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Appendix N

Decent Essays

Associate Level Material
Appendix N

Topic Sentences and Supporting Paragraphs

Topic Sentences

When you write, you form paragraphs. A paragraph is a group of sentences that relate in topic and thought. A paragraph generally consists of three to five sentences and usually begins with a topic sentence. A topic sentence is a general statement that announces what the paragraph is about. By starting a paragraph with a topic sentence, your audience may immediately identify your topic. This construction also helps you, the writer, stay focused on your subject.

Consider the following example of an essay introduction:

The first sentence is the topic sentence: It tells the readers they will learn about past …show more content…

You learn about writing concluding paragraphs later in this course.

Transitions

Transitions are words used to move readers smoothly from one sentence to another or from one paragraph to another. Think of transitions as traffic signals alerting readers to the direction your writing takes, based on the relationship between the ideas within or between paragraphs.

Examples of Transitions

The following are examples of relationships between words and examples of transitional words:

|Relationship |Example of Transitions |
| | |
|To show similarity between two ideas |Additionally |
| |Also |
| |And |
| |In the same way |
| |Moreover |
|To

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