a complete sentence that states the main point of the paragraph
a mini-thesis that acts as the controlling idea for that paragraph
a sentence that captures the meaning of the entire paragraph or group of sentences
a sentence that expresses the main idea of a paragraph
a stated main idea for a paragraph
a summary of the ideas in the paragraph
The sentence encapsulating the focus, or main idea, of each paragraph of an essay.
A statement of the direction for the development of a paragraph.
is the central idea around which a paragraph develops. A topic sentence controls a paragraph in the same way a thesis statement unifies and governs an entire essay. See also induction and deduction. Transition
the sentence in a paragraph that gives the main idea for the paragraph and sets the limits for the material that can be discussed. It is often, but not always, the first sentence of a paragraph because this helps the reader follow the writer's argument Example: If the topic sentence was "I hate cafeteria food", that paragraph would have to discuss cafeteria food and why you hate it.
a sentence in a paragraph that states the topic or subject of the paragraph and the idea(s) it focuses on
A sentence intended to express the main idea in a paragraph or passage.
