Topic Sentences

Identifying or stating the main idea of a paragraph can be a difficult skill for many students. Although not all paragraphs have clear-cut topic sentences, an effective paragraph often begins with a topic sentence.

Students should try to use topic sentences in the body paragraphs of their essays on the GED Writing Test. In addition, on Part I of the Writing Test, some items may ask students a question like this: "Which sentence would be most effective if inserted at the beginning of the paragraph?" These items ask students to identify a good topic sentence.

Use a variety of paragraphs to teach students how an effective topic sentence can

• link the paragraph to the overall main idea of the essay
• introduce the specific topic of the paragraph