effective sentence starters into your writing, you can grab your readers’ attention and captivate them from ‍the very beginning. Remember, the key is to create intrigue, paint vivid images, ⁢and⁢ make personal connections. So, experiment with these strategies and discover the power they hold in captivating your audience and elevating your content to new heights!

When‌ it⁣ comes to writing, one of the most crucial elements is crafting clear and concise topic sentences. A topic sentence acts as a roadmap for your readers, guiding them through your thoughts and ideas.‌ To ensure your topic sentences are strong ‍and effective, here are some valuable tips:

  • State the main idea: Start your topic sentence by clearly ‌stating the main ​idea or point you want to discuss in‌ the paragraph. This helps ‌your readers ⁤understand what the paragraph will be about.
  • Be ‍specific: Avoid vague or general statements and instead provide specific​ details ⁣or examples that support your main idea. This adds clarity and credibility to your writing.
  • Avoid repetition: Ensure that your topic sentence does not simply⁢ repeat the main idea of the previous paragraph. It should introduce a new point of discussion to‌ maintain the flow of⁣ your writing.
  • Keep it concise: ​Aim for brevity in your topic sentences. While⁤ they should be⁤ clear and informative, it’s important not to overwhelm your ‍readers with lengthy sentences.

By following these tips, you can enhance the clarity ‍and cohesiveness of your ​writing. Strong ‍topic sentences not only make your content easier to comprehend, but they also engage your readers and make‍ your writing more impactful.

4. Connecting Ideas with Coherence: Using Transitions in Topic Sentence Starters

When it ‍comes ⁣to writing, one of ‍the essential elements in ensuring a‌ smooth flow of ‌ideas ⁤is the use of transitions. These handy linguistic devices help link sentences, paragraphs, and even entire sections together, providing a logical progression ⁤of thought. By incorporating transitions into your topic sentence starters, you can effectively connect ‍ideas⁢ and enhance the overall coherence ⁢of⁢ your writing.

To begin with, utilizing transition words or phrases at the beginning of your topic sentences helps signal​ the ⁣relationship between the current and‍ previous ideas. Words like “additionally,” “furthermore,” and “moreover” are excellent ‍choices as they indicate an expansion or continuation of⁢ a previous⁢ point. Alternatively, you can opt for words such as “however,” “nevertheless,” or “on the other hand” to introduce ‌a contrasting perspective or opposing viewpoint. By skillfully incorporating these transitions, you guide readers through your​ arguments, enabling ‍them to follow your thought process effortlessly.

  • Emphasizing Importance: Starting your ​topic sentence with “significantly,” “notably,” or “crucially” ⁢helps highlight the importance of a particular idea or evidence.
  • Providing Examples: Transition phrases like⁢ “for example,” “such⁣ as,” or “to illustrate”⁣ allow you​ to introduce ‌specific instances or evidence ⁣to support your point.
  • Showing Cause⁢ and Effect: Words like “consequently,” “thus,” or “as a result” assist in explaining the consequences or results of a given situation or action.
  • Comparing and Contrasting: Utilize transitional phrases such as “similarly,” “in contrast,” or “just like” to draw comparisons or highlight differences⁣ between ideas.

The effective use of transitions in topic sentence starters not only enhances the clarity of your writing but also adds a sense of ‍cohesion to your overall composition. Experiment with different transition words and phrases to see which ones best suit your writing style and intended message.⁣ Remember, a well-connected piece of writing ​is not only easier to follow but also more engaging for your readers.

When it comes to writing, clarity and organization ⁣are key. One ​effective way to achieve this‍ is by utilizing specificity in your topic sentence ‌starters.⁤ A topic sentence serves as a roadmap for your readers, guiding them through the main ideas of your paragraphs. By​ incorporating specific details in your topic sentence starters, you can‍ provide a clearer and more structured flow to your writing.

Here are a few​ benefits of ⁢utilizing‌ specificity⁤ in ⁤your topic sentence​ starters:

  • Engaging ⁣the reader: Specificity captures the reader’s⁢ attention and piques their interest. It gives them a glimpse of what’s to come in your paragraph, making them eager to continue reading.
  • Setting clear expectations: By starting your topic sentence with specific ⁣details, you establish a clear focus​ for your paragraph. This helps to ⁢avoid confusion and ensures that your readers understand the main point you are trying to convey.
  • Enhancing coherence: Specific topic sentence starters create a logical flow ​in your writing.‌ Developing a habit of including relevant details from the start can improve the overall coherence and organization​ of your ideas.

Remember, the key to utilizing specificity⁢ in topic sentence starters is to be precise and concise. By doing so, you can⁣ elevate the clarity⁤ and organization of your writing,‌ making it more engaging and ​effective for your ⁣readers.

When it comes ⁤to writing engaging and captivating content, it’s essential to go beyond the typical topic sentence ⁢structures and inject some creativity. By varying ‍the way you structure your topic sentences, you can grab your ‌readers’ attention and keep them hooked from the start to the end. Here are ‍some innovative ways to add variety to your topic​ sentence structures:

1. Pose a thought-provoking question: Start your paragraph with ‍a question that stimulates curiosity and entices readers to seek answers. For example, instead of a plain statement like “Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing industries,” try ‍asking “Can machines really outsmart humans? Discover the impact of artificial intelligence on various industries!”

2. ⁣Use vivid imagery: Paint a picture in your readers’‍ minds‌ by incorporating descriptive and colorful language into your topic sentence. Create mental images that captivate their⁢ imagination and make your content memorable. For instance, instead of a mundane sentence ⁤like “The beach is beautiful,” try “Embark ⁤on a sensory journey ⁢as we explore the breathtaking‍ vistas,‍ sun-kissed sands, and‌ gentle waves of the mesmerizing‍ beach.”

3. Share a surprising fact or statistic: ⁣Startle your audience with intriguing information to ​ignite⁢ their curiosity. People are always eager ‌to learn something new and⁢ surprising. Instead of a​ predictable opener like “Most people love chocolate,” grab attention with “Did you know ‍that Americans consume enough chocolate‍ each year ⁤to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool over 9 times? Discover the sweet world of chocolate cravings!”

4. Employ storytelling techniques: Engage your readers by weaving a compelling narrative right from your topic sentence. Create a sense of anticipation and mystery that⁣ compels them to ‍continue reading. For instance, instead of a⁣ simple statement like “Jenny ⁤is a successful entrepreneur,” try “Follow Jenny’s incredible journey ‌as she defies all odds and rises from a humble start-up to become one of the most impactful ⁢entrepreneurs of our time.”

By consciously injecting creativity into your topic sentence structures,⁣ you can‍ infuse your writing with energy and captivate your audience. Embrace these techniques and ⁢watch as your content becomes more engaging, memorable, ‍and effective at keeping readers hooked from the very beginning.

Topic sentences play ⁤a crucial role in guiding readers through different​ types of informational writing. By tailoring topic sentences appropriately, you can effectively convey the main ideas of your content and ensure a smooth flow of information. Here are some tips on how to craft topic sentences‌ for various forms of informational writing:

  • Expository writing: In⁢ expository writing, topic sentences should clearly state the main objective or purpose of the text. They should provide an overview of the content and​ capture the reader’s attention. Use ⁤topic sentences to introduce new ideas and concepts, offering a glimpse into what⁣ will be discussed⁤ in ⁣the subsequent paragraphs.
  • Descriptive writing: When writing descriptively,​ topic sentences should vividly introduce the aspects or qualities you ‍want to portray. These sentences should ‍engage the reader’s senses, ⁢using strong⁣ adjectives or​ adverbs to create a clear mental image. Ensure that your topic sentences evoke emotions or provoke curiosity, inviting the reader to continue exploring the descriptive details within the text.

By adapting your topic sentences to suit the ⁢type of informational writing, ​you can enhance the​ overall readability and impact⁢ of your work. Remember to structure your content logically, prioritizing the most important information in your topic sentences and expanding on them‌ in the subsequent paragraphs. With effective topic sentences , ⁤you can guide your readers smoothly through the various forms of informational writing, ensuring⁢ they grasp the key points effortlessly.

In the world of⁣ writing, crafting clear and compelling topic sentences is an essential skill for any writer seeking to engage and inform their readers.‍ Whether you’re a student perfecting your essays or a professional honing your​ business reports, mastering ⁣the art of utilizing topic sentence starters can take your informational writing to the next ⁣level. By using these powerful sentence starters, you can effectively ⁢convey your main ideas and provide a seamless flow to your writing.

To begin with, employing phrases such as “One key aspect to consider is…”, “An important factor to⁤ remember is…”, or ⁣”A crucial point to​ note is…” can serve as excellent topic sentence‍ starters. These phrases introduce the‌ subject matter and set the stage for⁣ the subsequent information you are about to provide. Additionally, incorporating phrases ​like ⁣”Furthermore, it‍ is ⁣important ⁤to…”, “Moreover, it is worth mentioning that…”, or “Additionally, it is interesting‌ to note that…”⁢ can help you present supporting evidence or expand ⁣on the main idea. Employing these sentence starters allows you to⁣ provide a clear and ⁤cohesive ⁤structure to your informational writing, guiding your readers through your content effortlessly.

Furthermore, remember to vary your sentence starters to‌ maintain the reader’s interest and prevent monotony. Begin ⁢some sentences‍ with “In contrast…”, “On the other hand…”, or “Conversely…”. These⁣ starters lend⁣ themselves well to comparing and contrasting different ideas within ‍your writing, enabling you to provide balanced perspectives and present a ⁤more comprehensive analysis. ⁣Additionally, consider incorporating phrases like “To illustrate…”, “For instance…”, or “As an example…” to‌ provide vivid ​examples that bolster your main points. These sentence starters allow⁢ readers to visualize ⁤the concepts you present⁣ and further solidify⁣ your arguments.

With these fundamentals in mind, practicing and utilizing topic sentence starters will undoubtedly enhance the quality and impact of ⁢your⁤ informational writing. By employing a variety of these phrases, you can effectively⁢ structure your content, engage‍ your readers, and ensure that your writing is polished ‍and professional. So, take the time to hone this⁢ essential skill, and watch as your ⁤writing captivates and informs your audience like never before.

Q: What are​ topic sentences‌ and why are they‍ important in informational writing? A: Topic sentences act as the main idea or focus of a paragraph in informational ​writing. They serve as a guide for readers⁣ and provide a clear ⁢roadmap for ‌the information that will follow in the rest of the paragraph.

Q: How can I initiate strong topic sentences in ⁣my writing? A: To initiate strong topic ⁤sentences, it is essential to utilize effective starters⁢ that engage readers and compel ⁢them to continue reading. These starters should⁣ introduce the main idea of ⁢the paragraph, grab attention, and establish a firm foundation for the upcoming information.

Q: What are some examples of topic sentence starters that can enhance my writing? A: Some examples of topic sentence starters include: 1. “One key aspect to consider is…” 2. “In today’s society, it is evident that…” 3. ⁤”To fully understand this concept, it is crucial to…” 4. “A significant factor in this discussion is…” 5. ‌”From a historical perspective, it becomes clear that…”

Q: Are there any ⁤strategies for choosing ‌the right topic sentence starter? A: Yes, there are a few strategies. Firstly, consider ​the main point you want to convey in the paragraph. Then, select a starter that accurately reflects ⁣the essence of your topic. Additionally, blending creativity with clarity can make your topic sentence more engaging and intriguing to readers.

Q: How can topic sentence starters help improve the flow of my writing? A: Topic sentence starters create a sense of cohesion in your writing. By using them effectively, you can ensure a smooth flow from one paragraph to another,‌ connecting ideas seamlessly and allowing readers to follow your thought ‌process effortlessly.

Q: Are there any common ⁤mistakes that ​I should avoid when using topic sentence starters? A: Absolutely! One common mistake is using generic or vague starters that fail to grab the reader’s attention or convey the topic clearly. Another mistake​ is beginning with⁣ irrelevant⁤ information that does not ⁢align with the paragraph’s ⁢main ⁢idea. Remember, the purpose of a topic sentence starter is ⁢to initiate strong, focused sentences that lead readers into the paragraph.

Q: Can you provide any tips on how⁣ to practice incorporating topic sentence starters into my writing? A: One effective way to practice is to write short paragraphs on different topics using various topic sentence starters. This will help you⁤ explore different possibilities while honing your skills in creating strong topic sentences. Additionally, reading and analyzing well-crafted informational articles can also provide ‌useful insights and inspiration.

Q: How important is revision when it comes to topic sentence starters? A: Revision is crucial​ when working on topic sentence starters. It allows you to refine and strengthen your writing. By revisiting your initial topic sentence starters, you can evaluate whether they effectively ⁢convey ⁣the main idea ​and⁤ refine⁣ them to better engage your audience.

Q: In conclusion, how can incorporating strong ⁢topic sentence starters benefit my informational writing? A: Incorporating strong topic sentence starters enhances the clarity, flow, and impact of your ‍writing. It serves as a guide ‍to your readers,⁣ setting the stage for the information to come. By engaging your audience from the beginning, you create a more compelling reading experience, ensuring that‍ your message is effectively conveyed.

Initiating Strong Sentences: Topic Sentence Starters for Informational Writing

A Lesson Plan for Effective Brainstorming: Creative Teaching Strategies

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Starter Sentences for Essays: Examples and How to write them

Starter phrases

Starter Sentences for Essays

Starter sentences are very important when aiming to write an essay that will guarantee excellent grades. They help your essay to sound good and flow well since they make your work engage more with the writer while making it interesting to read. You might be wondering what I’m talking about.

Well, in simple terms, sentence starters or starter sentences are phrases that are placed at the beginning of a sentence to introduce the content or information that is contained within the sentence. They can also be placed at the start of a paragraph to introduce the paragraph’s content.

While there are various combinations of starter sentences that can be used, it is important to avoid repeating the same combination of words or phrases while starting every sentence. Your essay will be interesting instead of sounding repetitive. 

topic sentence starters for book essays

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Importance of good essay starters, 1. they bring out richer ideas.

One of the major importance of good essay starters is helping you come up with richer and more nuanced ideas. Without them, you will find that your essays will have a regular habit of containing simple subject-verb sentence structures that are not only uninteresting but also unstimulating to the creative mind. 

Good essay starters can stimulate your mind in such a way that you come up with better ideas to support your claims in your academic essays. They also ensure that your work is more refined.

2. Starter sentences Link Ideas 

importance of linking clauses

When good essay starters are used, they can help in linking ideas from one paragraph to the other.

They can also aid in transitioning from one section of your essay, let’s say the introduction, to the body paragraphs, and finally to the conclusion. 

Good essay starters can act as transitions and sentence-starting phrases that transition from one idea to the next smoothly.

They are capable of linking ideas in such a way that the reader will effortlessly flow with the essay from the start to the end.

3. They increase Credibility and Professionalism

As aforementioned, sentence or essay starters are made up of words that introduce the ideas that will be presented within a sentence, a paragraph, or an entire essay.

As such, those words should be carefully selected so that they can effectively serve their intended purpose of introducing, transitioning, and making the essay more interesting and flowing.

Therefore, if you carefully select the appropriate words to act as essay starters, then your academic paper will sound more professional and credible. If such phrases achieve their intended use, the reader will automatically notice and appreciate your essay.

4. Arouse the Reader’s Attention and Anticipation

Good essay starters will ensure that the reader is attentive throughout the essay. Since you will be using different essay starters in different sections or paragraphs of your essay, it means that their attention will be renewed every time they start reading the next paragraph or section. They will anticipate the information that has been introduced by the essay/sentence starter. 

Your readers will be curious and engaged concerning your next claim or argument. Your essay will not be plain and predictable as in the case of essays that lack essay starters.

5. They make Essays Stand Out

When good essay starters are appropriately used, they make your essay stand out from the rest. This is because they make your essay interesting, flowing, professional, and well-researched.

When you are about to make an important point, it is good to use linking and transitional words to start your essay. Your concepts and ideas will be better understood when essay starters are used. 

6. Understanding the Content

For those who are reading an essay, good essay starters will help you understand the type of content you are about to read and think about. You can be told to write an essay based on some specific reading.

Essay starters will help you understand the content better so that you can be able to come up with your essay. 

7. Helps Simplify Linguistically Complex Ideas

Some essays will require you to tackle complex linguistic ideas. Good essay starters can help simplify such ideas in such a way that you, as a writer, can produce a coherent essay, and the readers can comprehend your claims and arguments.

As such, good essay starters are very instrumental when writing persuasive essays, argumentative essays, analytical essays, and contrast essays. They can be used to analyze/predict, explain, and demonstrate cause and effect. 

Tips when Starting Essays

When starting essays, it is important to consider the topic or the subject of your essay and your audience. In writing good essays , one step is starting with an interesting piece that grabs the reader’s read.

ideas to begin an essay

As such, you should first pose a specific question concerning the topic and suggest a correct answer in anticipation of what your audience or readers might respond to.

A strong thesis statement should follow so that you can base your claims and arguments on them.

Your entire essay will be based on the question/answer and the strong thesis statement.

To effectively start an essay, take note of the tips below to deliver a perfect essay introduction.

1. Start with Something Interesting

If you wish to start an essay well, ensure that you share some interesting or shocking facts concerning your topic. Here, you will have to consider your audience’s perspective towards the interesting or shocking fact.

Ensure that the fact is appropriate and relevant to your topic or subject. In our guide on how to write a good paragraph , we explained the importance of such interesting starts because they grab the reader’s attention.

2. Asking a Relevant Question

You can also start your essay by posing a relevant question and immediately answering it. Such a question should be posed in such a way that the readers would want to answer it while still anticipating your answer.

When you immediately answer the question, you invite your audience to consider your response.

3. The Thesis Statement

It is very important to have a strong thesis statement while starting your essay. In most cases, academic papers should have a strong thesis statement in the introduction paragraph.

Some instructors can downgrade you if your essay does not contain a thesis statement in the introduction paragraph.

Once you have identified the thesis statement, place it in the last sentence of the introduction paragraph because the rest of the essay will be based on it. Credible arguments within the body paragraphs will support the claims stated by the thesis statement. 

4. Be Descriptive

When starting your essay, dedicate a few sentences to describe things. You can use anecdotes, quotes, and other relevant rhetorical features to make your readers understand what your essay will be discussing. 

While doing all this, make sure that you have selected the most intriguing topic. Evaluate all the options given to you by your instructor so that you can define the key purpose of your essay.

Once this is done, study the most appropriate literature and conduct thorough research. Come up with a proper outline. Outlines will help you organize your ideas and thoughts into categories to make your writing process easier. 

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36 Examples of Starter Sentences for Different Essays

The section below will give a number of examples that we think will help you get a direction of what to do. To do that, we have divided these examples into 4 categories; persuasive essays, argumentative, analytical, and contrast essays.

9 Good Examples of Starter Sentences for Persuasive Essays

  • In my opinion…
  • I’m sure of…
  • We all know…
  • I feel that…
  • We all agree…
  • While I agree…
  • You must agree that…

Nine Good Starter Sentences for Argumentative Essays

starter phrases

  • In addition to…
  • For example…
  • As well as…
  • Furthermore…
  • Coupled with…
  • Correspondingly…
  • One other thing is that…

9 Good Starter Sentences for Analytical Essays

  • As a result…
  • Accordingly…
  • Consequently…
  • For this reason….
  • This is why…
  • As you can see/notice…
  • For all of this…
  • For all of those reasons…
  • Because of/due to the reason that…

9 Good Starter Sentences for Contrast Essays

  • In contrast to…
  • Nevertheless…
  • On the one hand…
  • On the contrary…
  • Even though this is the case…
  • Conversely,
  • On the other end,

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Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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Topic Sentence Generator

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101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples

If you struggle to find “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay topics on prejudice, race, the characters’ courage, or any other issue, look no further. Our team has prepared a list of titles and essay writing tips for this book.

🏆 Best To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Topics & Examples

📌 most interesting to kill a mockingbird essay titles, 👍 good to kill a mockingbird research topics, ❓ to kill a mockingbird essay questions.

Before we will talk about the do’s and don’ts in essay writing, let’s clarify the types of essay.

When working on “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay thesis, you can focus on the facts of the book or concentrate on your attitude towards its key issues and characters. According to your approach, we can divide essays into two main areas:

  • Objective essay: you set out your personal thoughts on a chosen issue and provide supporting arguments and evidence;
  • Subjective essay: you express your point of view on a specific topic without claiming the truth and strengthening it with facts.

For example, when you choose a “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay topics on goodness, you will state that Atticus is a kind and fearless. No doubt that this character has a positive role.

On the other hand, when you describe Mayella, you will have to choose: will you condemn her or express pity.

As for the essay content, it can be divided into many subcategories:

  • Philosophical essay
  • Critical essay
  • Literary analysis
  • Historical essay, etc.

There are also a few key literary types:

  • Feature article, etc.

Do’s & Don’ts When Writing To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

Now, it’s time to talk about what you should write and what to avoid in your paper. First of all, you have to remember that all “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay titles should reveal the essence of the issue.

Recommendations for essay writing:

  • Do mark your essay subject at the beginning of the text. “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay hooks will help you to catch the reader’s attention. Don’t forget to emphasize the central issue in the conclusion.
  • Do support the style of presentation by your emotions, vision, and opinion. Use the “question-answer” in paragraphs. Make the transitions between paragraphs harmonious and smooth.
  • Do use quotes, historical facts, and observations to argue the thesis statement, solve the main issue, and describe the key subject of the paper.
  • Do stick to the central thesis of your essay. Avoid deepen into philosophical reflections — tell about concrete facts and examples. Here’s an example: don’t include the facts from the author’s biography if you focus on the events of the book and factors that affect discrimination.
  • Do proofread the paper. Read carefully your essay several times and think if your readers will understand your expressions.
  • Do not use specific terminology in “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay. For example, when you write about discrimination, you don’t necessarily have to provide its dictionary definition or use complex law, historical and psychological literature, and samples. Just your own language. However, it doesn’t mean that your opinion should seem ungrounded.
  • Do add your emotions to the paper. Let your readers feel that you believe in your ideas when defending the essay thesis.
  • Don’t choose the header before you write an essay. First, you should write an essay, and only then compile the title of your paper.

Well, now you know about the essay types, what to do, and what to avoid in your essay. Of course, you may ask: “What to write in my own essay?”

The key to success is to start. Check “To Kill a Mockingbird” essay examples on our website to get inspiration. Even the topic seems to you too complicated, start your research, and then you will be able to express new and original thoughts.

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  • The True Heroic Qualities of Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The Theme of the Loss of Childhood Innocence in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • Town of Maycomb’s Role in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • The Different Types of Prejudice Represented in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • Atticus Finch as a Moral Compass for His Children in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The Moral Development of the Characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The Impact of Cowardice on the Characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • Mrs Dubose as an Example of Courage in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The Impact of Scout’s Family on Her Development in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The Victims of Stereotyping in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • Atticus Finch as a Father Figure in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • Tragic Hero in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Crucible”
  • The Themes of Racism and Fear of the Unknown in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • Hidden Symbols in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • The Value of Informal Education in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • Tom Robinson’s Trial as a Central Part of “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • Unarmed Bravery in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • Use of Piaget’s Theories of Child Development in Analyzing “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • The Tolerance Level of the Characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
  • The Use of Symbolism and Irony in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • Tom Robinson’s Conviction in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”
  • How Old Is Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Does Mrs. Maudie’s Nut Grass Symbolize in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Does Scout Describe Dill in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Is the Theme of Femininity and the Power of Women From “To Kill a Mockingbird” Still Relevant Today?
  • Who Are the Radleys in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • Why Does Scout Have That Nickname in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Are Fathers Presented in the Novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Is the Main Meaning of “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Does Author Present Racial Issues During the 1930s in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Are the Two Main Plots in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Is the Irony in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Is the Most Important Lesson in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • Is “To Kill a Mockingbird” Still Relevant Today?
  • How Does Lee Make Atticus Finch a Heroic Figure in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What “To Kill a Mockingbird” Teaches Us?
  • What Are Some Life Lessons From “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Is the First Turning Point in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What’s the Climax of “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Are Some Symbols in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Are Prejudice and Hypocrisy Explored in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Does Harper Lee Build Up Tension Throughout the Novel “To Kill a Mockingbird?
  • How Has “To Kill a Mockingbird” Changed the World?
  • Why Should Students Read “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Does Harper Lee Use Minor Characters in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • How Does “To Kill a Mockingbird” Connect to the World?
  • What Does the Reader Learn About the Social Setting in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Are the Most Important Quotes in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • Who Is the Protagonist in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • Who Lost Their Innocence in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • What Does the Mad Dog Represent in “To Kill a Mockingbird”?
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 1). 101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-kill-a-mockingbird-essay-examples/

"101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples." IvyPanda , 1 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-kill-a-mockingbird-essay-examples/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples'. 1 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples." March 1, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-kill-a-mockingbird-essay-examples/.

1. IvyPanda . "101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples." March 1, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-kill-a-mockingbird-essay-examples/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples." March 1, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/to-kill-a-mockingbird-essay-examples/.

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  1. What Are Good Sentence Starters for Essays?

    Topic sentence starters for essays. Topic sentences are like the sentence starters of an entire essay—they introduce what the paragraph or entire text is about so the readers know what to expect. This paper discusses . . . In this paper . . . Here, we discuss . . . Below, you will find . . . Conclusion sentence starters for essays

  2. How to Write Topic Sentences

    Step 2: Make an essay outline and draft topic sentences. Next, you should make an outline of your essay's structure, planning what you want to say in each paragraph and what evidence you'll use. At this stage, you can draft a topic sentence that sums up the main point you want to make in each paragraph. The topic sentences should be more ...

  3. 7 Great Topic Sentence Starters

    Here are seven of the best: 1. A great topic sentence starter engages the reader and creates interest in the topic. A topic sentence that is interesting, insightful, and informative will keep the reader reading. 2. A strong topic sentence will grab the reader's attention and make them want to read more.

  4. Sentence Starters ⇒ Words and Phrases to Start Sentences

    A sentence starter is simply a word or a phrase that will help you to get your sentence going when you feel stuck, and it can be helpful in many different situations. A good sentence starter can help you better transition from one paragraph to another or connect two ideas. If not started correctly, your sentence will likely sound choppy, and ...

  5. Sentence Starters: Ultimate List to Improve Your Essays and Writing

    If you want to start writing terrific sentences (and improve your essay structure ), the first thing you should do is start using transition words. Transition words are those words or phrases that help connect thoughts and ideas. They move one sentence or paragraph into another, and they make things feel less abrupt.

  6. How to Write Masterful Topic Sentences for Essays

    First, topic sentences string together paragraphs in a way that progresses nicely and facilitates reading. Moving from one paragraph to another can feel jarring and abrupt, so topic sentences help maintain the flow of the overall piece of writing—and readers' focus as a result. Moreover, topic sentences also "preview" what the reader ...

  7. Crafting Compelling Sentence Starters for Essays

    Why Are Good Sentence Starters Important? Engagement: A compelling starter draws the reader in, piquing their curiosity. Direction: It sets the tone and direction of your essay. Context: A well-crafted opening provides a glimpse into the essay's context.

  8. How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay

    Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.

  9. Topic Sentences and Signposting

    Topic sentences and signposts make an essay's claims clear to a reader. Good essays contain both. Topic sentences reveal the main point of a paragraph. They show the relationship of each paragraph to the essay's thesis, telegraph the point of a paragraph, and tell your reader what to expect in the paragraph that follows. Topic sentences also ...

  10. Using Topic Sentences

    When read in sequence, your essay's topic sentences will provide a sketch of the essay's argument. Thus topics sentences help protect your readers from confusion by guiding them through the argument. But topic sentences can also help you to improve your essay by making it easier for you to recognize gaps or weaknesses in your argument.

  11. How to Write a Strong Topic Sentence + Examples

    Step 3: Make your essay outline. Once you have the points you want to make within your thesis statement hammered out, make an outline for your essay. This is where you'll start to create your topic sentence for each paragraph. You want to clearly state the main idea of that paragraph in the very first sentence.

  12. How to Write an Essay Introduction

    Table of contents. Step 1: Hook your reader. Step 2: Give background information. Step 3: Present your thesis statement. Step 4: Map your essay's structure. Step 5: Check and revise. More examples of essay introductions. Other interesting articles. Frequently asked questions about the essay introduction.

  13. Sentence Starters for Reader Response Essays and Journals

    A reader response can be a personal reaction to the text, or it can be a more impersonal analysis of the ideas and writing in the text. In a reader response essay, you can talk about one or more of the following: Your feelings about the topic. Your thoughts about what the author said. What this reminds you about in your own life.

  14. Initiating Strong Sentences: Topic Sentence Starters for Informational

    In informational writing, the first sentence sets the stage for what's to come. To ensure a strong start, using topic sentence starters can be incredibly helpful. From posing thought-provoking questions to stating bold opinions, here are some effective ways to initiate your sentences and engage your readers right from the beginning.

  15. 30 Examples of Topic Sentences (by grade level)

    Elementary students often write simple topic sentences that focus solely on the main idea of the paragraph. Some examples of topic sentences for this age group include: When we had a snow day, I made snow angels, drank hot cocoa, and went sledding. Students should not have to do homework because it takes a lot of time.

  16. Starter Sentences for Essays: Examples and How to write them

    Good essay starters can act as transitions and sentence-starting phrases that transition from one idea to the next smoothly. They are capable of linking ideas in such a way that the reader will effortlessly flow with the essay from the start to the end. 3. They increase Credibility and Professionalism.

  17. Topic Sentence Generator

    A powerful topic sentence is crucial for setting the stage for your essay or paper and engaging your readers from the very beginning. Our Topic Sentence Generator helps you create a strong, clear topic sentence that introduces your main idea effectively and sets the stage for the rest of your essay. By using our generator, you can ensure your ...

  18. Topic Sentence Starter Cards

    A pack of 32 narrative, persuasive, and report (informative) writing sentence starter cards. Use this pack of sentence starters to encourage your students to identify and write a narrative, persuasive, or report (informative) text type. Choose a topic sentence starter from the pack and have your students continue writing a paragraph.

  19. 101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Topics & Samples

    101 To Kill a Mockingbird Essay Titles & Examples. Updated: Mar 1st, 2024. 10 min. If you struggle to find "To Kill a Mockingbird" essay topics on prejudice, race, the characters' courage, or any other issue, look no further. Our team has prepared a list of titles and essay writing tips for this book. We will write.

  20. 101 Great Sentence Starters for Writing

    When used well, sentence starters connect these topics in a way to help readers understand the main idea. Writing Sentence Starters. Following you will find various examples of sentence starters that you can use for various types of writing such as essays. Introduction Writing Sentence Starters. I firmly believe…

  21. 40 Incredible Introduction Sentence Starters for Students

    To help students improve their grammar and mechanics. Introduction sentence starters can help students focus on the content of their writing, rather than worrying about grammar and mechanics. This can free up their mental energy to focus on writing a clear and concise introduction. To help students build confidence.

  22. 20 Sentence Starters for Strong Reading Response Summaries

    Writing about reading has the potential to be extremely difficult for students. The first few words can make or break the whole experience. I like to think of sentence starters as the tipping point. Often, with the first sentence out of the way, thoughts seem to flow, and writing about reading becomes much easier.

  23. 92 Essay Transition Words to Know, With Examples

    Abruptly switching topics in essays can be jarring; however, transition words can smooth the change for the convenience of the reader.Moreover, you can use essay transition words to start a paragraph, sentence, or clause more naturally.Additionally, essay transition words can connect new information to the previous statement so you don't have to say everything at once.

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