Topic sentence
The sentence in a paragraph that expresses the main idea, typically appearing early (often first) in the paragraph. A topic sentence provides focus and guides paragraph development toward supporting or explaining that main idea.
Real World
The Guardian's literary editor opens each book review paragraph with a clear controlling claim — 'McCarthy's prose here achieves its coldest detachment' — before quoting and analysing, making the argument immediately legible to the reader.
Exam Focus
Start each paragraph with a claim about meaning or technique, not a quotation; the quotation serves the topic sentence, not vice versa.
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