Lecture Notes: Topic Sentences (Varsity Level)

▶ Background Paragraph Topic Sentences

Background paragraph topic sentences should connect directly to your paper or essay topic, establishing the foundational context your readers need to understand your argument.

These connections work by introducing essential information, definitions, historical context, or relevant circumstances that frame your discussion.

When a background paragraph topic sentence successfully connects to your overall essay topic, it demonstrates to readers why this contextual information is necessary and relevant rather than tangential. This connection strengthens your paper by ensuring that all background information serves a clear purpose in supporting your eventual argument, rather than simply providing interesting but disconnected facts.

Best Practice: to readers, background paragraphs can look like other types of paragraphs, so don’t be afraid to clearly announce in your topic sentence that this will be background. This helps the reader understand and digest the context that will be provided.

▶ Argumentative Paragraph Topic Sentences

Argumentative paragraph topic sentences must connect directly to your thesis statement or main claim by presenting a main point that serves as a reason why your claim is true.

The topic sentence logically connects this main point to your claim, often using constructions like “The first reason why [claim] is true is because [main point].” The entire paragraph—main point, supporting points, and evidence—acts as a building block for your larger thesis, and a clear topic sentence helps readers understand how that building block fits into your overall argument.

When readers can trace how each main point supports your thesis, they understand your argument’s logical flow and see how you’re constructing your case piece by piece. This connection keeps your argument tight and prevents paragraphs from drifting into interesting but irrelevant side discussions.

Best Practice: it can be useful to identify a segment of your claim and repeat this in your topic sentences. For instance, in the example below, the thesis statement claims that the 19th Amendment was a crucial step forward for women’s rights. In JP’s class, we’ll refer to this phrase as the “football,” in the way that a football team always carries the ball forward for every play. Repeating this phrase within each argumentative topic sentence will help readers understand how your ideas connect to each other.

▶ Example Paragraph Topic Sentences

Example paragraph topic sentences should connect to the main point from a preceding argumentative paragraph by introducing a concrete sequence that proves that main point in action.

Whether you’re telling a story, recounting a conversation, or walking through a process, your example paragraph shows readers what your main point actually looks like in the real world. This connection transforms abstract arguments into something readers can see and understand viscerally.

When your example clearly demonstrates the main point you argued for, it makes your reasoning convincing because readers witness the truth of your claim rather than just hearing you assert it. Without this clear connection, your concrete sequences become random anecdotes that don’t advance your argument.