How to Write TOEFL Essay Topic Sentences

Topic sentences are important because they support your thesis statement.

First, let's have a quick review. We already know that the thesis statement is the last sentence of the introduction. We also know that the thesis statement is where we give our opinion. Here's the example we used:

No police officer should ever carry a gun.

It's a good thesis because it tells the reader what the essay is about and it gives an opinion. Now the reader knows what our opinion is, but he doesn't know why. This is what topic sentence does--it tells the reader why.

Here's the minimum you need to know about what a topic sentence is:

• It is the first sentence of each paragraph in the body.
• It gives one reason why the thesis statement is true.
• It tells the reader what the rest of the paragraph is about.

A good way to write a topic sentence is to begin with a list of reasons that support your thesis statement. When you have your list, then choose the two best reasons. That's what we'll do on the next.