Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences

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Open Ended

WHAT IS A TOPIC SENTENCE?

DEFINITIONS

The Prague School and followers

Theme is conceived as point of departure with information focus. (They do not distinguish between Theme and Rheme)

Halliday

Halliday defines Theme as ‘‘the element which serves the point of departure; it is that with which the clause is concerned’(1985, p. 37).

(They distinguish between Theme and Rheme)

Harvard College Writing Center

Topic sentences reveal the main point of a paragraph (Abrams, 2000).

Purdue University Writing Lab



Every paragraph should include a topic sentence that identifies the main idea of the paragraph. A topic sentence also states the point the writer wishes to make about that subject. Generally, the topic sentence appears at the beginning of the paragraph. It is often the paragraph’s very first sentence. A paragraph’s topic sentence must be general enough to express the paragraph’s overall subject. But it should be specific enough that the reader can understand the paragraph’s main subject and point (Purdue Online Writing Lab, 2019)

Open Ended

What's the function of a Topic Sentence?

Function of Themes

(1) They show the relationship of each paragraph/sentence to the main thesis/ topic,

(2) They summarize the point of a paragraph,

(3) and tell the reader what to expect in the paragraph that follows.

(Adapted from Abrams, 2000)

Are Themes relevant for Coherence?

Yes, because they signpost the subtopics that are going to be developed afterwards. Everything that follows must be semantically connected to the Topic Sentence.

Topic / Paragraph Theme

The Topic in a Text/ Discourse is the main idea and summarizes the ideas that are going to be further developed in the rest of the Text.

The Theme in a paragraph is the same but works on a lower level. It summarizes the main idea of the paragraph and presents subtopics that are going to be developed in the following sentences.

Open Ended

Share your topic sentence/s:

​See that there are many subtopics in the paragraph. The Theme must summarize or encompass all of them:

Multiple Choice

Where is the theme of a paragraph typically placed?

• At the very beginning of a paragraph

• At the end of a paragraph

• Always on the second sentence of a paragraph

• In the body of a paragraph

Multiple Choice

What is the function of topic sentences in a long discourse or text?

• They show the relationship of each paragraph/sentence to the main thesis/ topic,

• To summarize the entire text

• They tell the reader what has been said before

Multiple Choice

What is the function of the THEME in a paragraph?

• It marks the tone of the paragraph.

• It summarizes the point of a paragraph.

• It develops and gives details on the topic.

• It closes the paragraph.