Topic Sentence

The formulation of the topic sentence deserves special care. As the starting point for the entire text, it represents the reader’s first confrontation with the case you wish to make. As such, the topic sentence of the introductory paragraph should serve above all to establish sufficient common ground between writer and reader to make communication feasible. This can be achieved by starting with a fairly uncontroversial statement, with – as yet - little personal input from you. A topic sentence like the following is quite inappropriate:

*It is a crying scandal how badly the poor people of Britain are represented in their so-called democratically elected Parliament.

These may well be your sentiments, but you are unlikely to persuade an opponent of your point of view to read any further than this sentence.

Since you generally do not know exactly when your text is going to be read, the topic sentence of your introduction should be relatively ‘timeless’, i.e. should not be directly linked to the time of writing. General expressions like In recent years or In the latter half of the twentieth century can be freely used, but a sentence like the following (taken from a student essay submitted one day after the first broadcast by the Dutch-language television channel RTL 4) is not an appropriate way of starting an argumentative text on the merits of commercial television:

*Yesterday Dutch people were introduced to a new television channel.

The topic sentence of the introductory paragraph is of course situated immediately under the title. Yet there is a general convention that the introduction should always be seen as a fresh start. The topic sentence should not be a reformulation of the title in sentence form. Thus, the title

Can an Eighteen-year-old be Trusted with the Vote?

cannot precede a text that starts with the sentence

*Many older people feel that eighteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with the vote.

An acceptable alternative topic sentence would be

In most countries in the Western world, the voting age is currently set at eighteen.

Thereafter, the elaboration of this topic sentence could deal with various objections that have been raised against allowing eighteen-year-olds to vote, leading to, at the end of the paragraph, the question whether the law should be altered on this point. Similarly, it is not acceptable for the first sentence to refer back in any way to the title. The following sequence is thus innacceptable:

Apartheid: A Shameful Chapter in Human History

*Talking about apartheid, everybody agrees that the system was wrong and that is good that it has been abolished.

Less explicit references to the title are equally undesirable:

*This, as everyone agrees, was a vile system which has now been abolished.

 

The opening sentence
	fairly uncontroversial; not linked directly to the time of writing; a fresh start after the title; not dependent for its understanding on the preceding title.
	A vague generality or truth Do not extend your reach too wide with a line such as Throughout the history of mankind, ... or In today's world... Readers can do without the warm-up. A flat announcement Do not start with The purpose of this essay is ...; In this essay I will...; or any similar presentation of your intention or topic. A reference to an essay's title Do not refer to the title of the essay in the first sentence -for example, This is essay is about the history of the guitar... According to Webster... do not start by citing a dictionary definition. A definition can be an effective springboard to an essay, but this kind of lead-in has become dull with overuse. An apology Do not fault your opinion or your knowledge with I'm not sure if I'm right, but ...; I do not know much about this, but ...; or a similar line.