The act of providing convincing data or groundwork leads the reader to the topic sentence, which then also serves as the conclusion. The following sample paragraph is an example of one in which the topic sentence and controlling idea appear in the final position: People do it everyday.
The controlling idea (or ideas) then steer that topic in a certain direction. According to the Rochester Institute of Technology Supporting English Acquisition webpage, " The controlling idea is the point of the paragraph. It guides the ideas that provide support for the paragraph and limits the scope of the paragraph." Examples of topic
TOPIC SENTENCES. A well-organized paragraph supports or develops a single controlling idea, which is expressed in a sentence called the topic sentence. A topic sentence has several important functions: it substantiates or supports an essay's thesis statement; it unifies the content of a paragraph and directs the order of the sentences; and itA good topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea or opinion. Weak example. In this paragraph, I am going to discuss the rising suicide rate among young professionals. (This topic sentence provides a main idea, but it does not present a controlling idea.) Stronger example.
The topic sentence is typically the first sentence of a paragraph, and it introduces the subject of a paragraph by laying out a controlling idea or particular point of view on the topic. The rest of the paragraph will include supporting sentences with examples and evidence to support the main point.
The following topic sentences have controlling ideas. Click on the underlined segment of the topic sentence that contains the controlling idea. Tennis racquets have changed greatly in the last ten years. People from many different cultures live in Boston. Cats are better pets than dogs for many reasons. Yesterday was the worst day of my life.3tC8zs.